My daughter loves anything (and everything) made with potatoes. So when I introduced her to this soup and called it simply creamy chicken and gnocchi soup, she really wasn’t that interested. When I described the gnocchi as being fluffy little potato dumplings, she was highly intrigued to say the least. I ladled one out of the pot of soup on a teaspoon with a little of the creamy sauce and watched her face as she tried her very first gnocchi; she was delighted. Love at first gnocchi.
I am a fan of gnocchi. I first tried them from a package my Mom and I bought at Sam’s Club many years ago. I thought they were wonderful; they’re really convenient, too – especially for this dish. I’ve since had them made from scratch and there is just no comparison to the light and fluffy texture of a scratch made gnocchi. However, if you prefer to use packaged gnocchi, I won’t judge. I promise. Both are good.
I’m starting the soup from scratch and making my gnocchi but I’ll show you a few quick and easy alternatives in the notes that are great for a quick weeknight meal. You can certainly make your own gnocchi, too. They are really easy to make and come together easily. If that’s the way you want to go, here’s the recipe.
Looking for more Gnocchi Recipes? Check out these recipes:
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Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup
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Prep Time: 5 minutes - Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
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Yield: serves 6
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeIngredients
- 2 bone-in chicken breasts [Note 1]
- 4 cups (32-ounce) water [Note 1]
- 1 cup finely diced onion
- 1/2 cup finely diced celery
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour [Note 2]
- 2 cups half-and-half
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley , chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional) [Note 3]
- 1 cup fresh spinach leaves
- 1 (16-ounce) package ready-to-use gnocchi [Note 4]
Instructions
- Cover chicken in 4 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes to poach the chicken and create a chicken broth.
- Remove chicken from pot with a slotted spoon. With two forks, remove as much meat from the bones as you can, shredding the meat in the process.
- Add the carrots, celery and onions to the pot, followed by the parsley, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer until the vegetables have softened, about 10 minutes.
- Mix 1/3 cup flour with a small amount of cold water in a small bowl or cup. Stir or whisk until smooth. Pour into the soup, stirring as you pour it in to prevent clumping. Simmer the soup for 5 minutes, or until broth thickens. Add 2 cups of half and half and the nutmeg (optional). Test and adjust the salt, pepper and nutmeg seasonings if necessary.
- Add the gnocchi and spinach and simmer for about 3-5 minutes.
- Serve warm. Refrigerate any leftovers
Notes
1). For a quicker weeknight meal, use a rotisserie chicken in place of boiling the chicken. Also, use 32 oz (4 cups) of chicken broth in place of the water as the base of the soup.2). For a thicker soup, add a little more flour. To thin the soup, add some extra water or chicken stock.3). Nutmeg is totally optional but really turns up the flavor in any cream based soup and gives it that little something special. Taste a tiny bit mixed in with some broth on a spoon or in a bowl first. I hope you love it. 4). You can also substitute homemade gnocchi, if you prefer a fully scratch made soup.
Nutrition
- Calories: 0
- Sugar: 0 g
- Sodium: 0 mg
- Fat: 0 g
- Saturated Fat: 0 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 0 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 0 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 0 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Do you have a favorite soup recipe? Share it with me! I’d love to hear all about it.
If you liked this Creamy Chicken and Gnocchi Soup, you may also like:
Chicken Pot Pie Soup
Pub Style Bacon Cheeseburger
Perry says
Had this at a restaurant – this is so good
★★★★★
Sarah says
This looks fabulous. Pinned for later.
KitchenDreaming says
Thanks for pinning, Sarah. I do hope you like it. The fresh gnocchi are worth the effort but the packaged work equally as well here.