Easy Chicken Gnocchi Soup Recipe
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Featured Comment
This soup was so comforting and bright with the lemon and herbs. I used boneless chicken breasts and cooked the gnocchi separately because I was using chic pea gnocchi for the first time. Besides that I followed the recipe to a T. It was delicious! ~Kelly
What I Love About My Chicken and Gnocchi Soup
I make this chicken gnocchi soup many times a year because I love gnocchi so much, and it’s my go-to when I want something cozy that won’t weigh me down. Think of it as my take on homemade chicken noodle soup, with pillowy potato gnocchi in place of noodles, a golden herb broth, and a squeeze of lemon right at the end.
My freezer almost always holds a stash of homemade stock and gnocchi just for this soup, but a few easy shortcuts get it on the table just as fast on a busy night. And, when I’m in a mood for a more rich gnocchi soup, I go with my Olive Garden copycat chicken gnocchi soup as the creamy version.
Table of Contents
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- Chicken: Use boneless chicken thighs or breasts for the richest meat broth. Simmering the chicken right in the stock seasons the meat and the broth at the same time. For a faster soup, use shredded rotisserie chicken instead.
- Leeks: For this soup, use only the white parts. The dark green tops are tough and fibrous, so they stay chewy even after simmering, and their flavor is stronger and grassier. You can save the dark green stalk to use in making homemade chicken or vegetable broth.
- Chicken stock: I use my homemade chicken stock whenever I have it, but store-bought works great too. Choose low-sodium or no salt added broth, stock, or bone broth so you control the salt.
- Gnocchi: Look for fresh gnocchi in the refrigerated pasta section first. I personally don’t like working with shelf-stable gnocchi but frozen gnocchi work well. When I’m not making homemade gnocchi, I prefer to buy from the refrigerated section.
- Fresh herbs: Use fresh thyme and rosemary for the best flavor. If you only have dried, use about 3/4 teaspoon of each and taste after a few minutes.
- Optional greens: Stir in a few handfuls of baby spinach with the lemon juice, or add chopped kale with the gnocchi so it has time to soften.
- Gluten free: Use gluten-free gnocchi, or make homemade gnocchi with gluten-free all-purpose flour. Cauliflower gnocchi works too if it’s gluten free.
How To Make Easy Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- Sauté the vegetables first. Cook the onion, leeks, carrots, and celery over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes, until the onions turn translucent and just start to turn golden. Add the garlic last and cook it for only 30 to 60 seconds, since adding garlic too early burns it and turns the whole base bitter.
- Simmer the chicken low and slow. Once you add the stock and chicken, resist the urge to crank the heat. Keep the pot at a gentle simmer over medium-low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, since a rolling boil makes the meat tough and stringy. The chicken is done when it reaches 165°F and shreds easily with two forks.
- Shred or dice the chicken. Move the chicken to a bowl and let it cool for a few minutes before you shred or dice it. Either works, so choose the texture you like best.
- Add all your seasoning, stir, and as always, taste the broth. Adjust the spice or saltiness to personal taste.
- When adding the gnocchi, watch the gnocchi closely. It cooks fast. The moment it floats to the top, give it one more minute and pull the pot off the heat. Overcooked gnocchi turns mushy and falls apart in the broth.
- Add the lemon juice last. Stir it in right before serving. This keeps the flavor bright and fresh and rounds up the soup aroma beautifully, which will greatly improve the flavor as well.
Make Ahead Tips
- All components of this soup, you can make homemade ahead of time and save for later. Homemade always tastes so much better so if you’d like to take that route, make your own chicken stock and gnocchi.
- I often make a batch of gnocchi and freeze it in portion bags to use through the week. It takes away so much dinner worry and ready in only a few minutes. The same goes for chicken stock. I keep homemade chicken stock in the freezer because unfortunately, it doesn’t last more than a day or two in the fridge.
- You can save the chicken meat from cooking homemade chicken stock and freeze it separately, in a freezer friendly bag or container. Use this chicken to make soups later.
- When you have all these components on hand, this soup will only take about 40 minutes to make.
Shortcuts For Quick and Easy Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- Use rotisserie chicken – rotisserie chicken is a great way to make fast and easy soup and it’s already so flavorful. Choose lemon pepper chicken if available, it will go great in this soup. If you don’t have access to rotisserie chicken, you can use cooked and shredded chicken that you may have made ahead.
- Pre-made chicken stock – wonderful thing about homemade chicken stock is that you can make it ahead and freeze it. If you don’t have any homemade, it’s easy to grab low sodium chicken stock at the store.
- Ready Gnocchi – much like chicken stock, you can make a big batch of homemade gnocchi and freeze it uncooked, in portions. Any time you want to make a fast and easy dinner, simply pull out a bag of frozen gnocchi and add it to soup. If there is no homemade gnocchi in your freezer, simply grab a package of prepared ones in the refrigerated section of the grocery store.
Ways to Serve Chicken and Gnocchi Soup
- Bread: Serve soft Amish potato rolls or flaky buttermilk biscuits for dipping.
- Salad: Serve a crisp apple salad or a hearty kale salad alongside to round out the meal.
- Toppings: Finish each bowl with chopped fresh parsley, cracked black pepper, or an extra pinch of red pepper flakes. Grated Parmesan is delicious too, but leave it off if you need the soup dairy free.
Will gnocchi still be okay after storing it in soup?
- Yes, store-bought gnocchi will be able to hold its shape while being store with soup for a couple of days. It will be softer though, but still be completely good to eat.
- Note that store-bought gnocchi will hold its integrity a little better than homemade. Homemade gnocchi are also fine to store in leftover soup but will be a little softer.
How to Store Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- Store: in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Let the soup cool to room temperature first. Expect the soup to thicken as it sits, and expect the gnocchi to soften. Store-bought gnocchi hold their shape a little better than homemade, but both stay good to eat.
- Meal prep: If you plan on leftovers, cook the gnocchi separately and add them to each bowl as you serve.
- Freeze: without the gnocchi for up to 3 months. Use an airtight freezer container or freezer bags, and leave room for the soup to expand. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then cook fresh gnocchi in the soup as you reheat it.
- Reheat: individual portions in the microwave, or larger amounts on the stovetop over medium heat until warmed through. Add a splash of stock to loosen the soup if it has thickened.
Chicken Gnocchi Soup FAQs
Yes, both work well. Thighs are more forgiving, since they stay juicy even if they cook a little longer, and have more flavor but chicken breast works great too. Just don’t overcook it.
Check the refrigerated fresh pasta section first. You can also find shelf-stable gnocchi in the pasta aisle that those are not ideal.
Freeze it without the gnocchi. Cool completely, transfer to a freezer-safe container, and freeze for up to 3 months. Add fresh gnocchi when you reheat it on the stovetop.
Stir in about 1/2 cup of heavy cream right after the gnocchi finish cooking OR try my Olive Garden chicken gnocchi soup.
Pull the pot off the heat about one minute after the gnocchi float. If you plan on leftovers, cook the gnocchi separately and add them to each bowl.
Yes. Homemade gnocchi cook faster than store-bought, so watch them closely and pull the pot as soon as they’ve floated for a minute. Add frozen gnocchi straight from the freezer and give them a couple of extra minutes.
Yes. Cook cheese tortellini or a small pasta shape like ditalini in the simmering soup according to the package directions. For leftovers, stir in an extra cup of stock if you want a thinner soup.
No. Add store-bought or homemade gnocchi straight to the simmering soup. Add frozen gnocchi straight from the freezer and give them a couple of extra minutes. Homemade gnocchi can cook faster than store-bought, so watch them closely.
Pull the pot off the heat about one minute after the gnocchi float. If you plan on leftovers, cook the gnocchi separately and add them to each bowl.
Chicken gnocchi soup, also called chicken and gnocchi soup, is a chicken soup made with soft potato dumplings called gnocchi in place of noodles. You can make it brothy or creamy. This one is a light, herby broth finished with lemon, and my Olive Garden chicken gnocchi soup is the creamy version.
More Comforting Soup Recipes
- Borscht Recipe
- Pasta E Fagioli Soup Recipe
- Tomato Gnocchi Soup
- Chicken and Wild Rice Soup Recipe
- Italian Meatballs & Gnocchi Soup
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Chicken Gnocchi Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil or another neutral cooking oil
- 1 large yellow onion
- 2 leeks
- 2 medium carrots
- 2 celery ribs
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1.5 lbs chicken thigh meat can also use chicken breast meat
- 8 cups homemade chicken stock can also use store-bought
- 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes more or less to taste
- 2 tsp fresh thyme
- 2 tsp fresh rosemary
- salt
- pepper
- 16 oz gnocchi* homemade or store-bought from refrigerated section
- 1/2 lemon – juice only to finish the soup
Instructions
- Dice onion, leek, carrots, and celery. (Use only the white parts of the leek, discard the green stalks.)
- In a large Dutch oven, add oil and preheat over medium heat.
- Add onion, leeks, carrots, and celery to the pot and saute until vegetables are softened.
- Smash and mince the garlic and add it to the pot. Stir and cook until garlic is fragrant.
- Pour in the stock and bring to simmer.
- Add chicken meat and lower the heat to medium-low, cover loosely with a lid, and let the soup cook until chicken is tender.
- Take chicken out into a separate bowl and shred it using 2 forks.
- Stir in red pepper flakes, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Taste to make sure there is enough salt. Add shredded chicken back to the pot.
- Raise the heat again to medium and bring everything to a gentle simmer.
- Add gnocchi and cook until gnocchi is done and float to the top. (Gnocchi is usually ready in about 5 minutes but if using frozen gnocchi, it might take a couple extra minutes.)
- To finish the soup, at the very end: Stir in fresh squeezed lemon juice and serve right away.
Video
Notes
- Chicken: Use boneless thighs or breasts, and cook them to at least 165°F before shredding. For a shortcut, skip simmering the chicken and stir in shredded rotisserie chicken along with the seasonings.
- Gnocchi: Use refrigerated, frozen, or homemade gnocchi. Add frozen gnocchi straight from the freezer and give it a couple of extra minutes. Pull the pot off the heat about a minute after the gnocchi floats.
- Lemon: Stir in the juice right before serving to keep the flavor bright.
- Gluten free: Use gluten-free gnocchi, or make homemade gnocchi with gluten-free all-purpose flour.
- Store: in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days, after cooling the soup to room temperature. Expect the soup to thicken as it sits.
- Reheat: on the stovetop over medium heat or in the microwave, adding a splash of stock to loosen it.
- Freeze: without the gnocchi for up to 3 months, leaving room in the container for the soup to expand. Cook fresh gnocchi in the soup as you reheat it.
Nutrition
Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in February 2020.
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Categories:
30 Minute Meals, Chicken Dinner Recipes, Fall Recipes, Gluten Free Recipes, Soup Recipes,All images and text ©Lyubov Brooke for ©Will Cook For Smiles. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be 100% accurate as most ingredients and brands have variations.
When is the lemon juice supposed to be used?
Made this dinner this weekend and my family loved it plus it made great leftovers for lunches.
I’m not sure, if my rating shows on my previous comment.
I wanted to make chicken and gnocchi soup, but not the creamy one. This was perfect, very tasty. My 3 year old granddaughter loved it too. Thank you for the delicious recipe! Definitely a keeper 😊
Thank you so much for your kind words! It’s wonderful to know that it was a hit with both of you. Your feedback means a lot, and I’m glad the recipe is a keeper for you! 😊
This soup was so comforting and bright with the lemon and herbs. I used boneless chicken breasts and cooked the gnocchi separately because I was using chic pea gnocchi for the first time. Besides that I followed the recipe to a T. It was delicious!
Really enjoyed this. Used store bought gnocchi, home made broth & fewer pepper flakes because of a little one for lunch.
I am so glad you liked it, Sharon!
This soup was so good and really easy to make!
Thanks, Victoria! Glad you liked it!
I have made this 2 times with my preferences.. For others….I do not see where the amount of oil is definitized. thank you for clarifying and a great soup recipe.
This was delicious! The first time I made it with homemade broth and rotisserie chicken, and the second time with store bought broth and rotisserie chicken. Would highly reccomend.
I am so glad you liked it! 🙂