Chicken Gnocchi Soup

This Chicken Gnocchi Soup is so hearty and so flavorful. It is filled with chicken, carrots, spinach, broccoli and gnocchi! It’s perfect all year long and is bound to be a new favorite.

If you’ve ever been to Olive Garden, you may have had their Chicken Gnocchi Soup. This recipe is a copycat of that soup, and it pairs perfectly with our recipe for Olive Garden Breadsticks!

What is gnocchi?

I LOVE soups during the winter. There is just something so wonderful about eating something warm and hearty when it’s cold outside.

The recipe for today is one my mom wanted to try out for Chicken Gnocchi Soup. Looking at the ingredients you can just tell it will be good since it has chunks of chicken, carrots, spinach, broccoli, and potato gnocchi!

Are you wondering, “What in the world is gnocchi??”

Gnocchi are various thick, small, and soft dough dumplings that may be made from semolina, ordinary wheat flour, egg, cheese, potato, breadcrumbs, cornmeal, or similar ingredients, with or without flavorings of herbs, vegetables, cocoa, or prunes.

Before this recipe, we had never tried gnocchi before, and I can’t believe we’d been missing out this whole time. Not sure why it was a little intimidating to us beforehand, but it’s delicious!

You can find gnocchi in most pasta sections at the grocery store, and it’s worth finding, because it added SO much to this recipe.

This soup is so delicious and reminds us of Olive Garden’s recipe!

How to make chicken Gnocchi Soup

VEGGIES. Warm olive oil in a large pot, over medium heat. When the oil is hot, toss carrots, broccoli and garlic, stirring for about 5-8 minutes. When your veggies are done cooking, pour your 7 cups of hot water into the pot and add 8 chicken bullion cubes. Stir thoroughly.

CHICKEN. Add the chopped chicken and bring to a boil.

GNOCCHI. Pour Gnocchi into the soup and let it come to a boil again, allowing the gnocchi to cook for about 3-4 minutes. The gnocchi will be cooked through when they float to the top.

REMAINING INGREDIENTS. Chop and toss 1 cup of spinach into the pot. Pour in Half and Half, dried thyme, teaspoon nutmeg, sugar and butter. Stir and let it come to a boil.

THICKEN. In a small bowl combine cold water and cornstarch. Mix well and pour into the soup. Stir as you let it come to a boil. Soup will thicken as it reaches a boil.

SERVE. Season with salt and pepper, and serve hot. ENJOY!

Crockpot & InstantPot Instructions

Crockpot: Put the chicken, veggies, and soup base in the pot on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 6-8. After this time is up, shred the chicken while it’s still in the pot. Add the gnocchi and cornstarch mixture and let it sit on low for another hour, or until the gnocchi is softened and the soup has thickened. 

InstantPot: Sauté the veggies with all of the seasonings on the sauté function for 3-4 minutes. Add the chicken water and bouillon cubes. Close the lid, turn off the sauté function and turn on the high pressure function for 9 minutes.

After the timer has run out, let the pot sit undisturbed for 10 minutes before manually letting out the rest of pressure. Turn on the sauté function, and add the gnocchi. Close the lid, but turn it to venting, allow the gnocchi to cook for a couple of minutes (let them float to the top). Add the spinach and the thickening mixture. Mix well and serve hot!

Substitutions, Serving and Storing

Here are a few substitution options if you happen to be short on some of the ingredients:

• Bouillon cube: represents about 1 cup of broth. So instead of using the cubes substitute the 7 cups of water with broth. I would suggest using the low sodium chicken broth!
• Half and half: Plain dairy-free milks are always a good idea if you can’t consume dairy products. It won’t be the same thickness as half and half, but you can add in some extra butter, or cornstarch until it’s your desired thickness. There’s also a product called coconut cream that is slightly thicker than a normal milk consistency. Since it’s coconut based it will alter the flavor, but worth a try..
• Veggies:  add in celery or mushrooms. You can also use cauliflower.

Serve your chicken gnocchi soup with:

• Olive Garden Breadsticks
• Caesar Salad with Homemade Croutons
• Creamy Pesto Salad
• Dinner Rolls

Storage & Reheating: Keep leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-5 days. You can also freeze leftovers by placing the cooled soup in tupperware containers and popping them in the freezer for up to 2-3 months.

When you want to use it again, let it thaw in the fridge all day or overnight. To reheat, place in a pot and warm slowly over low heat on the stove. Add in more half and half if the soup has separated from being in the freezer. If you’re in a hurry or on the go, you can just microwave individual portions until hot.

For more chicken soups, check out:

• Broccoli Chicken and Cheese Soup
• Mexican Chicken and Corn Soup
• Chicken & Dumpling Soup
• Chicken Noodle Soup
• Easy Chicken Alfredo Soup
• Italian Chicken Vegetable Soup
• Chicken Tortellini Soup

Chicken Gnocchi Soup Recipe

Save RecipeRatePinPrint

4.95 from 17 votes

This Chicken Gnocchi Soup is so hearty and so flavorful. It is filled with chicken, carrots, spinach, broccoli and gnocchi! It's perfect all year long and is bound to be a new favorite.

Course Soup

Cuisine American, Italian

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 12 servings

Calories 239 kcal

Author Lil’ Luna

Ingredients

• ▢ 3-4 chicken breasts cooked and chunked
• ▢ 2 large carrots peeled and grated
• ▢ 1-2 cup broccoli chunks
• ▢ 6 tsp minced garlic
• ▢ 2-3 tbsp olive oil
• ▢ 7 cups water
• ▢ 8 chicken bullion cubes
• ▢ 16 oz package of Potato Gnocchi
• ▢ 4 cup half and half
• ▢ 1 cup spinach chopped
• ▢ 1 tbsp thyme
• ▢ 1/8 tbsp nutmeg
• ▢ 1 tbsp sugar
• ▢ 1/4 cup cold water
• ▢ 5 tbsp cornstarch
• ▢ 2 tbsp butter
• ▢ salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• Warm olive oil in a large pot, over medium heat.
• When the oil is hot, toss carrots, broccoli and garlic, stirring for about 5-8 minutes.
• When your veggies are done cooking, pour your 7 cups of hot water into the pot and add 8 chicken bullion cubes. Stir thoroughly.
• Add the chopped chicken and bring to a boil.
• Pour Gnocchi into the soup and let it come to a boil again, allowing the gnocchi to cook for about 3-4 minutes. The gnocchi will be cooked through when they float to the top.
• Chop and toss 1 cup of spinach into the pot.
• Pour in Half and Half, dried thyme, teaspoon nutmeg, sugar and butter. Stir and let it come to a boil.
• In a small bowl combine cold water and cornstarch. Mix well and pour into the soup.
• Stir as you let it come to a boil. Soup will thicken as it reaches a boil.
• Season with salt and pepper.

Video

Nutrition Facts

Chicken Gnocchi Soup Recipe

Amount Per Serving

Calories 239 Calories from Fat 135

% Daily Value*

Fat 15g23%

Saturated Fat 7g44%

Cholesterol 71mg24%

Sodium 770mg33%

Potassium 383mg11%

Carbohydrates 9g3%

Sugar 2g2%

Protein 15g30%

Vitamin A 2630IU53%

Vitamin C 4.2mg5%

Calcium 108mg11%

Iron 0.5mg3%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Making this Recipe? Tag Us!

Share it with us on Instagram using the hashtag #lilluna, so we can see what you’re creating in the kitchen!

Leave a Comment

Recipe adapted from HERE.