Our Chicken Gnocchi Soup is one of our favorite comforting soups that is flavorful, simple to put together, and will leave you feeling cozy from the inside out. Make a big batch on the weekend and eat it throughout the week or add a kale salad and some grilled bread to make it a meal.
No matter when you chose to eat it, this rich soup will leave you satisfied and warmed through and through. Follow along as we walk through how to make creamy chicken soup for our next gathering or weeknight in.
The Creamiest Chicken And Gnocchi Soup
If you’re looking for a soup that’s flavorful, filling, and fast, you’ve come to the right place. In under an hour, you’ll have a delicious soup filled with pockets of light gnocchi, perfectly cooked veggies, and tender chicken to keep you going during those cold winter months. If you love the flavor of gnocchi but want a break from soup, try out our tasty baked gnocchi recipe, which is also perfect for busy weeknights.
What You Will Need
- butter – Add a buttery richness to this soup!
- garlic – Fresh garlic provides the brightest and sharpest flavor, but use the pre-chopped and canned variety if that’s more convenient.
- yellow onion – A must in any soup as it provides flavor and texture and pairs perfectly with other winter vegetables.
- chicken broth – Pick some up from your grocery store, or if you want to bring your soup to the next level, use homemade chicken broth. We promise that it’ll be a game changer. Chicken stock will work fine here too, just make sure to taste test and add additional seasoning if need be.
- chicken – Feel free to substitute chicken breasts for 4-6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs. We actually prefer this option as it provides amazing flavor, but chose the option that’s convenient.
- bay leaf, kosher salt, black pepper, and fresh thyme sprigs – Simple herbs and spices that bring out the best in this hearty soup.
- carrots and celery – A veggie duo that you’ll find in many of our favorite soup recipes.
- Nutpods – Substitute with heavy cream if you don’t need this soup to be dairy-free.
- frozen peas – This simple ingredient provides a pop of color and a subtle sweetness throughout.
- flour – A quick and easy way to add heartiness and a creamy base to any soup. To make this recipe gluten-free, substitute with gluten-free flour.
- gnocchi – Made with potatoes, salt, egg, and flour, these little pockets of potato dough absorb flavors from every other ingredient and make this soup hearty and filling. Check the pasta aisle for a simple store-bought brand, or feel free to use homemade gnocchi if you prefer.
What Is Chicken And Gnocchi Soup
This soup is the creamy cousin of chicken noodle soup. And instead of noodles, we’re using delicious gnocchi, which are basically little balls of dough made from potato, flour, egg, and salt. While many people put gnocchi in the pasta category, they’re actually considered a type of dumpling.
Either way, they’re delicious light nuggets of mild flavored potato dough, making them the perfect addition to soups or pasta dishes. You can find them at your local grocery store either in the pasta aisle or in the refrigerated section.
Chicken Gnocchi Soup Crock Pot Option
You can easily use your crock pot to whip up this delicious soup with some small adjustments. Be sure to sauté your garlic and onion using the sauté setting if your crock pot has one or just use a skillet. Next, add your chicken and broth and cook on low for 4-6 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
Next, shred your chicken right in your slow cooker and add the flour and broth mixture, veggies, seasonings, cream, gnocchi, and mix thoroughly and let cook on high for another hour or so. Finally, add in the frozen peas and spinach and stir to soften.
How To Make Chicken Gnocchi Soup
Start by bringing a dutch oven or a large stock pot to medium/high heat on your stove top and add your butter. Once hot, add your minced garlic and onion, moving it around the pan for 30 seconds or until it becomes fragrant. Next, add your carrots and celery and let cook.
Make It Extra Creamy
Make this soup even creamier by using 1/2 a cup less of chicken broth in this step. It will be replaced with 1/2 cup of heavy cream, whole milk or full fat coconut milk a bit later in this recipe.
Add the remaining butter and stir to combine. Pour in the flour and stir to combine. Slowly add in the broth, stirring as you go.
Add the chicken thighs (or chicken breast) cover and let cook. Remove and shred on a plate with two forks, return the chicken to the broth along with the remaining ingredients.
Next, add the frozen peas and gnocchi and mix to fully combine all of the ingredients. Cover your soup pot and remove it from the heat for 5-10 minutes, allowing the peas to fully thaw and the gnocchi to soften.
Love cozy soups – try our Chicken and Wild Rice Soup!
Serve immediately with crusty bread or grilled bread and enjoy!
More Veggies
If you’re looking to add a pop of color and a nutritional punch, feel free to stir in a handful of fresh spinach after you’ve added your gnocchi and peas. Stir the spinach until it’s wilted and the peas are soft.
Recipe Q&As
- dairy-free: Make this recipe dairy-free by using oil instead of butter and coconut milk instead of heavy cream.
- gluten-free: Make this recipe gluten-free by using gluten-free flour and gluten-free gnocchi.
- storage: Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to three days.
- gnocchi: We recommend store-bought gnocchi to make this recipe as simple as possible, but feel free to use a homemade option as well.
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Other Recipes You Might Like
Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 10 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Description
Chicken Gnocchi Soup – a delicious, creamy chicken gnocchi recipe that is perfect a cozy night in! Made with simple, real ingredients!
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoon butter, divided (reg. or dairy-free)
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1–2 medium/large carrots, peeled and sliced
- 1–2 celery stalks, sliced
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 4–5 cups chicken broth
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs or chicken breasts*
- 1/2 cup unsweetened/unflavored Nutpods OR heavy cream
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoons kosher salt (more to taste)
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2–3 fresh thyme sprigs
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 16oz gnocchi
Instructions
- Sauté Veggies: Add 2 tablespoons butter to a large Dutch Oven (I used a 5.5qt) and bring to medium-high heat. Let butter melt and swirl to coat the pan. Add garlic and onion. Move around the pan until they soften, approx. 1-2 minutes. Add carrots and celery and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
- Broth: Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter and let melt. Add flour and stir to coat the vegetables. Keeping the heat at medium-high slowly add the chicken broth approx. 1/4 cup at a time and use a whisk to stir and combine. Continue adding a little chicken broth and whisking until all the chicken broth has been added.
- Chicken: Add the chicken thighs and cover. Let simmer 10-15 minutes or until chicken is fully cooked. Remove chicken from the pot and place on a plate. Shred with two forks and return to the pot along with the Nutpods, bay leaf, salt, pepper, thyme, frozen peas and gnocchi.
- Cook: Stir and then cover. Let gently simmer 8-10 minutes or until gnocchi is fully cooked.
- Taste: Taste soup and add any additional salt or pepper, as needed. Serve with crusty bread and enjoy!
- Serve: Serve immediately crusty bread, garlic breadsticks or grilled bread.
Notes
- Dairy-Free: to make this dairy-free use olive oil and coconut milk.
- Gluten-Free: to make this gluten-free use gluten-free flour and gluten-free gnocchi.
- Storage: store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Extra Creamy: if you are wanting an extra Creamy Gnocchi Soup you can use a 1/2 cup less of chicken broth and use a 1/2 cup more of heavy cream (or whole milk).
- Add-ins: feel free to add in a handful of fresh spinach.
- Gnocchi: I recommend using simply store-bought gnocchi (potato gnocchi) but feel free to use homemade if you prefer.
Bridget Montag says
Made this last night and it was the perfect bowl of comfort food! If you can find mini gnocchi at the store, it’s a must! The perfect size!
Ali says
Easy hearty soup that took no time at all to make! We loved it
Erin says
Thanks, Ali!!!