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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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This is absolutely delicious! Thank you!!
You’re very welcome, Susan!!
Spectacular!!!! I did add a little more broth & heavy cream at the end, but I couldn’t stop eating it!
I’m so happy you liked it!! 🙂
One of my favorite soups! Comes together easy and is full of flavor!
I’m so glad to hear it!! 🙂 Thanks for your review!
Very tasty! Next time I will probably do more broth and heavy cream so we can have more ‘soup’ but my oh my it was delicious! And easy!
Thank you!
You’re very welcome, Andy!
This was fantastic!! I did nothing different except accidentally add more bacon! My whole family loved it and my 8yo said, “I don’t want anymore, but I neeeeed more” and put away almost 3 small bowls! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much!! Haha I love that!
Oh my goodness!!! This is delicious! Thank you!
You’re very welcome!! Thank you so much for your review, Lynda.
What if I only have precooked gnocchi? Do I wait to add it?
Yes
As a family of 6 it’s hard to find a dinner everyone likes. This is one of those rare recipes. Not only is it delicious but it’s super quick and easy to make. A winner in my book!
Well that’s awesome!! 😀 I’m so glad everyone likes it!! Thanks for your review, Louise!
At first glance this recipe looks a lot more time/effort than I will willing to put out for a regular day of the week soup, I found however that it’s so much easier than it at first appears and it is well worth the time and effort that is required. A big thing is planning in advance because some of the ingredients aren’t standards that I always have around. As was said before, don’t try exchanging the heavy cream with milk or whatever. The cream essential. I did double the garlic and added a bit more onion than was called for. For those so inclined, using fresh herbs would be a nice addition. However the dried worked great as is. I found that I’m not so crazy about Gnocchi in such large chunks and I would recommend cutting each piece into quarters. This soup would even work as a stand alone when having dinner guests. Due to the bacon and heavy cream it is far more substantial than “soup”. Oh, I also just used 4 cups of chicken bullion because I didn’t have the broth and with the spinach I didn’t bother cutting it or even measuring it and eyeballing it worked out perfectly in this tasty soup that I will now become a regular go-to when I’m wanting a next level soup.
I’m so pleased you enjoyed it!! Thanks for your thorough review.
Hello
Can’t wait to make this Recipe.
Can you use frozen potato gnocchi?
Yes… it’ll thaw quite fast right in the soup. Enjoy!