Savor the ultimate comfort food with this creamy chicken and gnocchi soup. Packed with pillowy gnocchi, juicy chicken, and a medley of aromatic veggies, it's a cozy, flavor-packed delight.
Creamy chicken soup with onions, carrots, celery, and herbs, this bowl has just the taste that you're always craving in a chicken soup. With tender potato gnocchi in each bite, it only makes it even better. It's comforting, like any chicken soup should be, and has just the right amount of creaminess, but isn't too rich either.
This soup strikes the ideal harmony between creaminess and lightness, never feeling overly heavy or indulgent. It's the kind of dish that instantly soothes the soul, transporting you to a state of pure relaxation with its familiar, homey taste.
And the best part? It's an absolute cinch to make, relying on simple pantry staples that you likely already have on hand. Whether you're in the mood for a comforting classic or just need an easy, crowd-pleasing meal, this creamy chicken soup with gnocchi hits the spot every single time.
Ingredients:
- water
- chicken drumsticks
- dry bay leaves
- peppercorns
- butter or oil
- onion
- carrots
- celery
- garlic cloves
- all purpose flour
- potatoes
- gnocchi (I like using mini potato gnocchi)
- heavy cream
- fresh herbs, to garnish (dill, parsley, green onion)
How To Make Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- First, make the homemade chicken broth. This is the secret to the best flavor.
- Place the chicken, bay leaves, peppercorns and water in a large pot. Bring to a boil, season with salt and cook until the chicken is tender and the meat is falling off the bone.
- Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve lined with a cheesecloth or a paper towel. When cool enough to handle, take the meat off the bone. Set aside. You will have about 8 cups of broth and 1- 1 ½ cups of meat. If you have chicken broth and cooked chicken on hand, you can save some time by using them instead of starting from scratch.
- Rinse out the same pot that you used to cook the broth. Melt the butter (or use oil) over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 7 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
- Add the flour and mix it in, until it's absorbed completely in the vegetables, about 1 minute.
- Add the potatoes and reserved broth and bring the soup to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon.Reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook for 10-15 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked through. Add an additional 2 cups of water. However, if you like your soup on the thicker side with more of a stew consistency, you can choose not to add the additional water. I always add more water, sometimes even more than 2 cups, but it's completely up to you. Keep in mind that the gnocchi will also soak up a lot of the liquid. Adjust the seasoning of the soup, adding more salt, if needed.
- Add the gnocchi to the soup, as well as the cooked chicken.Cook for 3-5 minutes, until the gnocchi are cooked through.
- Pour in the heavy cream and add the fresh herbs, right before turning off the heat.
More Delicious Chicken Soups
Creamy Chicken and Gnocchi Soup
Savor the ultimate comfort food with this creamy chicken and gnocchi soup. Packed with pillowy gnocchi, juicy chicken, and a medley of aromatic veggies, it's a cozy, flavor-packed delight.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 65 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 mins
- Yield: 6-8 1x
- Category: Soups
Ingredients
- 10 cups water, plus 2 cups more after the broth is cooked
- 3 chicken drumsticks (1 - 1 ½ cups cooked shredded chicken)
- 2 dry bay leaves
- ½ Tablespoon peppercorns
- 1.5 Tablespoons butter or oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 celery stalks, chopped
- 3-4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 Tablespoons flour
- 2-3 potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 1 lb gnocchi (I used mini potato gnocchi)
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 Tablespoon fresh herbs, to garnish (dill, parsley, green onion)
Instructions
- Place the chicken, bay leaves, peppercorns and water in a large pot. Bring to a boil, season with salt and cook until the chicken is tender and the meat is falling off the bone, about 40-50 minutes.
- Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve lined with a cheesecloth or a paper towel. When cool enough to handle, take the meat off the bone. Set aside. You will have about 8 cups of broth and 1- 1 ½ cups of meat. If you have chicken broth and cooked chicken on hand, you can save some time by using them instead of starting from scratch.
- Rinse out the same pot that you used to cook the broth. Melt the butter (or use oil) over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 7 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
- Add the flour and mix it in, until it's absorbed completely in the vegetables, about 1 minute.
- Add the potatoes and reserved broth and bring the soup to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook for 10-15 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked through. Add an additional 2 cups of water. However, if you like your soup on the thicker side with more of a stew consistency, you can choose not to add the additional water. I always add more water, sometimes even more than 2 cups, but it's completely up to you. Keep in mind that the gnocchi will also soak up a lot of the liquid. Adjust the seasoning of the soup, adding more salt, if needed.
- Add the gnocchi to the soup, as well as the cooked chicken. Cook for 3-5 minutes, until the gnocchi are cooked through.
- Pour in the heavy cream and add the fresh herbs, right before turning off the heat.
Love love love this soup. I've been making it for over 2 years now. It is well loved in my family.
Would you recommend cooking gnocchi separately before adding to the soup? Thanks
No, they will cook just as well in the soup.
This is my all time favourite comfort chicken soup. I love the cream in it, it adds such a lovely subtle flavour to the soup and brings out the chicken broth flavour, too.
Thank you so much for this, Olga!
The cream definitely makes it so much better, Jasmine:). I'm so glad you enjoyed this soup. Thank you for taking the time to write.
This was a hit! Creamy, rich and delicious!
I'm so happy you enjoyed it, Olga.
Wonderful recipe! Recipe is a keeper!
I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Karina:).
What brand of gnocchi do you use? Would the refrigerated verses the dry be better to use? Thanks in advance.
I don't have a particular brand that I use, Lena. Whatever happens to be available at the store. I usually use dry gnocchi, not refrigerated, we hardly ever have refrigerated gnocchi in our grocery store, but I'm sure they will both work.
Just made this soup and it is delicious!!!
I didn’t have any potato gnocchi on hand so I just made my own, pretty easy to do!
Thanks Olga for your awesome recipes!
I'm so happy you enjoyed the soup, Dina. That's awesome that you made the gnocchi yourself - homemade gnocchi are amazing!
Just made it last night for family gathering, and it was the BOmB!!! Thank you for great recipe!!!
I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed it, Lidiya. Thank you for taking the time to write. I appreciate it.
Yum! ) Thank you for another wonderful recipe that even my picky son loved too! 🙂 Definitely will make this again and again.
This is one of my new family favorites along with Zuppa Toscana & red/green borscht. I have this recipe printed and laminated 🙂 Thank you Olga!
I am so happy to hear that, Yelena. Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know:).
Another out of the park!!! Using a few drumsticks to make real broth fantastic idea!!! Another basic component to add to my arsenal.
You are a sweet blessing through the Holy Spirit!!!
Yum that looks delicious. I will have to try this recipe soon. Where do you find the potato gnocchi? Thank you
Usually, they are in the same aisle as pasta, Crista. I hope you enjoy this soup.