Chicken Gnocchi Soup
Creamy and satisfying, this delicious Chicken Gnocchi Soup uses cooked chicken, pantry staples, and random vegetables from your refrigerator!
For this soup, I challenged myself to make it with only ingredients I already had, or needed to use up.
I grabbed whatever vegetables I could find: a carrot, some celery, most of a small onion, and the last handful of baby spinach leaves.
Then I found a protein; for this soup I used a couple of leftover grilled chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces.
For the liquid, I made stock from concentrate. I didn’t have any milk or cream, but I did have a can of evaporated milk. You’d be surprised at how well it can substitute for cream in recipes.
For flavouring, I used some Italian seasoning blend, and my last two garlic cloves.
The last thing I needed was some kind of starch for the soup. You can use noodles, or rice, or potatoes. For this soup, I used some gnocchi I found in the back of the cupboard.
How long does Chicken Gnocchi Soup take to make?
Prepare for the soup by chopping the vegetables. For this soup, I grated the carrot so it would cook faster. Then all you’re doing is heating everything up – the gnocchi only takes minutes to cook, so it’s ready very quickly!
Let’s talk about the ingredients for Chicken Gnocchi Soup
Vegetables – Grated carrot, celery, onion, and spinach were used in this version.
Protein – I used a couple of grilled chicken breasts. A leftover rotisserie chicken would work very well in this recipe!
Liquid – I used chicken stock made from concentrate, because that was all I had on hand. Because I had no cream or milk, I substituted a can of evaporated milk (not sweetened condensed milk) and it worked beautifully!
Flavourings – Italian seasoning blend and a couple of crushed garlic cloves was all I used.
Starch – I found a package of gnocchi, so I used that. Gnocchi cooks in mere minutes and adds a heartiness to this soup to make it a filling meal.
Can I Make Substitutions?
Gnocchi – Don’t have gnocci? Try using egg noodles, rice, or cubed potatoes.
Chicken – Use whatever precooked chicken you have, be it chicken breast, thighs, or leftover rotisserie chicken.
Vegetables – I used the vegetables from my refrigerator that absolutely had to go. Other vegetables that would be great in this soup are zucchini, potatoes, or bell peppers.
Liquid – Use real cream or milk or a combination of the two. You could also use canned chicken stock alone if you like it less creamy. Make it how you like!
Can Chicken Gnocchi Soup be Gluten-Free?
If you use gluten-free noodles or gnocchi, this soup will be gluten-free.
The Chicken Gnocchi Soup Method
First, chop all your vegetables and grate the carrot. Grating the carrot helps it cook faster.
Then cut your chicken into bite-size pieces.
Prepare your chicken stock from concentrate, if using. Or open the can or carton of stock, if you’re using that kind.
Sauté the vegetables in olive oil until the onion is translucent. Add in the Italian seasoning and garlic, and stir until fragrant. Then add the chicken and stock, and bring to a boil.
After the soup comes to a boil, add the gnocchi and stir, cooking for 3-4 minutes.
Last, add the cream and spinach and cook for a couple of more minutes.
Serve with crusty bread.
Chicken Gnocchi Soup
Equipment
- Large soup pot
Ingredients
- 2 cooked chicken breasts cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 carrot grated
- 1 small onion diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- Small handful spinach leaves chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning blend
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 can evaporated milk or 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 package potato gnocchi
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Chop vegetables and grate the carrot. Crush garlic and chop the spinach roughly. Set aside.
- Chop the cooked chicken into bite-size pieces.
- Prepare chicken broth if using concentrate.
- In a large pot over medium high heat, add olive oil. When heated, add onion, carrot, celery, and Italian seasoning blend. Cook until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add chicken, chicken stock. Stir until well mixed. Add gnocchi and cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Add cream and spinach, and stir until spinach has wilted and soup is heated through.
- Add salt & pepper to taste.
Notes
