Creamy Chicken Soup Made Even Cozier with Pillowy-Soft Gnocchi
When you’re craving something warm and comforting, a cozy bowl of chicken soup always hits the spot. And this Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup is one of my all-time faves—hearty, satisfying, and packed with flavor.
It’s a lot like a cozy bowl of chicken and dumplings, but with an Italian-inspired twist! Tender chicken, pillowy gnocchi, and fresh veggies come together in a parmesan-infused broth that’s not too thick, not too thin—just perfectly creamy and cozy.
And the best part? It all comes together in one pot with just a few flavor-packed staples like store-bought gnocchi (easy!) and only 20 minutes of simmering. 🙌🏼
So whether you’re craving something hearty for a lazy Sunday or need a fuss-free weeknight dinner, this creamy chicken soup belongs in your soup season lineup!
All the Recipes You Need for Soup Season!
14 warm and cozy recipes for soup lovers (plus bonus soup sides!)
The Secret to Big Flavor in a Short Simmer
With a short simmer time, good-quality ingredients make all the difference! Start with a rich, high-quality chicken stock and don’t skip the parmesan rind and fresh rosemary, sage, and thyme—they infuse the broth with gorgeous savory flavor.
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Buy Now → How to Make Italian Chicken and Gnocchi Soup
This chicken gnocchi soup tastes like it simmered all day, but it’s actually a simple, one-pot recipe with a few simple steps and 20 minutes of hands-off simmering.
👩🏻🍳Craving an extra thick and cozy soup? ⇢ This recipe uses a flour roux and half and half to create a rich, creamy broth. For a thicker, stew-like consistency, stir in a cornstarch slurry (1 tablespoon cornstarch whisked with 2 tablespoons water).
Serving Suggestions
With shredded chicken, fresh veggies, creamy potatoes, and hearty gnocchi, this creamy chicken gnocchi soup is an all-in-one meal.
Craving a little something extra? You can’t go wrong with a fresh Mixed Greens Side Salad and a few slices of toasted, buttered crusty bread. Or! Go all out with a loaf of my Garlic Lover’s Garlic Bread for the ultimate Italian-inspired dinner. 😋
I can’t wait for you to try this Creamy Chicken and Gnocchi Soup! It’s the perfect cozy meal for a crisp fall evening, a lazy Sunday, or anytime you need a little extra comfort. 🥰
If you do give it a try, be sure to let us know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo and tag @playswellwithbutter on Instagram. We LOVE seeing your PWWB creations! ♡ Happy cooking!
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Creamy Chicken and Gnocchi Soup (One Pot)
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: serves 6-8 1x
- Category: Soup, Stew & Chili Recipes, Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian, American
Description
Comfort food heaven with a little Italian flair: Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup!
Think of this recipe as a home-style creamy chicken noodle soup—just with pillowy gnocchi dumplings instead of noodles. Tender chicken, fresh herbs, and a rich, parmesan-infused broth make this one-pot meal hearty yet easy enough for a weeknight.
Ready in 60 minutes or less, with only 20 minutes of simmering!
Ingredients
- 3–4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- kosher salt and ground black pepper, to season
- 3 medium carrots, peeled as desired and diced
- 2 stalks celery, finely diced
- 1 large yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 medium yellow potato, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth or stock
- 2 dried bay leaves
- ¾ ounce fresh “poultry herbs” (approx. 2 sprigs rosemary, 10–12 sprigs thyme, 2 sprigs sage), tied together with kitchen twine or removed from the stem and finely chopped
- optional: 1 parmesan rind (see Recipe Notes)
- 16 ounces gnocchi
- ½ cup half and half or heavy cream
Instructions
- Brown the chicken: Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil to a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven (at least 5-quart capacity with a tight-fitting lid) over medium heat. Season the chicken with 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt. Add the chicken to the pot and cook for 3-4 minutes per side, until golden brown. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Soften the aromatics and bloom the spices: If needed, add an extra drizzle of olive oil to the pot, then add the carrot, celery, onion, and potato. Season with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-6 minutes, until the vegetables have softened slightly. Add the garlic and Italian seasoning and cook for 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
- Build the soup: Dust the flour over the softened veggies, stirring to coat. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently, until deeply browned. While scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon, slowly pour in the chicken stock. Add the bay leaves, parmesan rind (if using) and herbs to the pot, then nestle the browned chicken into the veggies.
- Simmer: Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to maintain a steady simmer, partially cover the pot (leave the lid slightly ajar to allow some steam to escape), and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked.
- Finish the soup: Remove the chicken from the pot and transfer to a cutting board. Stir the gnocchi into the soup and boil until tender, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces with two forks. Once the gnocchi is cooked, stir the shredded chicken back into the pot along with the heavy cream, cooking until warmed through. Adjust seasoning to taste.
- Serve: Ladle the chicken and gnocchi soup into bowls, garnish with chopped fresh herbs and a swoosh of olive oil if desired, and serve with crusty bread. Enjoy!
Notes
Jess’ Tips and Tricks:
- Parmesan rind: A parmesan rind is the tough outer edge of a wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, and it’s my absolute favorite soup season secret. Toss a parmesan rind into any cozy soup you make this cold season; as it simmers, it will infuse a rich, parmesan-y flavor into the broth. It’s an easy way to add an extra depth of flavor to soups, stews, and sauces, especially when the recipe comes together quickly (like this Chicken and Dumplings recipe). Parmesan rinds are usually sold at cheese shops or grocery stores with a more curated cheese selection (I buy mine at Whole Foods). Store them in your freezer all soup season long.
- 15-Minute Meal Prep: The majority of the active time involved in this recipe is chopping veggies. Chop all the veggies in advance to get a head start on your chicken and dumplings – it’ll take about 15 minutes, tops. Keep everything in individual airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. At dinnertime all you have to do is get cooking – so easy!:
- Peel and dice 3 medium carrots.
- Finely dice 1 celery rib.
- Finely dice 1 yellow onion.
- Dice 1 yellow potato, storing covered in water to prevent browning.
Storage and Reheating:
- Creamy chicken and gnocchi soup will keep, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave, adding a little extra chicken stock or broth if the soup needs to loosen up a little. I don’t suggest freezing this recipe, as the texture of the gnocchi changes with a thaw.
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Can you sub the fresh poultry herbs for dried/ground herbs? And will shredded parmesan work at least similarly to the rind?
Hi Tiaana, you can definitely use dried herbs instead of fresh! We’d just skip the parmesan rind completely if you don’t have any available – but adding shredded parmesan to your bowl of soup is always a great idea! 🙂
How would I adapt this to make it in an Instant Pot? Sounds delicious!
Hi Brooke, we’ve never made this soup in an Instant Pot – it’s so simple to make on the stovetop, and browning the chicken and vegetables in the pot are really key to a quick, flavorful soup! But if you would like to try it in the pressure cooker, feel free! Just make sure to add the dumplings AFTER pressure cooking, to avoid them getting mushy! 🙂
Loved loved this soup.
Use the best ingredients you can find. Will be world of difference.
That is, do not substitute as much as you can.
Hi Lea, so glad to hear you loved the soup! It’s one of our favorites too, and we totally agree that high-quality ingredients are so important.
Hi! I’m excited to make this recipe. What can I do to make the gnocchi? The one you linked is not a kit, just premade gnocchi. Do you have a recipe?
Hi there!! We love using DeLallo’s Gnocchi Kit for this recipe, which you can find at a lot of retailers and (usually) on their website! If you can’t find the DeLallo kit, you can use premade gnocchi (we love DeLallo’s!) another brand’s gnocchi kit, or a recipe of your choice! If you give the chicken & dumplings a try, make sure to let us know what you think! It’s one of our favorites 🙂
I make my own homemade gnocchi. The website for the ‘kit’ is not showing that product only pre-made package gnocchi. Maybe make the dough a little more ‘potatoey’ 🙂 and drop into the stew? Please let me know what you think.
Hi Cindy! We’ve never tested a homemade version but that sounds like it would certainly work 🙂 another option would be to make a drop-style dumpling similar to the ones in this recipe here. Let us know what you end up trying & what you think!
Can I use store bought skillet gnocchi?
Hi Melanie! Yes, store-bought gnocchi will work just fine for this recipe. Enjoy!
Jess
Omg I will never make chicken and noodles again. Only this. It was soooooo delicious!!!!
Thank you, Melinda! So glad you loved it!! 🙂
Soooo good – couldn’t stop eating this! Will definitely be making again. Easy to pull together and love that it makes a big batch so it’s perfect for meal prep!
Can’t stop, won’t stop indulging in this bowl of heaven all winter long!
I have most of the items on hand, including half a carton of heavy cream (I used some for tonight’s dinner and need to use it up). I do have frozen gnocchi I need to use up (especially since I need to make room for the turkey in my freezer), so I will go with them but definitely want to try the gnocchi kit another time. Fingers crossed. This is just what I was looking for!
Hope you enjoyed, Linda!
After a big winter storm, I wanted a cozy but simple soup for Sunday lunch. This soup was perfect, easy to throw together and I had all the ingredients on hand. Great flavor and who doesn’t love pillowy gnocchi.
This recipe is amazing! Will most definitely be making again.
So glad to hear it, Amy!! It is such a cozy dish!
chicken & gnocchi dumplings, oh my a perfect comfort food for me, I’d even eat it in the heat of summer but works really well right now, so thank you!
There’s never a wrong time for chicken & dumplings! 🤣 Hope you enjoyed!!