Last Updated April 26th, 2024 at 11:09 am by Lisa
Chicken Gnocchi Soup is so easy to put together and a hearty dinner recipe. Loaded with juicy shredded chicken, vegetables, and gnocchi which are soft puffy "Italian dumplings".
Serve hot bowls of this comforting soup with a side salad, bread, cheese croutons, dinner rolls, or baguettes. Sprinkle with a shave of parmesan cheese and fresh basil. True comfort food in a bowl...
Why You Will Love Gnocchi Soup
And the best part? Gnocchi doesn't require any fuss or boiling water like regular pasta. Fresh gnocchi is a hearty soup and so filling. One of those great recipes you will make over and over.
This dinner comes together in minutes, and you can make it in a slow cooker or crockpot then add the creamy goodness and pillowy gnocchi just before serving. The whole family is going to love this dinner.
Grab these simple ingredients from the grocery store and keep them on hand to whip up this gnocchi soup recipe. Next time you need to get dinner on the table, you are good to go.
- Easy soup recipe.
- One pot whole meal.
- Simple pantry ingredients.
- No water to boil. You let the chicken and gnocchi cook right in the soup.
- Cooks in a slow cooker, add cream and gnocchi at the end in 10 minutes!
- Cooks in a large stockpot too.
- 15-minute prep time.
Chicken Gnocchi Soup Recipe
- 1 cup yellow onion finely diced
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon celery salt
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 3 boneless chicken breasts
- 2 cups celery finely diced
- 2 cups carrots sliced into small coins
- 4 cups chicken stock or broth (32 oz box)
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream (or swap in whole milk)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1-16 oz package of gnocchi (you can add a second to make it hearty)
- garnish: fresh basil and parmesan cheese
Soup Instructions
In a large soup pot or cast iron dutch oven, over medium-high heat, saute the chopped onion, salt, black pepper, basil, parsley, and celery salt until the onions just start to turn golden brown about 1 minute. This releases the oils in the dried herbs building great flavor ~ at top pro cooking tip!
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Add the minced garlic and stir for about 30 seconds, don't let it burn.
Now add the chicken breasts, chicken stock bone broth, chopped celery and carrots, and 2 bay leaves on top.
Cover and simmer on low heat for 60 minutes.
Remove the 2 bay leaves, and discard. Shred the meat with two forks in the pot.
Make a cornstarch slurry. Add 2 tablespoons cornstarch to 1 cup heavy whipping cream, and whisk well. Add in the chicken and vegetables. This makes a thick creamy soup.
Next, add the package of gnocchi, stir and let it cook for about 10 minutes on medium heat until hot and the soup thickens.
Serve with warm bread, rolls, or baguettes.
Store leftovers in an airtight container, and reheat on the stove or in the microwave.
Gnocchi Soup Top Tips
- Italian gnocchi~ use good potato gnocchi, you will find it in the pasta aisle. And the best part of gnocchi, you don't have to keep it in the refrigerator, it is a pantry shelf-stable ingredient and great to have on hand.
- chicken ~ buy a boneless skinless breast so the tender chunks shred easily without bones. Boneless skinless chicken thighs will work as well. You can also use sliced Italian sausage or crumbled cooked sausage in this recipe.
- onions and garlic ~ those are optional veggies but add a great amount of flavor.
- heavy cream ~ I use heavy whipping cream, you can substitute half and half or milk, will work just fine but you won't get the super creamy broth.
- chicken broth/stock ~ use a brand labeled either one, they are the same thing, or make it from scratch. Try my Chicken Stock Bone Broth recipe tutorial. And you can always use a low sodium chicken broth.
- herbs and spices ~ dried parsley, basil, bay leaves, and celery salt all add so much flavor. You can also add Italian seasoning, and fresh or dried thyme, those would be really good options.
- spinach ~ Olive Garden made chicken gnocchi soup famous, to this day it is one of their four soups on the menu! There are lots and lots of Olive Garden copycat recipes that are similar to this one out there, those include spinach.
What Chicken Can I Use?
You can also use any kind of chicken that is cooked for this recipe, what you will want to do is add it in the last hour of cooking. Here are some great options:
- cooked cubed or canned chicken
- cooked rotisserie chicken
Gnocchi FAQ
A type of Italian dumpling, that is a small oval-round shape with ridges. They are made with various ingredients including semolina or wheat flour, ricotta, egg, breadcrumbs, cheese, and potato. They are puffy, light, and soft.
Some gnocchi recipes have herbs, vegetables, and other ingredients.
The dough that makes homemade Gnocchi is rolled out in a long rope and cut into small pieces or what looks like a small dumpling. Then ridges are put onto each piece with either a fork or a small board that has ridges. You can make your own gnocchi at home with some simple tools and time.
More Chili & Soup Recipes
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Every spoonful of Cajun Sausage And Potato Soup is comforting and zesty. This spicy, cozy dinner has hearty chunks of vegetables and slices of andouille sausage. And takes just 20 minutes of prep time. On chilly Fall or Winter nights, make a pot of Jalapeno Popper Soup filled with jalapeños and a mixture of cheeses, this will warm you right up. Chicken Noodle Soup is a classic and my personal favorite. Tomato Soup with Basil Dumplings can be rich and chunky or creamy smooth and is loaded with a veggie rainbow for a hearty lunch or dinner.
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Chicken Gnocchi Soup
Ingredients
- 1 cup yellow onion finely diced
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon celery salt
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 3 boneless chicken breasts
- 2 cups celery finely diced
- 2 cups carrots sliced into small coins
- 4 cups chicken stock or broth (32 oz box)
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream (swap in whole milk)
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- 1-16 oz package gnocchi
- parmesan cheese optional garnish
- fresh basil optional garnish
Instructions
- Dice one onion, slice carrots into coins, and dice celery.
- In a large pot, over medium heat, saute the chopped onion, salt, pepper, basil, parsley, and celery salt until the onions just start to turn golden brown about 1 minute. This adds flavor, and releases the oils in the dried herbs.
- Now add the minced garlic and stir for about 30 seconds.
- Now add the chicken breasts, chicken stock, carrots, celery, and 2 bay leaves on top.
- Cover and simmer on low heat for 60 minutes.
- Remove the 2 bay leaves. Shred the chicken with two forks in the pot or pull out onto a place, shred, then add back in.
- Add 2 tablespoons corn starch to 1 cup heavy whipping cream, whisk well. Add into the chicken. This make the soup thick and creamy.
- Next add the package of gnocchi, stir and let it cook for about 10 minutes until its hot and becomes thicker. Optional: a second package of gnocchi makes it hearty!
- Serve with warm bread, rolls, or toasted baguettes.
Slow Cooker Option
- Add the onion, salt, pepper, basil, celery salt and garlic to the slow cooker, stir until mixed. Add the chicken breasts, stock, carrots, celery, and bay leaves. Cover and cook on low 6 hours.
- Remove and discard the bay leaves. With two forks, shred the meat in the pot.
- Whisk 2 tablespoons of corn starch into the half and half. Pour into the slow cooker. Add one package of gnocchi, stir well.
- Cover and let cook on high for about 10 minutes until hot and the soup thickens. The gnocchi is already cooked so you are just heating it up.
- Serve with bread, rolls, or baguettes.
- Garnish with fresh basil and grated parmesan cheese.
Notes
Gnocchi Soup Top Tips
- Italian gnocchi~ use a good potato gnocchi, you will find it in the pasta aisle.
- chicken ~ buy a boneless skinless breast so the tender chunks shred easily without bones. Boneless skinless thighs will work as well.
- onions and garlic ~ those are optional, but add a great amount of flavor.
- heavy cream ~ I use heavy whipping cream, you can substitute half and half or milk, will work just fine but you won't get super creamy broth.
- chicken broth/stock ~ use a brand labeled either one, they are the same thing or make it from scratch. Try my Chicken Stock Bone Broth recipe tutorial.
- herbs and spices ~ dried parsley, basil, bay leaves and celery salt all add so much flavor. You can also add Italian seasoning or dried or fresh thyme, those would be really good options.
What Chicken Can I Use?
You can also use any kind of chicken that is cooked for this recipe, what you will want to do is add it in the last hour of cooking.- cooked cubed chicken or canned
- cooked rotisserie chicken
Probably my all-time favorite soup for the fall and winter! So easy to make and a hit in our household! Such great flavors!