Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken Meatballs with Gnocchi
Cozy and flavorful, this Tuscan chicken meatballs and gnocchi crockpot recipe is the perfect dinner for fall and winter!
Servings: 4 Servings
Calories: 696kcal
Equipment
- Medium Cookie Scoop (helpful, not required)
Ingredients
Meatball Ingredients
- 1 pound Ground Chicken
- 1 Large Egg
- ½ Cup Panko (regular or whole wheat)
- ¼ Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder
- 1 teaspoon Onion Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Pepper
- 2 Tablespoons Oil from the Sun Dried Tomatoes for pan frying
Sauce & Gnocchi Ingredients
- ¼ Cup Dry White Wine
- 2 Cups Chicken Broth
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Pepper
- ½ Cup Heavy Cream
- ½ Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese
- ½ Cup Sundried Tomatoes Packed in Oil, drained and rough chopped (*save oil to brown the meatballs)
- 4 Cups Baby Spinach, de-stemmed and rough chopped
- 1 , 16-18 ounce package of shelf-stable gnocchi
Instructions
- Make the meatballs. Add all of the meatball ingredients to a medium bowl and mix together (with your hands or a rubber scrapper) until just combined. Form the meatballs (we like to portion them with a medium cookie scoop, but you could also use 1-2 Tablespoons of mixture).
- Brown the outside of the meatballs on the stove. Heat the oil from the sundried tomatoes in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat, and then sear the meatballs until lightly browned on all sides (use a tongs to turn them during cooking). The meatballs do not need to be cooked all the way through at this stage. Cook in batches if needed.
- Cook the meatballs in the crockpot. Add the seared meatballs to the basin of your slow cooker and top with the chicken broth, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Use the wine to deglaze your pan (if needed) and then add all contents from the pan to the slow cooker basin. Otherwise, add the wine directly to the crockpot. Cover and cook on high for 3 hours.
- Cook the gnocchi in the crockpot, and add additional sauce ingredients. Once the meatballs are cooked, add in the gnocchi, sundried tomatoes, parmesan cheese and heavy cream and cook for an additional 20 minutes on high.
- Wilt the spinach. Stir the fresh spinach into the crockpot ingredients and continue to cook until wilted (this won't take long).
- Serve and enjoy! Scoop into individual serving bowls, topping with additional parmesan if desired, and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Storage Instructions: Store leftovers (once cooled) in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Sauce too thin? First let it sit in the basin of your crockpot uncovered for 15-20 minutes to thicken naturally. If it's still too thin for your liking you can either add a little more parmesan cheese or a quick cornstarch slurry (start with 1 teaspoon of cornstarch mixed with 3 teaspoons of cold water until dissolved) and stir it into the warm sauce.
Tips for Success:
- Don't overmix your meatball mixture. Mix ingredients until just combined. Overmixing leads to tough meatballs.
- Do NOT add the gnocchi or heavy cream until the last 20-minutes per the recipe card. Adding the gnocchi too early leads to gnocchi with a mushy texture. Adding the cream too early can cause it to separate and curdle.
Nutrition
Calories: 696kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 191mg | Sodium: 1939mg | Potassium: 1129mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 3670IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 297mg | Iron: 7mg
