Homemade Creamy Chicken And Gnocchi Soup

This chicken and gnocchi soup recipe is a thick, hearty and delicious creamy soup. Sautéed vegetables are simmered with bone broth, cream, fresh herbs, tender, seared chicken breast, and homemade pillowy gnocchi. It’s nourishing, satisfying comfort food the entire family will love.

My favorite recipes are hearty, filling, and delicious. I love adding some type of filled pasta, homemade dumplings, cubed potatoes, or tender gnocchi to a soup.

They really make soups a meal in themselves, and this homemade version of Olive Garden’s chicken gnocchi soup is exactly that.

I love making a large batch of this soup for dinner one night, and then we have at least one (maybe even two) easy and quick lunch for another day. It’s an easy way to get ahead through the week, while still feeding my family a nourishing meal and not cutting corners.

I always feel so productive when a single meal turns into two or three!

Since summer is in full swing, our days are brimming with gardening, various projects, and fun. 

With this recipe, we can spend all morning in the garden weeding, pruning, harvesting, and then come in for an easy and filling lunch. This simplifies our day tremendously, allowing for more progress in our other avenues.

Homesteading is hard work. It’s a difficult but incredibly satisfying life, requiring lots of time and energy to be spent outdoors. To make sure we are feeling our best and remaining energized, we need these hearty meals to sustain us.

But soon enough that time of year is coming, soup season.

This creamy gnocchi chicken soup is a great recipe for soup season. Healthy fats, fiber, carbohydrates, veggies, with layers of flavor. The vegetables provide a freshness to the soup that really give the dish a place on the menu in every season.

It’s a delicious recipe for a chilly night, yet fresh and filling in the warmer seasons.

Tips:

• f you want to make everything from scratch in this recipe, I recommend starting it earlier in the day. Make the bone broth a few hours ahead of time. You could even make the gnocchi a few hours ahead of time and just place it in the fridge until you are ready to roll out, slice, and cook. Same goes with the pan-fried chicken.
• If you are pinched for time, you could use store-bought broth, gnocchi, leftover chicken, or even a rotisserie chicken. Homemade will taste way better, but it will still be tasty and filling.
• You can use cream or half and half. Cream will yield a thicker, creamier soup.
• I love using einkorn flour for any recipe that doesn’t adjust for fermented grains. If you don’t have einkorn, you can substitute it for all-purpose flour.
• Add a spicy kick with a little red pepper flakes if desired.

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Ingredients:

Butter or olive oil 

Celery 

Onion 

Carrots 

Garlic 

All purpose flour – or substitute with einkorn flour 

Chicken broth or chicken stock– I prefer homemade in the Instant Pot.

Fresh thyme 

Chicken – You can use leftovers from a whole roasted chicken, chicken thighs, or boneless skinless breasts.

Gnocchi – I like using my own homemade gnocchi.

Heavy cream or half and half – I prefer cream to make a really creamy broth, but use what you have!

Fresh spinach 

Salt and black pepperto taste

Tools:

Large pot

Cutting board

Knife

Cast iron skillet

Measuring cups and spoons

Instant Pot (for homemade broth)

FAQ

What is Gnocchi?

Gnocchi is a little dumpling made of potato, egg, and flour. It can be used just like pasta and served with a variety of different sauces. 

How do you thicken gnocchi soup?

Soup can be thickened with either a roux made from flour and butter cooked together. Another, (gluten free) option would be to create a cornstarch slurry. Mix together equal parts cornstarch and water. Add the slurry slowly to the soup while it is simmering until the soup has reached desired thickness. 

Should I fry gnocchi before adding it to soup?

No, it is not necessary to fry gnocchi before adding it to the soup. The gnocchi will get cooked in the soup.

How To Make Your Own Gnocchi

Gnocchi is actually pretty simple to make, and you can even make it ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator. You can find the step-by-step process with pictures in this post here.

Bake two potatoes. Allow them to cool a bit before mashing them in a large bowl. Add flour, egg, ricotta, parmesan cheese, and salt.

Use your hands to mix the ingredients together into a ball. 

Roll out into a one inch thick tube. Slice into 1×1 inch pieces. 

Boil in salted water, or just add directly to the soup to cook.

How To Make Chicken And Gnocchi Soup

If you plan to use homemade broth, start the broth a few hours before (or even the night before) and store it in the fridge until you are ready to make this recipe.

Start a batch of pillowy soft gnocchi. You could also use a package of store-bought gnocchi – still delicious, but homemade is far superior.

Place a cast iron skillet over medium high heat, melt butter and add chicken to the hot pan. 

Cook chicken for about 4-5 minutes on each side until cooked through. Set aside to cool.

While the chicken is cooking, place a large pot over medium heat and add butter. 

Dice celery, onion, and carrots; add to the pot.

I like to dice everything really finely, especially the onions, since they are not my kids’ favorite. If they are chopped up really well, the kids don’t even notice them, but the flavor is still packed in. 

Cook veggies for five minutes until they start to become translucent. 

Add garlic and cook an additional two minutes.

Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and butter to create a roux. Cook for another minute, stirring constantly to avoid burning. This will help thicken the soup. You want to make sure to cook the flour a few minutes (without burning) to cook out the flour taste.

Add in the broth and cook until thickened.

Dice chicken and add to soup.

Add thyme, gnocchi, and cream.

Simmer for 5 minutes, or until gnocchi is cooked.

Add spinach, then a little salt and pepper to taste. Add spinach last so that it keeps a little bit of its texture.

Serve with some crusty bread and enjoy.

Find More Farm Food From Scratch

• Mini Quiche With Einkorn Crust
• Sourdough Cheddar Waffles
• Chicken Marsala Soup
• Creamy Chicken And Wild Rice Soup
• No-Knead Sourdough Bread

If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone