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A bowl of chicken gnocchi soup with a spoon sticking out.

Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup Recipe

This cozy soup is creamy, hearty, and packed with real-food ingredients like tender chicken, potato gnocchi, vegetables, and spinach. It’s inspired by the popular Olive Garden chicken gnocchi soup, but is a lighter take that’s just as indulgent tasting, just with less fat and more veggies.

Prep: 20 mins Cook: 30 mins Total: 50 mins
Servings: 6 (Makes 9 cups) 1x
Scale

Ingredients

  • Cooking spray
  • 3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 to 1¼ lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces*
  • ½ teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste
  • ¼ to ½ teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
  • ½ yellow onion, finely diced (~ 1 cup)
  • 2 carrots, finely diced (~ ¾ cup)
  • 2 celery stalks, finely diced (~ ¾ cup)
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced or grated
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour*
  • 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 (12- to 16-ounce) package shelf stable gnocchi
  • ¾ cup half-and-half
  • ¾ cup 2% or whole milk
  • 1 (5 ounce) carton fresh baby spinach
  • Optional garnish: Chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

  1. Place a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat on the stovetop. When the pot is hot, mist the interior generously with cooking spray and add 2 teaspoons of oil, swirling the pot to coat.
  2. Add the chicken to the pot in a single layer and sprinkle the salt and pepper over top. Cook until the chicken releases from the pan, 3 to 4 minutes. Then flip the chicken pieces over and cook until the chicken is cooked through, about 3 minutes more. Remove the chicken to a plate or shallow bowl, then cover with foil or a plate to keep the chicken warm.
  3. Return the pot to the stovetop over medium heat. Mist it again with cooking spray and add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil.
  4. Add the onion, carrots, celery to the pot; cook until the carrots are just tender, stirring occasionally, 14-15 minutes.
  5. Stir in the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds or until fragrant.
  6. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetable mixture and cook for 2 minutes stirring constantly, until the vegetables are coated the flour is no longer white.
  7. Slowly pour the broth into the pot, stirring continuously to prevent lumps.
  8. Add the Italian seasoning and thyme.
  9. Increase the heat to medium-high or high and bring the liquid to a boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  10. Return the cooked chicken to the pot along with the uncooked gnocchi. Cook until the gnocchi is tender and floats to the surface of the soup, 3-5 minutes.
  11. Reduce the heat to low and slowly add the half-and-half and milk.
  12. Add the spinach and stir until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes.
  13. Taste and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
  14. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Notes

* May substitute 1 lb cooked and chopped or shredded chicken for the raw chicken. If using pre-cooked chicken, add it in Step 10. 

* For gluten free, use gluten-free gnocchi, such as the DeLallo brand. Also, use gluten-free flour instead of all-purpose flour, such as Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten-free flour blend. 

Nutrition Information

  • Serving Size: ⅙ of the recipe or ~ 1 ½ cups
  • Calories: 357
  • Fat: 14 g
  • (Sat Fat: 6 g)
  • Sodium: 584 mg
  • Carbohydrate: 27 g
  • (Fiber: 3 g
  • Sugar: 6 g)
  • Protein: 30 g
  • Cholesterol: 95 mg

Dietary

© The Real Food Dietitians
Recipe By: Jessica Beacom