Description
Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken Meatballs with Gnocchi is a comforting and flavorful dish featuring tender chicken meatballs simmered in a creamy Tuscan sauce with sundried tomatoes, spinach, and tender gnocchi. This easy slow cooker recipe brings Italian-inspired flavors to your dinner table with minimal effort.
Ingredients
Scale
Meatball Ingredients
- 1 lb ground chicken
- ¾ cup breadcrumbs
- ½ cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 2 Tbsp sundried tomato oil
Sauce + Gnocchi Ingredients
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup white wine (cooking wine or fresh)
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 12 oz gnocchi, shelf stable
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup sundried tomatoes
- 2 cups spinach
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Combine Meatball Ingredients: In a medium mixing bowl, mix together ground chicken, breadcrumbs, grated Parmesan cheese, minced garlic, egg, Italian seasoning, onion powder, salt, and pepper until just combined. Avoid overmixing to keep meatballs tender.
- Form Meatballs: Shape the mixture into small meatballs about 1½ tablespoons each, yielding approximately 35-40 meatballs.
- Sear Meatballs: Heat sundried tomato oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Brown the meatballs on both sides, about 3-4 minutes per side. They do not need to be fully cooked at this stage. Work in batches as needed.
- Add to Slow Cooker: Transfer the seared meatballs to your slow cooker. Add diced onion, minced garlic, white wine, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and chicken broth. Stir gently to combine.
- Slow Cook Meatballs: Cover and cook on high for 20 minutes in a Magnifique Clay Pot Oven or 3 hours in a standard slow cooker, until the meatballs reach an internal temperature of 160°F.
- Add Gnocchi and Cream: Once meatballs are cooked, stir in gnocchi, heavy cream, and sundried tomatoes. Cook with the lid on for 10-20 minutes on the Pasta setting if using the Magnifique Clay Pot Oven or 20 minutes on slow cook setting for other slow cookers until gnocchi is heated through and cooked.
- Finish with Spinach and Cheese: Add fresh spinach and grated Parmesan cheese to the slow cooker. Stir until the spinach wilts into the sauce.
- Rest and Serve: Allow the dish to rest for 10-15 minutes to thicken the sauce. Serve in bowls topped with extra Parmesan cheese to taste. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can substitute ground turkey or beef for ground chicken if desired.
- If using Italian seasoned breadcrumbs, reduce Italian seasoning in the meatballs by 1 tsp.
- Fresh minced garlic adds more flavor than jarred; 1 clove ≈ 1 tsp minced jarred garlic.
- Use the oil from the sundried tomatoes for searing to add flavor; alternatively use olive oil.
- The onion cooks well in the slow cooker without pre-cooking.
- Add heavy cream only near the end to prevent curdling.
- Frozen or fresh gnocchi can be used instead of shelf stable gnocchi.
- Do not add gnocchi at the start to avoid mushiness.
- Deglaze the meatball pan with wine and add the liquid to the slow cooker for extra flavor.
- Do not overmix meatball mixture to avoid toughness.
- Spinach is optional but adds color and nutrients.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 700 mg
- Fat: 25 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 28 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Cholesterol: 110 mg
