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This delicious soup is a clever crossover between your favourite creamy gnocchi pasta and a soothing and comforting chicken noodle soup. The best of two worlds!
We need more gnocchi in our lives! Readers love my Chorizo Gnocchi recipe, incredibly creamy with a fresh hit from sun-dried tomatoes!
When I asked you, my readers, what recipes you want to see this year, so many of you replied with a “soup”! I am so pleased to hear it as soup is definitely the language of my heart.
I grew up eating it daily and often crave a steaming bowl of soup on a bitterly cold day. The rest of family is divided on the soup situation.
However, this creamy chicken bacon gnocchi soup has all of us on board! Hearty, creamy and packed with flavour, it’s easy to see why!
Creamy Soup Recipes
If you have a soup hater in your family, entice them with a cream based soup.
This Instant Pot Creamy Potato Soup topped with bacon and green onions will surely please even the pickiest of eaters. Or try our Cream of Broccoli Soup with Smoked Gouda.
However, my favourite will remain a thick and luscious homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup.
But This is an affiliate link.gnocchi doesn’t need to be in a creamy soup. My Sausage Gnocchi Soup with ‘Nduja is incredibly satisfying, and based around a rich tomato broth.
Chicken and Gnocchi Soup
Gnocchi have a long history in Italy, but perhaps not quite as long as you think. Since potatoes didn’t make a real dent in European cuisine until the 17th century, the original gnocchi were made with flour and breadcrumbs.
They are still made across Italy with a wide range of base ingredients. But it is potato gnocchi we know and love so much today.
Hearty and chewy gnocchi are traditionally made into sauces, especially tomato sauces, although I’ve enjoyed Sausage Gnocchi in Romesco Sauce. But they are also brilliant in a soup, where they do the same job as a dumpling.
They can make a simple soup into something very filling. In fact, I think they add enough heft to a soup to make this into a satisfying dinner option. As an added bonus, they release starch as they cook, increasing the creaminess of the soup.
It’s worth noting that we can’t assume all gnocchi are gluten-free. Although they are primarily made with potatoes, some wheat flour has traditionally be included. Fortunately, it’s becoming easier to find gnocchi without gluten, just make sure you take a close look at the package.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- The chicken and gnocchi soup uses heavy cream and roux, a butter and flour mixture, to thicken it as well as potato This is an affiliate link.gnocchi, which release their starch into the soup as they cook.
- You can use single cream, half and half or even whole milk if you are after reducing calories. Personally, I would just choose a broth based soup like my Italian Wedding Soup instead. I say use double or single cream or go home!
- My biggest tip it to use fresh vegetables instead of a frozen mix for the base of your soup. So much flavour comes from those. You will also appreciate the texture in the finished product so much more!
- I’ve used raw chicken breasts but you can use leftover chicken for this soup as well. Or even smoked sausage like kielbasa would work here.
- Fresh or frozen gnocchi will work equally well in this soup. You can see in the photos that I used a frozen variety, which do not need to be thawed before cooking. Both cook very quickly. You can also replace gnocchi with short pasta like This is an affiliate link.shells, This is an affiliate link.bowties or This is an affiliate link.elbow macaroni.
Serving suggestions
This recipe produces a very thick and chunky soup that is a creamy pasta and soup rolled into one. It is definitely suitable a main course for dinner or just have a smaller portion for lunch!
It’ll stand well on its own with no need to work hard on side dishes, but a piece of chunky Sourdough or Rye Bread will always go well!
And of course, soup and sandwich are made to be together. Try a focaccia sandwich to keep your meal on an Italian theme!
Storage and leftovers
I love to make extra soup so I can have lunch ready to go for a few days. This one will keep for 3-4 days in your fridge. Or if you want it for longer, leave the gnocchi out and freeze for up to 4 months.
If you do freeze extra soup, let it thaw overnight in your fridge. And when it’s time to heat it up again, bring the soup back to a boil in a This is an affiliate link.saucepan, adding gnocchi as per package instructions.
More Cozy Soup Recipes
- Yellow Split Pea and Ham Soup
- Chicken and Dumpling Soup
- Roasted Squash and Sweet Potato Soup
- Chicken Vegetable Soup
- Creamy Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup
Creamy Chicken Bacon Gnocchi Soup
Ingredients
- 100g/4-5 strips bacon, chopped
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 carrots, sliced
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1.5 litres/6 cups This is an affiliate link.chicken stock
- 3 (700g/1½ lbs) boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ½ kg/1 lbs This is an affiliate link.gnocchi, fresh or frozen
- 100g/ 3 cups kale , chopped
- 125ml/1/2 cup double/heavy cream
- 3 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp flour
Instructions
- Cook the bacon until the fat is rendered, discard all fat but 2 tbsp. To the same pot with bacon add chopped onions, carrots and celery and thyme and sauté over low heat for 5 minutes, then add garlic and cook for 30 seconds longer.
- Pour in the chicken stock, stir to combine. Add the chicken breasts and a pinch of salt,cook for 30-35 minutes, then take the chicken out, shred and return back to the pot. Add the gnocchi and kale or spinach. Cook for 3 minutes, then add in the cream.
- To make the roux, which will thicken the soup, mix the melted butter with flour, then stir into the soup, allow it to simmer for a couple of minutes until the soup thickens. Season with salt to taste.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is really good! I love how comforting it is! Everyone at my house really enjoyed this meal!
I LOVE gnocchi, but I’m often flummoxed on what exactly to do with it other than to serve it with a cheesy sauce. This is fantastic! Love the addition on kale and carrots in a creamy broth! YUM!
Thanks so much, Betsy!! My next challenge is to develop a recipe with pan fried gnocchi. I think it will be delicious too! 🙂
You had me at bacon! lol 🙂 This soup looks amazing and super easy to make!