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This creamy chicken bacon gnocchi soup is easy, irresistible, and fast comfort food! It has simple ingredients like bacon, rotisserie chicken, store-bought gnocchi, and fresh spinach.
You may also enjoy this Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole or Bacon Ranch Tortellini next.
Why you’ll love it
This chicken gnocchi soup was inspired by my Chicken Bacon Gnocchi. Those flavors are well loved, so doing something similar in soup form was a no-brainer for me. Is there any better way to warm up than with pillowy gnocchi in a piping hot bowl of soup?!
It’s ready in 45 minutes with little effort, and you can easily grab the ingredients after work. This simple gnocchi soup has layers of flavor yet is straightforward to make. One reader loved it so much that they didn’t want to eat more but needed more, then ate three bowls!
Pro tip
The gnocchi cooks right in the soup, and the starch that is released is important for thickening the broth up, so there is no need to pre-cook it.
What you’ll need
- Bacon – it adds a ton of savory flavor to this creamy soup
- Onion and garlic – I like using sweet (Vidalia) onions best
- Chicken broth – for savory depth
- Heavy cream – it makes the broth texture luxurious
- Italian seasoning – it’s an all-purpose blend of tasty dried herbs that comes in one jar
- Gnocchi – we’re using the shelf-stable kind from the pasta aisle
- Chicken – use already cooked Leftover Chicken, or get a rotisserie chicken
- Spinach – it adds a touch of color and pop of freshness
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- A pair of kitchen shears makes it easy to cut up the bacon.
- I use this onion saver to keep the rest of the onion fresh for longer.
- This is the Dutch oven I use for this soup.
How to make chicken bacon gnocchi soup
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Fry the cut-up bacon in a large pot until crispy. Meanwhile, prep the other ingredients. Transfer it to a plate, leaving behind some of the fat. Sauté the onion until lightly browned. Stir in the garlic, cooking until fragrant.
Add in the broth, cream, Italian seasoning, gnocchi, and most of the bacon. Bring to a boil. Reduce and simmer, stirring occasionally. Cook until the broth has thickened, then add the chicken and spinach. Warm through. Season with salt & pepper, and top with the remaining bacon.
Substitutions and variations
- I don’t recommend subbing the cream with something like milk or half-and-half because there’s a chance the soup will curdle due to the high heat it’s cooked over.
- If you don’t have any pre-cooked chicken, I would cut up a couple of chicken breasts (or a few chicken thighs; they will stay more tender) and then add to the pot in step 4.
- You could sub the spinach with kale if you wish, or leave it out altogether.
What to serve with chicken gnocchi soup
- It’s a hearty soup, so pair it with a side salad, and you’ve got a great meal. Try spring mix with my Italian Dressing or this bright Pesto Dressing to change it up.
- A slice of fresh crusty bread rounds it out, or try my Extra Cheesy Garlic Bread.
Leftovers and storage
- Store leftovers of this gnocchi soup in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the fridge.
- Reheat slowly over a low heat until warmed through. If it’s too thick, try adding a splash of chicken broth.
- This isn’t the type of soup that freezes beautifully, but it will still taste fine if you need to do so. It may separate a bit, so I recommend warming it on a low heat and possibly adding a touch more cream or chicken broth if needed.
If you made this chicken soup with gnocchi, please leave a star rating and review below! Tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram if you made one of my recipes.
Chicken Bacon Gnocchi Soup
Ingredients
- 6 strips bacon
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 pound uncooked potato gnocchi
- 2 cups cooked/rotisserie chicken
- 2 cups (packed) fresh baby spinach
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cut the bacon into small pieces (I use my kitchen shears to make this job easy) and add it to a soup pot over medium-high heat. Cook until crispy (about 10 minutes).
- Meanwhile, prep the other ingredients.
- Transfer the bacon to a paper towel lined plate and leave about 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat in the pot.
- Add the onion to the pot and sauté for 4-5 minutes or until softened and lightly browned.
- Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the chicken broth, cream, Italian seasoning, gnocchi, and most of the cooked bacon to the pot (I reserve some bacon for garnishing). Give it a good stir and scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot. Increase the heat to high and bring it to a boil.
- Once boiling, reduce the heat so it's gently simmering and cover the pot with the lid slightly ajar. Cook for 15 minutes (I stir it every so often just to ensure the gnocchi isn't sticking to the bottom).
- Once the soup is as thick as you want it to be (it continues to thicken up the longer it's cooked), add in the cooked chicken and the spinach. Let it warm through for a few minutes. Season with salt & pepper as needed and serve immediately.
Notes
- Serves 4-6 depending on how much people eat.
- Use low-sodium chicken broth if sensitive to salt.
- The gnocchi cooks right in the soup… no need to pre-cook it. The starch releases and that’s what thickens up the broth.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I made this tonight and it was even better than I thought it would be! This is the 3rd recipe I have made from Salt and Lavender and they have all been awesome. I will definitely be making this again!
I’m thrilled to hear that, Stephanie! So glad you’re enjoying the recipes. 🙂
Delicious! We loved this recipe soooo much.
Only made half for the two of us and was perfect.
This is definitely going into our rotation.
Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful soup
recipe.
Excellent!! You’re very welcome 🙂
My family really enjoyed this recipe! It’s not hard to pull together and tastes fantastic! My 13 yr old has requested it for her birthday dinner. Thank you for the recipe
Excellent!! I love that she wants it for her birthday. 🙂
Wow! This soup was amazing! I changed nothing at all (aside from the fact I doubled the recipe for leftovers!) and our whole family loved it! Thank you! We are adding it to our rotation of soups!!
Thank you so much!! I’m so happy you all enjoyed it! 😀
Just finished eating this with my husband. We both really loved this recipe! Thank you for sharing it! I doubled the amount of onion and garlic, because my husband and I can’t get enough. It’s minus 18c here in northern Sweden and this really hit the spot. Thank you again!
You’re very welcome!! I’m so happy it worked out for you. It’s a bit warmer here in Canada right now, but still chilly… stay warm! 🙂
Yum! The perfect comfort food for a snowy day! I followed the recipe as is and let the soup simmer longer to really thicken up, it was great! Will definitely be making again, maybe with even more bacon…
So happy you enjoyed it, Megan! And you can’t go wrong with more bacon. 😉
Wow! This was a great meal… we just added some bread on the side to complement the hearty soup. Followed your recipe as is, and it turned out awesome! Thanks for the idea, I will be reading more to what’s next on the menu.
That’s great!! So happy you enjoyed it. 🙂
Is there a video for this receipe? Thanks a lot!
Not for this one – sorry! But I try to write the instructions very clearly. 🙂
I made this for election night and it truly is amazing comfort food! I followed the recipe exactly, but I admit I threw in some shredded carrots as a last minute add, which worked out nicely. Great recipe!
I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Stephanie!!
This looks so good! Could I make this in the crockpot as well, or should I just go ahead and make it on the stove?
Thank you! I think it would probably be easiest on the stove. If you did it in the Crockpot, you’d have to dirty up a pan to fry the bacon (unless you have a fancy slow cooker w. a sauté function), and I am not sure exactly when to add the gnocchi timing-wise (but I should really test some Crockpot gnocchi soups one of these days!).