Creamy Chicken & Gnocchi in Garlic-Herb Butter

Name: Creamy Chicken & Gnocchi in Garlic-Herb Butter
Prep time: 30 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 500 g gnocchi; 300 g chicken thigh, cut into small pieces; 1 tbsp garlic-infused oil; 30 g butter; 300 ml onion-free stock; 100 ml cream; 30 g parmesan, finely grated; 1 sprig thyme, leaves picked (about 2 g); 15 g spring onion (green tops), thinly sliced

By Robin Tasker · Serves 4 · 30 min

Pouch load

1.8/10

Likely gentler

Flavour

6.5

Bold

BlandBam

Nutrition

Very nutritious

Light on (tap to add):

Fibre & prebiotics +

Oat bran Rolled oats Banana (firm)Carrot

Potassium +

Banana (firm)Potato (peeled)Pumpkin Carrot

Omega-3 fats +

Salmon Sardines Canned tuna

Three lenses: how gentle on the gut, how nourishing, how tasty — because gentle isn't the same as healthy. How the scores work →

Dinner Italian Low-FODMAP Egg-free Nut-free Fish-free Shellfish-free Sesame-free One-pot Under 30 min

Soft potato gnocchi and tender chicken in a creamy garlic-herb butter sauce built on onion-free stock — a pillowy, comforting one-pan dinner.

Gnocchi are little pillows of potato, which makes them about as gentle and comforting as pasta gets. In a creamy garlic-herb butter sauce, with soft pieces of chicken, this is the kind of bowl that feels like a hug.

The sauce is the same trick as the creamy spaghetti: onion-free stock reduced down, cream, butter and herbs. No onion, no garlic solids, all the comfort.

Ingredients

Serves

500 g gnocchi
300 g chicken thigh, cut into small pieces
1 tbsp garlic-infused oil
30 g butter
300 ml onion-free stock
100 ml cream
30 g parmesan, finely grated
1 sprig thyme, leaves picked (about 2 g)
15 g spring onion (green tops), thinly sliced

Method

Warm the garlic-infused oil in a wide pan over a medium-high heat. Add the chicken thigh pieces, season with a little salt, and cook for 6–8 minutes until golden and cooked through. Lift out and set aside.
Turn the heat down, add the butter and let it melt, then pour in the stock and the thyme leaves. Let it bubble and reduce by about a third.
Stir in the cream and simmer for 2–3 minutes until it thickens slightly. Stir in the parmesan.
Meanwhile, boil the gnocchi until they float (1–2 minutes), then drain and add them to the sauce along with the chicken. Toss for a minute so everything is coated and hot.
Season, scatter over the spring onion greens, and serve.

Gentler swaps

Creamy without the onion: the sauce leans on onion-free stock and garlic-infused oil for savoury depth.

Gnocchi: soft potato gnocchi are gentle and low-residue; cook them just until they float so they stay pillowy.

For the family

Cook once — your gentle version, plus how to pep it up for everyone else.

Make the one pan. For the others, stir wilted spinach, chilli flakes or a little crushed garlic through their share, and finish with extra parmesan — yours keeps the gentle garlic-herb butter.

Scores are modelled estimates, not medical advice. Everyone's gut is different, and tolerance changes over time. Reintroduce foods one at a time, and follow your own medical team's advice.