Chicken Marsala Gnocchi Soup
Creamy Chicken Marsala Gnocchi Soup is rich and hearty, packed with chicken, mushrooms, fluffy gnocchi, with the tang of Marsala wine. Grab your crusty bread and you have a comforting meal that feels elegant.
The rich broth is all due to the star: Marsala wine. Add aromatics like onion, garlic, and herbs, plus the mushrooms and chicken make for an umami-forward, delicious soup.
You can make this Chicken Marsala Gnocchi soup in about 30 minutes! Make it even faster by using pre-cooked chicken, such as leftovers or a rotisserie chicken, and you’ve reduced your cooking time by a significant amount.
Let’s talk about the ingredients for Chicken Marsala Gnocchi Soup
Marsala – Marsala wine is a fortified wine from Italy. There are several different levels of sweetness; I like to use the off-dry, or slightly sweet, version for this soup. It adds body, richness, and a beautiful tang. Can’t find it? You could substitute sherry, but get the best one you can afford because the cheap ones are terrible! Another substitute: Port.
Chicken – Bite-size chunks of chicken breast are the delicious protein in the soup. You can substitute chicken thighs if you like. To save time, you can use pre-cooked chicken such as a rotisserie chicken, shredded into pieces.
Mushrooms — Mushrooms are so comforting in soup! Plus they bring their earthy umami flavour. I’ve used your typical white button mushrooms here, but if you’d like to try something different, you can slice up Portobello mushrooms.
Aromatics – The aromatics in this soup are onion, garlic, and Italian seasoning. You can make your own Italian seasoning (recipe here) so you can adjust the seasonings if you like. Sometimes, you can find fresh herbs bundled as “Italian seasoning” in the grocery store and if you choose to go the fresh herb route — good on you! Use one tablespoon of each, chopped.
Chicken stock – Chicken stock is the base for the soup. I would not substitute anything else as I feel chicken stock is the perfect backdrop for the other ingredients.
Gnocchi — Pillowy potato gnocchi is my favourite “noodle” for this soup. It cooks fast and freezes well if you are meal prepping. If you don’t like gnocchi or can’t find it, I would substitute egg noodles added near the end of cooking — BUT — noodles don’t freeze well so if you are freezing the leftovers, I would leave out the noodles and add them when you reheat the soup from frozen.
Spinach – Tender, baby spinach adds that touch of green and you can tell yourself it’s the healthy part of the soup!
Can I freeze Chicken Marsala Gnocchi Soup
Yes! I often freeze individual portions of soup in zip to freezer-safe bags. Freezing the soup this way takes up little space and is so easy to grab for a work lunch.
Gnocchi stands up to freezing well. If you’re using noodles as a substitute, I would leave out the noodles when cooking the soup and add them when reheating the soup after freezing.
Chicken Marsala Gnocchi Soup
Equipment
- Large soup pot
- Knife & cutting board
- Garlic press or grater
Ingredients
- 450 g Chicken breast boneless, skinless, cut into bite-size pieces, about 1 lb or 2 large pieces
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- 60 ml olive oil 2 tablespoons, divided
- 28 g butter 2 tablespoons, divided
- ½ large onion diced
- 300 g white mushrooms about 10 oz, cleaned & sliced
- 3 cloves garlic crushed or grated
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning blend or 1 tsp each dried thyme, rosemary, and marjoram
- 125 ml Marsala wine ½ cup
- 1 litre chicken broth 4 cups
- 30 ml Balsamic vinegar 1 tablespoon
- 500 g package potato gnocchi about 16 oz
- 125 ml heavy cream ½ cup
- Handful fresh baby spinach roughly chopped
For garnish
- Fresh thyme
- Fresh parsley
Optional garnish
- Balsamic glaze
Instructions
- Cut chicken breasts into bite-size pieces. Season with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
- In a large soup pot over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil. When heated, add chicken and cook until golden, about 5-8 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside.
- Add the remaining butter and olive oil. When heated, add onion and mushrooms, and cook until the onion starts to soften, about 3-5 minutes.
- Add garlic and Italian seasoning, and stir until fragrant, about a minute.
- Add Marsala wine and stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to release all the browned bits (that’s flavour!) — about a minute.
- Add back the cooked chicken, chicken stock, balsamic vinegar, and gnocchi. Cook at a gentle, bubbling simmer until the gnocchi is fully cooked, about 8-10 minutes.
- Add cream and spinach, and stir until the cream is heated and spinach has wilted, about 5 minutes. Taste the soup, and add additional salt & pepper to taste, if necessary.
- Serve garnished with fresh, chopped parsley and thyme leaves. Optionally, you can add a drizzle of balsamic glaze. Don’t forget the crusty bread for dipping!