This chicken gnocchi soup recipe gives you the thick, creamy bowl you get at Italian-American restaurants, made in one pot in about 45 minutes. The trick is a quick flour roux and mostly 2% milk with just a splash of half-and-half, so there is no heavy cream at all. Each big bowl has 33 g of protein and about 400 calories.
Gnocchi are small Italian dumplings, usually made from potato and flour. Here they go in at the very end and simmer for only 3 to 4 minutes, which is what keeps them soft and pillowy instead of gluey. Shredded chicken, carrots, celery and a few handfuls of spinach make it a full dinner in one bowl.
Makes 6 servings (about 2 cups each). Prep: 15 minutes. Cook: 30 minutes. Total: 45 minutes.
21 meals, 100 g+ protein a day, plus a grocery list and prep schedule.
Ingredients for chicken gnocchi soup
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 medium yellow onion (110 g), diced
- 2 medium carrots (122 g), diced small
- 2 celery ribs (80 g), diced
- 4 garlic cloves (12 g), minced
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 cup (31 g) all-purpose flour
- 5 cups (1.2 L) low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 1/4 lb (567 g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) 2% milk
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) half-and-half
- 1 lb (454 g) package potato gnocchi, shelf-stable or refrigerated
- 3 cups (90 g) baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup (25 g) grated parmesan
Any 1-pound package of potato gnocchi works: the shelf-stable kind from the pasta aisle or refrigerated gnocchi. Skip frozen cauliflower gnocchi for this one; it falls apart in a creamy broth.
How to make chicken gnocchi soup
- Heat the olive oil and butter in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook, stirring often, for 6 to 8 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent.
- Stir in the garlic and thyme and cook for 1 minute. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir constantly for 1 minute, until no dry flour is visible.
- Slowly pour in the broth while whisking, scraping up anything stuck to the bottom of the pot. Add the whole chicken breasts, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for 15 to 18 minutes, until the thickest part of the chicken reaches 165°F (74°C).
- Lift the chicken onto a cutting board and shred it with two forks or cut it into bite-size pieces.
- Stir the milk and half-and-half into the pot and bring it back to a gentle simmer; do not let it boil hard. Add the gnocchi and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, until they float and are tender.
- Return the chicken to the pot, stir in the spinach until it wilts, about 1 minute, then stir in the parmesan. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
The soup thickens as it sits. If it gets thicker than you like, loosen it with a splash of broth or milk.
A lighter take on the creamy restaurant soup
Most copycat versions of the restaurant-style creamy chicken and gnocchi soup lean on a full pint of heavy cream. It tastes great, but it buries the vegetables and makes a bowl that is heavy for a weeknight. This version swaps the cream for three things that do the same job:
- A small roux. One tablespoon each of butter and oil plus 1/4 cup of flour gives the broth real body before any dairy goes in. This is what makes it feel creamy, not the fat.
- Mostly 2% milk. One and a half cups of milk adds creaminess and a little protein. Kept at a gentle simmer, it will not curdle.
- Half-and-half and parmesan to finish. Half a cup of half-and-half adds richness, and a quarter cup of parmesan adds salty, savory depth so the soup does not taste like something is missing.
Why the chicken cooks whole. Poaching whole breasts right in the thickened broth keeps them juicy and seasons the soup at the same time. Cubed raw chicken tends to turn dry and rubbery in a pot this thick.
Why the gnocchi go in last. Store-bought gnocchi only need a few minutes. Left in the pot from the start, they swell, break and turn the broth starchy. Add them once the dairy is in, and pull the pot off the heat as soon as they float.
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Chicken gnocchi soup nutrition per bowl
I calculated these numbers from USDA FoodData Central per-100 g values for each ingredient (listed in the Sources below), divided across 6 servings. The gnocchi value is USDA’s entry for cooked potato gnocchi, so your brand may be slightly different. Dried thyme, black pepper and added salt are left out.
| Per bowl (about 2 cups) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Calories | 401 |
| Protein | 33 g |
| Carbohydrates | 29 g |
| Fat | 17.5 g |
| Fiber | 2.4 g |
| Sodium (before added salt) | 478 mg |
About 21 g of the protein in each bowl comes from the chicken alone; the milk, half-and-half, parmesan, broth and gnocchi add the rest. The gnocchi carry most of the sodium, so taste the soup before you add the extra salt. For even more protein per spoonful, our high protein soup recipes range from 19 to 41 g per bowl.
Easy swaps and variations
- Rotisserie chicken. Skip step 3’s chicken, simmer the broth for 10 minutes, and stir in 3 to 4 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken with the gnocchi. Dinner is ready in about 25 minutes.
- Chicken thighs. Use the same weight of boneless, skinless thighs. They stay juicier, with a little more fat per bowl.
- Lighter still. Use 2 cups of 2% milk and leave out the half-and-half. The soup is a bit thinner but still creamy thanks to the roux.
- Kale instead of spinach. Add chopped kale with the milk so it has a few minutes to soften.
- Gluten-free. Use gluten-free gnocchi and thicken with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch whisked into the cold milk instead of the flour roux.
- Sun-dried tomatoes and basil. Stir in 1/3 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes with the gnocchi and a handful of fresh basil at the end for a brighter, Tuscan-style bowl.
How to store and reheat it
Soups and stews keep 3 to 4 days in the fridge and 2 to 3 months in the freezer, according to the FoodSafety.gov cold food storage chart. Cool it in shallow containers before refrigerating.
Freezing is the weak spot of creamy gnocchi soups. Milk-based broths can separate and gnocchi turn soft after thawing. If you want freezer portions, freeze the soup after step 4 (vegetables, thickened broth and chicken), then reheat it and add the milk, half-and-half, gnocchi and spinach fresh. Our freezer meal prep guide has more on batching soups this way.
Reheat leftovers gently on the stove over medium-low heat with a splash of broth or milk, stirring often, until steaming hot. FoodSafety.gov lists 165°F (74°C) as the safe minimum internal temperature for leftovers.
Quick questions
Do you cook gnocchi before adding it to soup?
No. Store-bought gnocchi cook right in the simmering soup in 3 to 4 minutes. Precooking them only makes them softer and more likely to fall apart.
Can you make chicken gnocchi soup in a slow cooker?
Yes. Cook the vegetables, garlic, thyme, broth and chicken on LOW for 6 hours or HIGH for 3 hours, until the chicken reaches 165°F (74°C). Shred the chicken, whisk the flour into the milk until smooth, then stir it in with the half-and-half and gnocchi and cook on HIGH for 15 to 20 minutes, until thickened. Add the spinach and parmesan at the end.
Why did my soup get so thick?
Gnocchi keep absorbing liquid as they sit, especially overnight. Thin the soup with broth or milk as you reheat, and season again, since the extra liquid dilutes the salt.
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Want more cozy bowls for the week? Try the slow cooker chicken noodle soup, the crock pot chicken tortilla soup, or turn holiday leftovers into turkey soup from the carcass.
Sources
- USDA FoodData Central per-100 g values, via getfoodfacts.com: chicken breast, raw (FDC 171077), chicken broth, low sodium (FDC 171609), gnocchi, potato (FDC 2708722), milk, reduced fat 2% (FDC 2705386), half and half (FDC 171255), parmesan, grated (FDC 171247), all-purpose flour (FDC 168894), butter, salted (FDC 173410), olive oil, spinach (FDC 168462), carrots (FDC 170393), celery (FDC 169988), onions (FDC 170000), garlic (FDC 169230)
- FoodSafety.gov: Cold Food Storage Charts
- FoodSafety.gov: Safe Minimum Internal Temperature Chart
Chicken Gnocchi Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 medium yellow onion (110 g), diced
- 2 medium carrots (122 g), diced small
- 2 celery ribs (80 g), diced
- 4 garlic cloves (12 g), minced
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 cup (31 g) all-purpose flour
- 5 cups (1.2 L) low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 1/4 lb (567 g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups (360 ml) 2% milk
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) half-and-half
- 1 lb (454 g) package potato gnocchi, shelf-stable or refrigerated
- 3 cups (90 g) baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup (25 g) grated parmesan
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil and butter in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook, stirring often, for 6 to 8 minutes, until the onion is soft and translucent.
- Stir in the garlic and thyme and cook for 1 minute. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir constantly for 1 minute, until no dry flour is visible.
- Slowly pour in the broth while whisking, scraping up anything stuck to the bottom of the pot. Add the whole chicken breasts, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for 15 to 18 minutes, until the thickest part of the chicken reaches 165°F (74°C).
- Lift the chicken onto a cutting board and shred it with two forks or cut it into bite-size pieces.
- Stir the milk and half-and-half into the pot and bring it back to a gentle simmer; do not let it boil hard. Add the gnocchi and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, until they float and are tender.
- Return the chicken to the pot, stir in the spinach until it wilts, about 1 minute, then stir in the parmesan. Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
Nutrition per about 2 cups
21 meals, 100 g+ protein a day, plus a grocery list and prep schedule.
