Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup

This post may contain affiliate links. See our disclosure policy.

Chicken gnocchi soup is the Olive Garden bowl everyone orders before the entrée arrives, and the copycat is easier than the restaurant makes it look. Chicken poaches right in the broth, gnocchi go in near the end, and a pour of half-and-half turns the whole pot creamy without any fussing.

Gnocchi timing is the one thing to get right. They cook in about 3 minutes and they keep softening after that, so they go in at the end rather than with the broth. Add them early and they swell, split, and leave you with a pot of potato paste.

Poaching the chicken in the soup instead of cooking it in a second pan buys you two things: real chicken flavor in the broth, and one pot to wash. Slice the breasts in half horizontally first so they’re about half an inch thick, and they’ll hit 165°F in 12 minutes flat.

Why You’ll Love This Chicken Gnocchi Soup Recipe

• One pot, 45 minutes. The chicken cooks in the same pot as everything else, so there’s no second pan for a sauce and one thing to wash.
• Cheaper than two restaurant bowls. A pound and a half of chicken and one package of gnocchi make six servings for about what two bowls cost out.
• Creamy without being heavy. Half-and-half and a small flour roux carry the body, so it’s rich and you can still finish the bowl.
• Vegetables that get eaten. Carrot, celery, and spinach disappear into a creamy broth, which is the easiest way to get spinach past a picky eater.

Chicken Gnocchi Soup Ingredients

Use the shelf-stable potato gnocchi from the pasta aisle, the vacuum-sealed pillow kind. Frozen and refrigerated gnocchi both work, though frozen ones want an extra minute or two. Skip homemade gnocchi here; they’re too delicate for a pot of soup and they dissolve.

• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
• 2 ribs celery, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, halved horizontally
• 1 (16 oz) package shelf-stable potato gnocchi
• 1 1/2 cups half-and-half
• 3 cups fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan, for serving

Recipe Variations

• Use 3 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken instead of raw breasts. Skip the poaching step and stir the chicken in with the half-and-half, heating it through to 165°F. It cuts about 12 minutes off the clock.
• Swap boneless, skinless chicken thighs for the breasts. They stay juicier and are harder to overcook, and they poach to the same 165°F in about the same time.
• Add 8 ounces of sliced cremini mushrooms with the onion and carrot, and cook 3 minutes longer so their water has time to cook off.

How to Make Chicken Gnocchi Soup

1. Soften the vegetables: Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook 6-7 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion is translucent and the carrots have lost their crunch.
2. Add the garlic and flour: Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir constantly for another minute, until it coats everything and smells toasty instead of raw.
3. Pour in the broth: Add the chicken broth in a slow stream, whisking as you go so the flour doesn’t clump. Stir in the thyme, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
4. Poach the chicken: Slide the halved chicken breasts into the pot, bring it to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook 10-12 minutes, until the thickest piece reads 165°F on an instant-read thermometer. Move the chicken to a cutting board.
5. Cook the gnocchi: Bring the pot back to a simmer, add the gnocchi, and cook 3-4 minutes, until they float and are tender all the way through. While they cook, shred the chicken with two forks.
6. Finish with the half-and-half and spinach: Turn the heat to low. Stir in the half-and-half, the shredded chicken, and the spinach. Cook 2-3 minutes, just until the spinach wilts and the soup is steaming. Keep it under a boil once the dairy is in or it can curdle.
7. Serve: Ladle into bowls and top each one with grated parmesan.

Recipe FAQs

Can I Use Rotisserie Chicken in This Chicken Gnocchi Soup?

Yes, and it saves about 12 minutes. Skip the poaching step and stir 3 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken in with the half-and-half, heating it through to 165°F. The broth won’t be quite as rich, so use a full-flavored chicken broth to make up for it.

Why Did My Gnocchi Fall Apart?

They cooked too long. Gnocchi are done about 3 minutes in, right when they float, and they keep softening in hot broth after that. Add them at the very end and get the soup to the table soon after.

Can I Use Milk Instead of Half-And-Half?

Whole milk works and gives you a thinner soup. Skim doesn’t carry enough fat and is more likely to curdle. Heavy cream makes it richer, so use 1 cup instead of 1 1/2 if you go that way.

Does This Soup Reheat Well?

The soup does. The gnocchi soften a little each time, so day two is good but softer. If you know there will be leftovers, hold back half the gnocchi and drop them into the reheated soup fresh.

Can I Freeze Chicken Gnocchi Soup?

Not really. The gnocchi turn to mush and the half-and-half separates on thawing. What does freeze is the base: stop after the broth step, freeze it up to 3 months, then add gnocchi, dairy, and spinach after you reheat it.

Cooking Tips

• Whisk the first cup of broth in slowly and get it completely smooth before the rest goes in. Flour-coated vegetables clump the second you dump liquid on them, and you’ll spend 10 minutes chasing lumps that never had to form.
• Slice the chicken breasts in half horizontally before they go in the pot. A whole breast takes almost twice as long, and the outside overcooks and goes stringy while the middle catches up.
• Add the spinach off the boil. It wilts in under a minute in a pot that’s merely steaming, and that’s what keeps it green instead of army-drab.

Storage and Freezing

To store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The gnocchi keep drinking up broth, so it’ll be noticeably thicker on day two. Loosen it with a splash of chicken broth when you reheat.

To freeze: Freezing isn’t great for this one. Gnocchi go mushy and the half-and-half separates. Freeze the soup base before the gnocchi and dairy go in, up to 3 months, and finish it after thawing.

To reheat: Warm it gently over medium-low, stirring, until it reaches 165°F. Keep it below a boil so the dairy stays smooth.

How to Serve Chicken Gnocchi Soup

Chicken Gnocchi Soup is filling enough to be dinner on its own, but it’s better with something to dunk. Warm breadsticks, garlic bread, or a torn baguette all work. A Caesar salad on the side finishes the Olive Garden impression if that’s what you’re after. Extra parmesan and a few cracks of black pepper at the table never hurt.

Loved This Recipe?

Chicken Gnocchi Soup takes 45 minutes and one pot, and it tastes like the bowl you’d wait 20 minutes for a table to get.

Leave a star rating in the comments below, it helps other people find this recipe. Made it? Tag @allwellfed on Instagram, I love seeing this one in other people’s kitchens.

Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup

Chicken gnocchi soup with poached chicken breast, pillowy potato gnocchi, carrots, and spinach in a creamy half-and-half broth.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time:15 minutes mins

Cook Time:30 minutes mins

Total Time:45 minutes mins

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Italian-American

Servings: 6 servings

Equipment

• Dutch Oven
• Instant-Read Thermometer 165°F, checked in two spots rather than one.

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp butter
• 1 medium yellow onion finely chopped
• 2 medium carrots peeled and diced
• 2 ribs celery diced
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts halved horizontally
• 1 (16 oz) package shelf-stable potato gnocchi
• 1 1/2 cups half-and-half
• 3 cups fresh baby spinach roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan for serving

Get ingredients with

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

• Soften the vegetables: Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery and cook 6-7 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion is translucent and the carrots have lost their crunch.
• Add the garlic and flour: Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir constantly for another minute, until it coats everything and smells toasty instead of raw.
• Pour in the broth: Add the chicken broth in a slow stream, whisking as you go so the flour doesn’t clump. Stir in the thyme, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
• Poach the chicken: Slide the halved chicken breasts into the pot, bring it to a gentle simmer, cover, and cook 10-12 minutes, until the thickest piece reads 165°F on an instant-read thermometer. Move the chicken to a cutting board.
• Cook the gnocchi: Bring the pot back to a simmer, add the gnocchi, and cook 3-4 minutes, until they float and are tender all the way through. While they cook, shred the chicken with two forks.
• Finish with the half-and-half and spinach: Turn the heat to low. Stir in the half-and-half, the shredded chicken, and the spinach. Cook 2-3 minutes, just until the spinach wilts and the soup is steaming. Keep it under a boil once the dairy is in or it can curdle.
• Serve: Ladle into bowls and top each one with grated parmesan.

Notes

Halve the chicken breasts horizontally so they poach evenly, and cook them to an internal temperature of 165°F. Add the gnocchi in the last 4 minutes so they stay pillowy instead of dissolving, and keep the soup below a boil once the half-and-half goes in so the dairy doesn’t curdle.

More Dinners Like This

Creamy Crockpot Chicken Enchilada SoupCreamy Buffalo Chicken PastaCozy Crockpot Chicken Noodle Soup