This Chicken Gnocchi Soup is hearty and comforting with big chunks of chicken, sweet carrots, and soft pillowy gnocchi cradled in a creamy broth. Using a pre-made rotisserie chicken makes this soup come together in under 30 minutes, perfect for a weeknight dinner.
For more creamy chicken Heaven, check out our popular chicken alfredo and chicken tetrazzini!
Easy Chicken and Gnocchi Soup Recipe
This Chicken Gnocchi Soup is just the thing for a weeknight dinner during the chilly winter months. It’s hearty and cozy, with a lightly creamy broth, but it’s also filled with veggies for extra nourishment.
I use a pre-made rotisserie chicken to keep things quick and easy. From start to finish, this soup requires less than 30 minutes to make. While you can serve a big, steaming bowl of soup on its own, I always like to add a simple side salad and some bread for a complete meal.
Ingredients Needed
This soup is made with a handful of vegetables, rotisserie chicken, gnocchi, and an easy, creamy broth.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Frozen gnocchi – Our star ingredient. See note below.
- Chicken – If you do not have the convenience of a rotisserie chicken, you can use seasoned baked chicken breast or chicken thighs.
- Vegetables – Onion, celery, carrots, and baby spinach add nutrients, flavor, and texture to this easy soup recipe.
- Garlic – For aromatics and flavor.
- Butter – To sauté the vegetables
- Flour – To thicken the soup.
- Chicken broth – I always use low-sodium broth when making soups.
- Heavy cream – Adds a rich creaminess to the soup broth.
- Seasonings – Thyme, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes season the soup.
What Type of Gnocchi Should I Use?
I prefer to use frozen gnocchi. However, you can also use shelf-stable gnocchi. Read the package cooking instructions and add the gnocchi to the soup so that it has time to fully cook, without overcooking. This might mean you need to add it at a different time than the chicken and carrots.
How to Make Chicken Gnocchi Soup
This easy gnocchi soup comes together in less than 30 minutes.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Cook the onion and celery. Cook the onion and celery in melted butter until softened. Add the garlic, cook for 20 seconds, then stir in the flour. Cook until no white patches remain.
- Add the broth. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth, until no lumps remain. Bring to a simmer.
- Add the other ingredients. Add the thyme, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, gnocchi, chicken, and carrots. Simmer for 5 to 6 minutes, until the gnocchi is cooked through.
- Add the spinach and cream. Stir in the spinach and cream, simmering until the spinach is wilted. Serve hot.
Tips & Variations
Here are a few tips for making this chicken gnocchi soup.
- Don’t boil the cream. Adding the cream at the end of cooking keeps the soup from getting too hot and breaking the cream, which would result in curdled milk. Make sure the soup does not come to a full boil after you add the cream.
- Substitute the heavy cream. You could substitute half and half or whole milk for the heavy cream, but the soup may be a bit thinner and less rich. I would not recommend skim milk as it can more easily curdle with heat.
- Make it vegetarian. Want to turn this into a vegetarian gnocchi soup? Just omit the chicken and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
Serving Suggestions
To keep things simple and easy, I like to serve this chicken gnocchi with a basic side salad or Caesar salad and bread. My no-knead Dutch oven bread is always my go-to for soaking up every bite of soup but breadsticks are a good option too.
Proper Storage
- Storing leftovers. Leftover chicken gnocchi soup can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- To reheat. Reheat in a pot on the stove over low to medium-low heat. You may need to add in a little more broth when reheating since the soup will thicken in storage as the gnocchi give off more of their starch and will continue to soak up the liquid.
- Can I Freeze Gnocchi Soup? Yes, you can freeze this soup for up to 3 months. Allow it to cool completely, then transfer it to freezer-safe containers. Thaw overnight in the fridge then reheat slowly following the directions above.
More Chicken Soup Recipes:
- Chicken Taco Soup
- Matzo Ball Soup
- Chicken Pot Pie Soup
- Chicken and Rice Soup
- Avgolemono Soup
- Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
- Chicken Alfredo Tortellini Soup
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
Chicken Gnocchi Soup
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 1/2 yellow onion , finely diced
- 1 rib celery , finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 48 ounces low-sodium chicken stock or broth
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (or 2 sprigs fresh thyme)
- 1 & 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 10-12 ounces frozen gnocchi
- 3 cups shredded cooked chicken
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 2 cups baby spinach , roughly chopped
- 1 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- In a large stock pot or dutch oven, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add in onion and celery, sauté for 4-5 minutes, until veggies are softened. Add in garlic and cook for 20 seconds until fragrant. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute more until no white patches remain.
- Slowly whisk in the chicken broth until combined with the flour mixture and no lumps remain. Bring to a gentle simmer.
- Add in the thyme, salt, pepper, rushed red pepper flakes, gnocchi, chicken, and carrots. Bring back to a simmer and cook for 5-6 minutes, until the gnocchi are cooked through and the carrots are tender.
- Add in the spinach and cream and cook until the mixture comes back up to a simmer and the spinach is wilted. (Do not bring to a boil.) Serve hot and enjoy!
Notes
- Don’t boil the cream. Adding the cream at the end of cooking keeps the soup from getting too hot and breaking the cream, which would result in curdled milk. Make sure the soup does not come to a full boil after you add the cream.
- Substitute the heavy cream. You could substitute half and half or whole milk for the heavy cream, but the soup will be less rich and may be a bit thinner. Avoid skim milk. This recipe has not been tested with dairy-free alternatives.
- Make it vegetarian. Just omit the chicken and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth.
We made this tonight with homemade chicken stock (highly recommended). But we took out the spinach and add a small bag of frozen broccoli florets. VERY highly recommend