Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup

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Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup with a silky, creamy broth, tender chunks of chicken, loads of fresh spinach and pillowy soft gnocchi. This soup is comforting, easy to make and super satisfying!

Are you a fan of Olive Garden Restaurant soups? While this didn’t start out to be a copycat recipe, it must be pretty close! We were so thrilled with our Hearty Beef & Gnocchi Soup recipe I decided to bring gnocchi to a pot of creamy chicken soup too. I started with a base from our delicious Chicken Pot Pie Soup and then added shredded carrots instead of diced and loads of fresh baby spinach. The vegetables are crisp tender, the gnocchi is dreamy soft but not falling apart, and the broth is flavorful and surprisingly light.

We enjoy eating out sometimes but often find the sodium content in restaurant meals to be a little high.

I try to watch my salt intake daily, and all those other things I shouldn’t be eating regularly, but one bowl of OG soup has about twice the sodium I usually consume in one day. While our soup recipe needs a little salt, I find adding loads of fresh ground black pepper and plenty of fresh thyme to be the magic makers. Sometimes creamy soups with chicken can be a little bit flavorless, but not this soup! It doesn’t taste milky or bland, and I don’t think you need a lot of salt to add flavor. You can use whole milk or half-and-half or a combination of both. Chicken broth or chicken stock is fine too. I enjoy making soups with the gnocchi found in the pasta section of the grocery store. It’s vacuumed sealed and keeps without refrigeration for a long time. However, if your store carries fresh pasta, you might look there for a package of gnocchi too. And if you’re looking for a little dumpling fun, try making your own with our Homemade Potato Gnocchi Recipe complete with how-to video!

Using pre-made gnocchi instead of potatoes is a wonderful way to speed up the process of soup making.

The onions and celery are finely diced, and the carrots are shredded so the vegetables cook quickly. Gnocchi is cooked through in just a few minutes and spinach wilts almost immediately in the hot broth. Using shredded rotisserie chicken or pre-cooked chicken breasts is the final key to cooking this soup up in less than 30 minutes.

And, leftover Chicken Gnocchi Soup is fantastic!

P.S. Don’t forget to serve with a big piece of crusty bread to dunk in the broth, it’s heavenly!

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Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup

Prep Time

30 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Total Time

1 hr

 

Course: Soup

Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, finely diced
• 1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried
• 4 cups chicken stock or low sodium broth
• 2 cups half-and-half, or whole milk
• 1 pound package prepared gnocchi
• 3 to 4 cups cooked, diced chicken breast (about 3 small breasts)
• 3 cups packed, sliced fresh baby spinach leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Melt the butter in a heavy bottom Dutch oven or soup pot, over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and sauté until the vegetables are slightly soft, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots, flour and thyme leaves and stir until all vegetables are covered in the flour. Continue cooking and stirring the vegetable/flour mixture for 2-3 minutes. Stirring constantly, gradually add the chicken broth. Bring the soup to a simmer then reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and simmer (stirring occasionally) until the vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes.
2. Remove the lid and add the half-and-half, gnocchi, chicken and spinach. Cook gently (do not boil) until the gnocchi rises to the top and the chicken is warmed through, about 5 minutes. Taste and season with salt and plenty of black pepper, as needed. Serve immediately with crust bread for dipping.

Recipe Notes

You can find gnocchi in the dried pasta section of most grocery stores. Look for a vacuum sealed package.

Here are a few more of our favorite hearty soups you might also like:

You’re going to love this comforting, filling and delicious Hearty Beef and Gnocchi Soup. Our chunky soup is worthy of an entire meal, especially when served with a hunk of crusty bread to sop up all the delicious broth! Click HERE to get the recipe for Hearty Beef and Gnocchi Soup.

Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup  – this delicious soup checks all the boxes for a perfect bowl of fall comfort food. It’s creamy and hearty with a nutty bite from the wild rice and a wonderful, flavor packed broth. Click HERE to get the recipe for Creamy Chicken and Wild Rice Soup.

Hearty Chicken Pot Pie Soup ~ a creamy chicken soup with potatoes, peas, onion, celery and carrots.  All the flavors of a homey chicken pot pie without the crust! Click HERE to get the recipe for Hearty Chicken Pot Pie Soup.

Thanks so much for stopping by!  Tricia