Chicken Gnocchi Soup has juicy chicken, tender potato gnocchi, and a handful of veggies simmered in a creamy savory herb broth.
This quick and creamy soup is packed with flavor. Serve with some crusty bread for dipping and an Italian salad for the perfect meal!
Simple, Savory Soup
- Chicken Gnocchi Soup is hearty and so easy to make.
- Start with raw chicken breasts, no need for pre-cooked chicken.
- This stovetop Gnocchi soup needs just one pot making for quick clean up.
- This Olive Garden copycat recipe is jam-packed with flavor. It’s easy to make at home, costs less, and tastes even better than the original!
What is Gnocchi?
Gnocchi are little Italian dumplings. We make gnocchi with potatoes, but sometimes they can be made from seasoned semolina flour, sweet potatoes, ricotta, or other ingredients.
They look like small pillows with that distinctive ridge pressed into one side with the back of a fork or a gnocchi board.
You can buy gnocchi at almost any grocery store in the pasta section or you can order it online.
Ingredients for Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- Chicken – One of the best things about this recipe is that you can use raw chicken and there’s no need to pre-cook. Place them into the broth whole and simmer until they’re cooked. We use chicken breasts but thighs work too.
- Gnocchi – We like to use packaged gnocchi because it’s a bit denser than homemade (which can be delicate). You can find it in the pasta section or the deli section of the market. If using homemade, cook it separately and add it to each bowl when serving.
- Vegetables – With onion, garlic, celery, and carrot, plus fresh spinach add both color and flavor!
- Broth – Start with a boxed broth to make it quick or use homemade if you have it. The broth is seasoned and heavy cream adds a rich flavor.
Variations
- You can add extra veggies if you’d like, fresh or frozen peas, green beans, diced zucchini, or red bell pepper.
- Switch out the chicken for Italian sausage or meatballs. Adding bacon bits will give it a smoky flavor.
- If you don’t have gnocchi, use any medium pasta shape.
- We know it wouldn’t be the same classic recipe but to lower carbs, omit the gnocchi and substitute with cauliflower, and the light cream for heavy cream.
- Add your favorite herbs from thyme to fresh basil for garnish.
How to Make Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- Cook onion & garlic in oil until softened per the recipe below.
- Add broth and simmer chicken and veggies until the chicken is cooked through.
- Shred chicken while simmering gnocchi in the soup.
- Stir in cream, shredded chicken, & spinach.
Leftovers
- Keep leftover chicken gnocchi soup in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freeze chicken soup by placing it into zippered bags and label the outside with the date on it. It will keep about 2 months. The gnocchi will be softer once they’ve been thawed, but feel free to add fresh ones when reheating.
- Reheat on the stovetop until heated through, refresh flavors with salt & pepper.
8 Chicken Soup Recipes You Need to Try
- Lemon Chicken Soup
- Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Chicken Wild Rice Soup
Did your family love this Chicken Gnocchi Soup? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Chicken Gnocchi Soup
Chicken gnocchi soup has a creamy and flavorful broth filled with vegetables, tender chicken and soft gnocchi.
Equipment
Large Pot
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 carrot sliced
- 1 rib celery sliced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 bay leaf
- 8 ounces gnocchi uncooked
- 2 cups light cream or half and half
- 2 cups fresh spinach packed
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
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In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until softened.
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Add broth, chicken breasts, carrots, celery, Italian seasoning, & bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, and cook 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
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Remove chicken and shred (or chop). Set aside.
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Bring broth back to a simmer and add gnocchi. Simmer 10 minutes.
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Stir in cream, shredded chicken, and spinach. Simmer 3-4 minutes or until spinach is wilted.
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Combine cornstarch with 3 tablespoons water. Stir into the simmering broth a little at a time to reach desired consistency. You may not use all of the cornstarch.
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Discard bay leaf. Taste, season with salt and pepper, and serve immediately.
Notes
To save time, while the onion and garlic is cooking chop the carrots and celery.
Raw chicken helps to flavor the broth. Bone-in chicken (skinless) can be used and will need about 10 minutes extra cook time.
If using cooked chicken, it can be added at the end with the spinach to heat through.
If using homemade gnocchi, it can be a bit more delicate. Cook it separately and add it to each bowl when serving.
If you’d like a thicker soup, increase the cornstarch.
Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, and in the freezer for 2 months.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 321 | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 93mg | Sodium: 824mg | Potassium: 586mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 3103IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Chicken, Dinner, Lunch, Soup
Cuisine American
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I hate!!! spinach.what else could I use. ?cauliflower ?broccoli
I haven’t tried but I think either would work well in this recipe.
rating is great for the recipe, you’ve always been my go to for recipes.
Delicious! My husband loved it, too. I will definitely make this again.
I am so happy to hear this recipe was a hit Michele!
Came out perfect (almost). Not because of the recipe. I say almost because we cannot cook with garlic. We missed it in the taste but it was still very good.
Great soup!
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe Nicole!
Could I use 2%milk instead of cream. I just don’t like the taste of cream, but would like to make the soup.
I haven’t tried milk so I can’t say for sure Jeanine, but I think it would work just fine however it would not be quite as creamy. If you try it, I would love to hear how it turns out!
This soup is absolutely amazing!! I did change 1 thing though by accident. When I bought the cream for the recipe I accidentally bought heavy whipping cream. I didn’t want to go back to the store so I used that instead of half & half. It made it so creamy & delicious. My whole batch was gone in less than 24 hours. My family absolutely loved it – even my picky husband!!!
Such a happy accident! That would be delicious, thanks for sharing Darla!
I made this for dinner yesterday. It was a hit! We ate it for lunch today and it was even tastier! Will be making I again. Very good recipe. Thank you.
We love when a meal also works for leftovers the next day! So handy!
WOW. Made a 1.5’d batch of this to portion and freeze for quick WFH lunches this fall and winter, and it tastes amazing. It’s perfect on a cold day, and it tastes just like the soup at Olive Garden. That’s another one for my collection!
So happy you loved this recipe as much as we do, Ashtin! Such a delicious quick lunch.
So this may sound silly but could you use coconut milk instead of the light cream?
Thank you so much for sharing!!
Coconut milk would work but it would probably change the flavor profile of the soup a bit.
Absolutely delicious! Soups are our favorites and this one has gone to the top of our list.The recipe was easy to make and the favor was so tasteful. Thank you.
You are so welcome Margie! So happy to hear that!
This sounds not only easy, but also delicious. I plan to use cauliflower, which we’d like better, anyways. I can’t wait to make this, since it contains everything my family loves in a soup. Thank you for all of your lovely recipes.
Let us know how it turns out!