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This chicken gnocchi soup recipe is quick, easy to make in your own kitchen, and comforting. The pillowy gnocchi melt in your mouth, there’s tender veggies, and the creamy broth is addictive!
Love making restaurant-quality Italian soups at home? You have to try this Zuppa Toscana recipe, Minestrone, or this Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli!
Why you’ll love it
Now, I know you adore the chicken gnocchi soup from a certain beloved Italian-American restaurant, but I wouldn’t say that this is a straight-up Olive Garden copycat recipe. It’s actually even better. That’s right. Your tastebuds are going to do a happy dance after trying it!
This ridiculously tasty creamy chicken gnocchi soup is straightforward and pretty quick to make when all is said and done. It takes about 35-40 minutes to re-create this mouthwatering meal, and you can feel good knowing exactly what goes into it.
Ingredients for it
- Olive oil and butter – a classic combo to cook the aromatics with to start this soup off right!
- Celery, onion, and carrots – this sautéed trio creates a classic flavorful base. Did you know the fancy term for it is soffritto in Italian and mirepoix in French?
- Garlic – I can’t resist adding garlic to soups
- Mushrooms – cremini are my choice for their texture, but you could sub with white mushrooms if in a pinch
- Chicken broth – a wonderful foundation for the soup broth. You can also use chicken stock.
- Italian seasoning – find this blend in the spice aisle at your grocery store. It’s a jar of mixed dried herbs like rosemary and thyme, and it’s a favorite for so many of my recipes.
- Chicken – use up any leftover chicken you have, or grab a rotisserie chicken from the store as a time saver
- Gnocchi – I buy the shelf-stable gnocchi that you can find in the pasta aisle in most major grocery stores
- Cream – heavy cream tops off the irresistible broth! We’re not using enough to overpower the soup. It’s the perfect amount for ideal creaminess.
- Fresh spinach – a handful of baby spinach adds a burst of freshness and even more veggie goodness
Pro tip
- The potato gnocchi cooks right in the soup, and the starch released from the potatoes helps to thicken up the creamy broth beautifully!
How to make chicken gnocchi soup
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Sauté the onion, celery, and carrots in a soup pot for 8-10 minutes. Add the garlic and mushrooms and cook for a few minutes.
Add the chicken broth, water, seasoning, chicken, and gnocchi, then bring the soup to a boil. Simmer the soup for 10 minutes. Finally, stir in the cream and spinach and cook for a few more minutes.
Substitutions and variations
- You can use half-and-half or even milk, but in my opinion you can’t beat the taste and consistency of heavy cream.
- If mushrooms aren’t your thing, you can leave them out.
- You could use matchstick carrots if desired. Simply add them in step 4 since they will cook faster than sliced carrots.
- Want to throw in extra veggies? Go for it! Peas would work great.
- Some freshly grated parmesan would take this soup to the next level.
What to serve this soup with
- Breadsticks, garlic bread, or a slice of your favorite crusty bread would be a fantastic complement to this soup.
- You can’t go wrong with a side salad. Try this homemade balsamic dressing or this easy Italian dressing with mixed greens!
Leftovers and storage
- This gnocchi soup will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge in an airtight container, but keep in mind that the gnocchi will continue to release starch. If the soup gets too thick, add another splash of broth or cream to thin it out when reheating over a low heat.
- You could try to freeze leftovers, but dairy can separate when reheating after it’s been frozen, and the texture of the gnocchi may change. It’s best to just eat it within a few days.
I hope you’ll agree that this is the best chicken gnocchi soup recipe! Questions? Let me know in the comments below. Tag me on Instagram and show me your creations!
Easy Chicken Gnocchi Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 2 sticks celery chopped
- 3 medium carrots sliced or chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 7 ounces cremini mushrooms sliced
- 4 cups chicken broth or stock
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 cups cooked chicken I used rotisserie
- 1 pound potato gnocchi
- 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach (packed)
Instructions
- Add the oil and butter to a large soup pot over medium-high heat.
- Add the onion, celery, and carrots to the pot. Sauté for 8-10 minutes with the lid slightly ajar. Stir once or twice during this time.
- Add the garlic and mushrooms to the pot and cook for a few minutes.
- Stir in the chicken broth, water, Italian seasoning, chicken, and gnocchi. Increase the heat to high and bring the soup to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
- Stir in the cream and spinach. Cook for a few more minutes until the spinach is wilted and the soup is heated through. Season with salt & pepper as needed and serve.
Notes
- You can use milk or half-and-half instead of cream if you prefer.
- The longer you cook/leave the soup to sit, the more it’ll thicken up because the gnocchi will release starch.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
© Salt & Lavender Inc. Content and photographs are copyrighted. Sharing this blog post is much appreciated, but copying and pasting full recipes without authorization to social media is strictly prohibited.
This recipe was originally published on December 18, 2018. It’s been tweaked to be even easier, tastier, and has new photos!
Could
You possibly substitute coconut milk as a dairy free alternative?
Sure! It won’t taste quite the same, but I think it’ll work. 🙂 Let me know!
YUMMY!! Thanks so much for sharing! God bless you ❤️
You’re very welcome, Lori! 🙂
LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! My family ate this twice in one weeks time! I added red peppers so as to have another vegetable and used leftover grilled chicken leg meat. Was a huge success, even with my husband who claims he doesn’t like soup!
Yay!! That makes me so happy, Amy!! Thanks for taking the time to write me a review. XO
Would I be able to freeze this?
Hi! You can try and see if you like the results, but cream notoriously doesn’t freeze great, and the gnocchi may go a bit gloopy.
I love your recipes! Usually I can. See the calorie counts, do you happen to have one for this recipe?
I’m glad to hear that… thank you! Yes, I’ve been adding nutrition info to most new recipes, but I only add it to older ones when I have time/if people request it. I just added it for you. Do keep in mind it’s just an estimate (ingredients vary), and you’d have to divide the portions up pretty accurately if you really wanted it to reflect those calories. I hope you enjoy the soup! Let me know if you make it. 🙂
If I am using raw chicken breasts do I cook the chicken fully through before adding it with the chicken broth?
Are you planning on cutting them into smaller/bite-size pieces first? If so, it shouldn’t take long to cook (the 10 minutes or a bit longer should do it if you’re adding it in at step 4).
Sooooo delicious and comforting!! Used gluten free gnocchi.
So happy you liked it, Lori! 🙂
Just made this amazing soup for dinner. I love making soups all year round. This recipe I will definitely keep. Thank you for sharing
Me too! so glad you enjoyed it!
I really enjoyed this recipe! So easy and a fantastic weeknight dinner. Will make again and again for sure!
Great!! Thanks for taking the time to comment Dawn!
Hi! I made this soup on the stove top and it was so good! I was wondering what I would do/change if I wanted to pressure cook this in my instant pot? Thank you
Hi! I haven’t tested cooking gnocchi in the Instant Pot yet. Maybe cook the soup on high pressure for 8 mins if you use raw chicken breasts (the already cooked chicken will dry out). I’d then probably stir in the gnocchi and cream once the pressure has released and then just put it on sauté and close the lid and just let it cook normally.