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With a creamy, velvety chicken broth, shredded chicken, veggies, and pillowy gnocchi. SO good with crusty bread!
reasons to make chicken and gnocchi soup
- For all the luscious, velvety soup vibes for cozy soup season
- Perfect for those blistery winter days after shoveling all the snow in the driveway
- For all the tender, oh-so-pillowy gnocchi
- A great time to repurpose leftover rotisserie chicken
- No better excuse than to bake and use up all the crusty bread for sopping
- Packed with veggies and sneaked in leafy greens (a huge plus for picky eaters and toddlers)
- Amazingly freezer-friendly, making it so convenient for meal prepping or whipping up a ready-to-eat meal on super busy nights
- All the crispy bacon bits on top
WHAT IS GNOCCHI?
Is gnocchi pasta? There’s actually mixed reviews on this and it really depends on who you ask. Nonetheless, gnocchi is essentially a potato dumpling typically made of three ingredients (flour, egg and potato) and is perfect in a soup recipe like this. It will absorb all the flavors, and the tiny, soft pillowy goodness will leave you so happy and cozy on a chilly night.
tips and tricks for success
- Choose a wine you will drink. A dry white wine (pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc) is great here – it does not have to be anything fancy or overpriced. Just something you don’t mind sipping on since you will have an open bottle.
- Use good-quality stock. The better quality your stock, the better your soup. Many brands love to pack in the salt so always opt for unsalted or a lower-sodium variety. Homemade stock is even better.
- Avoid soggy gnocchi. Cook the gnocchi just until tender and fluffy, about 5 minutes. The longer it cooks, the soggier it gets!
- Add in leafy greens. This is a great recipe to sneak in leafy greens for those picky eaters. Spinach, kale, collard greens, swiss chard, or arugula are all great options.
- Add the cream slowly. Always add the heavy cream at the very end, pouring very slowly to prevent curdling.
- Serve with crusty bread. Serve with all the homemade crusty bread for dipping, sopping and dunking!
WHAT TO SERVE WITH GNOCCHI SOUP
Chicken and Gnocchi Soup: Frequently Asked Questions
Additional chicken stock can be used for white wine as a non-alcoholic substitute.
Russet potatoes (simmered a little longer until cooked through) or fresh tortellini would be great substitutes!
Heavy cream (or heavy whipping cream) has one of the highest fat contents with about 36-40% fat. Half and half or whole milk are suitable substitutes, but will yield a lighter result.
Yes! You can freeze the leftovers without the heavy cream (cream soups tend to separate when frozen) in individual freezer bags, thaw overnight, and reheat on the stovetop, adding heavy cream when serving.
- 4 slices bacon, diced
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 sweet onion, diced
- 3 carrots, peeled and sliced
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- â…“ cup dry white wine
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 bay leaf
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 3 cups leftover shredded rotisserie chicken
- 1 (9-ounce) package gnocchi
- 3 cups chopped baby spinach
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
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Heat a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium hight heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate; drain excess fat, reserving 1 tablespoon in the stockpot, and set aside.
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Reduce heat to medium; add butter to the stockpot, stirring until butter has melted, about 1-2 minutes. Add onion, carrots and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes.
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Stir in garlic and Italian seasoning until fragrant, about 1 minute.
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Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
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Stir in wine, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
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Stir in chicken stock and bay leaf; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer, covered, until flavors have blended, about 10 minutes.
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Stir in chicken and gnocchi, and cook until gnocchi is tender, about 5 minutes.
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Stir in spinach, heavy cream, vinegar and parsley until the spinach has wilted, about 2-3 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
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Serve immediately, garnished with bacon.