Amazing 6-Serving Chicken Gnocchi Soup

Welcome! If you’ve ever sat in a cozy Italian spot dreaming of that perfect bowl of Chicken Gnocchi Soup—creamy, rich, packed with soft dumplings—then you are in the right place. I’m Anna, and I love sharing simple, flavorful chicken recipes that make everyday cooking feel joyful, not like a chore. I’ve spent years tweaking this one-pot wonder, and trust me, my version of this classic Chicken Gnocchi Soup easily beats anything you can get takeout! We’re turning simple pantry staples into a restaurant-quality comfort meal in under an hour. Get your apron on; we’re making magic happen right here on the stovetop.

Essential Ingredients for Your Chicken Gnocchi Soup

The secret to getting that deep, savory flavor that mimics your favorite restaurant soup isn’t some fancy ingredient; it’s all about the quality and the prep work! For this recipe, which makes a generous six bowls of pure comfort, we focus on fresh vegetables and making sure your chicken cooks perfectly right in the pot. Don’t rush this part; these components build the entire foundation of our Chicken Gnocchi Soup.

Vegetables and Aromatics for Flavor Base

We need a classic mirepoix build here, but the key is getting the size right so everything cooks evenly and melts into the broth later. You’ll want to dice your onion, carrots, and celery into small, uniform pieces. I mean *small*! Think about the size of a pea, maybe slightly bigger. Uniformity helps them soften up beautifully without turning some mushy while others are still hard.

For the garlic, don’t just chop it—mince it finely! Garlic burns fast, so we add it right after the other veggies start to soften up. A quick minute until you can really smell that beautiful perfume is all it needs before we move on to the next step.

Primary Components of Chicken Gnocchi Soup

For the chicken, I use boneless, skinless breasts cut into half-inch cubes. This size cooks quickly and stays tender in the simmering broth. Remember, we are cooking this raw chicken right in the soup, so we have to be diligent about checking that internal temperature later—165°F is the magic number for safety!

When it comes to the potato dumplings, you need a full 16 ounces of store-bought potato gnocchi. They are delicate, so we only drop these in near the end. The broth is low-sodium chicken broth—this gives us control over the final salt level. And for that signature richness that makes it taste like you spent all day simmering? That comes from 1.5 cups of heavy cream stirred in gently right before serving.

Here’s a quick look at everything you need to gather before you turn on that burner:

Ingredient	Amount (Yields 6 servings)
Unsalted Butter	4 tablespoons
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts	1 pound
Yellow Onion (diced)	1 cup
Carrots (diced)	1 cup
Celery (diced)	1 cup
Garlic (minced)	4 cloves
All-Purpose Flour	0.25 cup
Low Sodium Chicken Broth	1 quart
Fresh Thyme Leaves	1 tablespoon
Potato Gnocchi	16 ounces
Heavy Cream	1.5 cups
Fresh Baby Spinach	3 cups
Kosher Salt	1 teaspoon (or to taste)
Black Pepper	0.5 teaspoon

Equipment Needed for One-Pot Chicken Gnocchi Soup

Because this is a one-pot wonder, we don’t need a giant pile of dishes, which I love! You’ll definitely want a large Dutch oven or a heavy-bottomed pot—something that holds heat nicely. Make sure you have a good cutting board and a sharp knife for all that dicing we talked about.

You absolutely need a sturdy whisk for smoothing out the flour later, so no lumps sneak in! And please, grab that instant-read meat thermometer. It’s the only way to guarantee your chicken is perfectly safe and not dry. That’s my non-negotiable piece of equipment for any chicken recipe!

Step-by-Step Instructions to Cook Chicken Gnocchi Soup

Okay, gather everything around; this is where the real cooking happens! Since everything goes into one pot, we need to stack the flavors in the right order. Follow these steps closely, and you’ll have that restaurant-quality soup ready faster than you think. Total time is right around 45 minutes, which is perfect for a weeknight meal!

Preparing the Flavor Foundation

First things first: get those veggies ready. Remember how we diced the onion, carrots, and celery into small, uniform pieces? Now, set your large Dutch oven over medium heat and melt those 4 tablespoons of butter. Once it’s shimmering nicely, toss in your diced onion, carrots, and celery. This mixture is called the mirepoix, and it’s the backbone of almost every great soup! Find more great chicken recipes here.

You need to sauté these vegetables gently for about 6 to 8 minutes. We aren’t trying to brown them; we just want them to soften up until they look translucent and sweet. This slow sweat releases all their natural sugars and flavor into the butter. Once they are tender, stir in your minced garlic. Be careful here! Garlic cooks super fast—just 60 seconds until you smell it is plenty. Any longer, and it turns bitter, and we definitely don’t want that!

Building the Creamy Broth Base

This next bit is crucial for thickening the soup without lumps. Sprinkle that quarter cup of flour evenly over the cooked vegetables. Now, stir constantly for about 2 full minutes. You’re making a quick roux here, and cooking out that raw flour taste is non-negotiable for a smooth soup. It will look pasty and thick.

Once that flour is cooked, take your quart of low-sodium chicken broth and start pouring it in *slowly*. You must whisk continuously as you pour. If you dump it all at once, you’ll end up with flour clumps, and honestly, nobody has time to fish those out! Keep whisking until the broth is fully incorporated and the mixture looks smooth and uniform. Now we bring the heat up slightly.

Cooking the Chicken Safely in Chicken Gnocchi Soup

It’s time for the chicken! Add your cubed raw chicken breasts directly into the simmering liquid. Toss in your tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves—if you’re using dried thyme, just use 1 teaspoon instead, but fresh smells so much better here! Bring the whole pot up to a gentle simmer—not a rolling boil, just gentle bubbles.

Let this simmer for about 10 to 12 minutes. This is where your meat thermometer comes in handy! You must ensure that every single piece of chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C). This guarantees safety, and more importantly, it keeps the chicken tender. Overcooked chicken in soup is a tragedy, so check those pieces!

Finishing Your Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup

Once the chicken is cooked through, it’s time for the dumplings! Stir in the 16 ounces of potato gnocchi. These cook incredibly fast—just 3 to 4 minutes. You’ll know they are ready because they will float right up to the surface. Give them a little nudge if they stick to the bottom, but don’t stir vigorously or they might break.

Now, turn the heat down to low—this is important! We don’t want the soup to boil once the dairy goes in. Gently stir in your 1.5 cups of heavy cream until everything is combined and creamy. Toss in those 3 cups of fresh baby spinach. Cook gently for just 2 more minutes until the spinach wilts down beautifully and the entire soup is piping hot. Finally, taste it! Stir in your kosher salt and black pepper until the seasoning tastes just right for your family. Serve it immediately with some crusty bread for dipping!

Tips for Achieving Perfect Chicken Gnocchi Soup Texture

That restaurant-quality texture is totally achievable at home, I promise! The biggest texture hurdle is usually the flour, or what we call the roux. Remember to cook that flour for a full two minutes after adding it to the veggies. If you skip that step, your soup will taste dusty, and we want rich, not dusty!

For the gnocchi, timing is everything. They only need about four minutes once they start floating. If you leave them in too long after they float, they start to absorb too much liquid and turn into little mush balls—we want them soft, yes, but still holding their perfectly pillowy shape. So, once they surface, stir in the cream quickly.

And speaking of cream, never let the soup boil once the heavy cream is added! High heat causes the dairy to separate or curdle, which ruins that beautiful, velvety mouthfeel we worked so hard to create. Keep the heat on low until the spinach wilts, and you’re golden!

Storing and Reheating Leftover Chicken Gnocchi Soup

This soup is honestly even better the next day, but you have to store it correctly because of the cream and the gnocchi. If you plan on having leftovers, it’s best to separate the components if you can, but I know most of us just want to scoop it all into one container, so I’ll give you the easy way first.

When you refrigerate the whole batch, the gnocchi will continue to soak up the broth overnight. When you reheat it, the soup will be much, much thicker—almost stew-like. Don’t panic! This is totally normal.

When you are ready to eat those leftovers, you need to add extra liquid back in. I usually grab some extra low-sodium chicken broth or even just water, and stir it in slowly while the soup heats up. You need enough liquid to bring it back to that lovely, pourable soup consistency we started with.

Here is my tried-and-true method for keeping your leftovers safe and delicious:

Storage/Reheating Task	Details
Refrigeration Time	Up to 3 days in an airtight container.
Reheating Method	Stovetop is best. Heat gently on low/medium.
Adding Liquid	Add 1/4 cup broth or water per serving as it heats.
Reheating Temperature	Heat until steaming hot, but do not boil after adding cream.

If you are freezing this soup, I actually recommend removing the gnocchi entirely before freezing. Cream sauces can sometimes separate a little when thawed, but the gnocchi will turn gummy. Freeze the creamy chicken and vegetable base, and then cook a fresh, small batch of gnocchi to stir in when you reheat the base!

Common Questions About Making Chicken Gnocchi Soup

I get questions all the time about tweaking recipes, and that’s totally fine! Cooking is all about making things work for your kitchen. Here are a few things I hear most often about making this creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup batch perfectly suited for your needs.

Can I Use Pre-Cooked Chicken in This Chicken Gnocchi Soup?

Oh yes, you absolutely can! If you have leftover rotisserie chicken or some grilled chicken breast hanging out in the fridge, go for it. This changes the timing in step 9, though. Since the chicken is already cooked, you won’t need to simmer it for 10 to 12 minutes waiting for that 165°F temperature. Just toss the pre-cooked, cubed chicken in when you add the thyme, stir it gently, and let it warm through for just about 3 or 4 minutes before moving on to the gnocchi. It saves a ton of time!

What if I Don’t Have Potato Gnocchi for the Soup?

This one is tough for me because the potato dumplings are the star of the show! They give this soup its signature texture. If you absolutely cannot find potato gnocchi, you can try using small pasta shapes instead, like elbow macaroni or small shells. Just remember that pasta will absorb the broth differently than gnocchi will. If you use dried pasta, you’ll need to add extra broth initially because the pasta will soak up a lot of liquid as it cooks and swells. Honestly, though, for the *best* Chicken Gnocchi Soup experience, I highly recommend hunting down the potato kind! See more recipe ideas on Pinterest.

How to Make This Chicken Gnocchi Soup Lighter?

If you’re trying to cut back on fat, swapping out the heavy cream is the first place to look. You can substitute the 1.5 cups of heavy cream with an equal amount of half-and-half. It won’t be *quite* as rich, but it will still give you that beautiful creamy finish. Make sure you turn the heat down extra low when adding it, though, because lower-fat dairy tends to curdle more easily when it gets too hot. Another trick is using low-fat milk thickened slightly with a bit of cornstarch slurry at the end, but half-and-half is usually the easiest switch! If you enjoy creamy dishes, you might also like this creamy chicken ranch macaroni.

Estimated Nutritional Overview for Chicken Gnocchi Soup

Now, let’s talk numbers, though I always tell my friends not to worry too much about calories when we are talking about pure comfort food like this soup! These figures are just estimates based on the ingredients I listed above, serving six generous bowls. Remember, if you add extra bread for dipping or use a different type of cream, these numbers will shift slightly.

I always say the best nutrition comes from knowing exactly what you put into your own pot. But for those who like to track things, here’s a quick snapshot of what you’re looking at per serving:

Nutrient	Approximate Value
Serving Size	1 serving
Calories	480
Fat	28g
Carbohydrates	38g
Protein	22g

See? A great balance of protein from the chicken and carbs from the wonderful potato gnocchi to keep you full and happy. Enjoy every spoonful! For more comforting meals, check out this easy creamy oven baked chicken thighs recipe.

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