This chicken bacon pumpkin gnocchi dish is ready in under 30 minutes and is packed with perfectly cooked chicken and bacon in a creamy pumpkin sauce.
I love pasta but if you gave me a choice of pasta or gnocchi I will pick gnocchi every time.
It’s fluffy, ready in just minutes, and never gets weird and mushy like leftover pasta.
Although if I’m being honest I actually don’t mind leftover pasta.
My favorite breakfast dish is leftover spaghetti with meat sauce, reheated in the microwave and topped with lots of Parmesan cheese.
I seriously could eat that every single morning.
Yeah, I’m one of those weird people who eat non-breakfast food for breakfast.
I guess I’m a rebel with my breakfast consumption.
I actually ate this dish for breakfast leftovers the day after I made it. I couldn’t help it – chicken, bacon, pumpkin, AND gnocchi?
There was no way I was waiting until lunch to dig into those leftovers.
The thing I liked best is that because the creamy pumpkin sauce is made using cream cheese you don’t have to worry about the sauce breaking and becoming an oily mess when you re-heat the dish.
I mean unless a broken oily sauce is your kind of thing.
Which would be weird if I’m being honest.
More savory pumpkin recipes
- Looking for a cute kid-friendly meal? Try my Easy Pumpkin Shaped Gnocchi.
- Want to use up a fresh pumpkin? Try my Air Fryer Pumpkin Fries.
- Love fresh soft rolls? Try my Rosemary Pumpkin Rolls.
- Need an easy pasta recipe? Try my Creamy Pumpkin Baked Ziti.
Chicken Bacon Pumpkin Gnocchi
Ingredients
- 2 packages gnocchi about 2 pounds
- 8 strips bacon diced
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts diced
- 8 ounces cream cheese cut into cubes
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup half and half or whole milk
- Kosher salt and pepper to taste
- 3 green onions sliced
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil over high heat.
- Once boiling add the gnocchi and cook according to the package directions.
- When fully cooked drain, drizzle with a little olive oil (to keep moist and from sticking together) and set aside.
- Set a large skillet over medium heat and add bacon. Fry until crispy and remove from pan to a paper towel-lined plate to help drain off any remaining fat.
- To the pan add diced chicken and season with kosher salt and pepper. Cook until no longer pink. Remove chicken from the pan and set aside.
- Lower the heat to medium-low, leave 1 tablespoon of bacon fat in the pan, and add cream cheese. Stir to help soften the cream cheese.
- Add in pumpkin puree, Parmesan cheese, smoked paprika, chipotle chile powder, and garlic powder. Stir to combine.
- Add in half and half and stir until combined.
- Add gnocchi, chicken, and bacon to the pan.
- Stir together and let the sauce cook for 5 minutes to warm the gnocchi and chicken throughout.
- At this point, the sauce should have thickened up nicely. If the sauce is too thick add a little more half and half, if it’s too thick let it cook down just a little more.
- Taste the dish and season with kosher salt and pepper if needed.
- Sprinkle the finished dish with green onions and serve immediately.