This Crockpot Chicken Gnocchi Soup is lusciously cream-free, comforting, and made with lots of vegetables. Perfect with crusty bread and a green salad. ♡
Crockpot Chicken Gnocchi Soup
Hello there, cozy Chicken Gnocchi Soup!
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My family has a new favorite dinner! We really loved this soup. I just made it 2 nights ago and my son is already asking me to make it again. Highest compliment ever!
Nancy
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I’m super glad to see you, sitting there in my crockpot, all creamy and delicious.
I will now put on my best sweatpants, my thickest socks, and get out my deepest bowl so I can experience the best of the end of this cozy season with you right here on my couch. Let’s do this.
In This Post: Everything You Need For Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- WATCH How to Make This Soup
- Frequently Asked Questions About Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- Ingredients You Need for Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- How to Make Chicken Gnocchi Soup
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Why This Gnocchi Soup Is So Good
This is a re-make of an old recipe that was inspired by a friend and what I love about this soup is, well, there are several things.
- It is wildly similar to the genius and ever-popular gnocchi soup from Olive Garden.
- It reminds me a little bit of the chicken wild rice soup in that we just start pretty basic with carrots, celery, onions, chicken, spices, and broth in a crockpot. And you know how I love me some chicken wild rice soup slash any soup in a crockpot. Minnesota represent!
- Unlike the wild rice soup, this chicken gnocchi soup is made thick by evaporated milk and a quick cornstarch slurry. So if you’re looking for thick and creamy soup while avoiding the butter/flour/cream route of a roux base, this is your magic. ✨
- GNOCCHI. Those tiny dumplings of happy feelings that are mixed in throughout the chicken gnocchi soup make the whole thing come together. Every time I make this soup, Bjork a) raves, and b) talks for at least 5 minutes about how much he loves “the dumplings.” I could almost actually call this Chicken and Dumpling soup except the Chicken and Dumpling soup of my youth (a Herman’s bakery special in Cambridge, MN) had approximately zero vegetables and was practically untouchable in its level of homey perfection, so I will not go there. Let’s just give ourselves a pat on the back for the carrots, celery, and sautéed garlic spinach that are present at this soup party. And the bacon. I always invite the bacon.
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Crockpot Chicken Gnocchi Soup: Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to use evaporated milk?
You can use something other than evaporated milk, but I found that evaporated milk has the creaminess of half and half or heavy whipping cream without actually needing to use up a bunch of half and half in the soup.
My soup leftovers seem less soupy and more thick. What should I do?
The leftovers soak up a lot of the moisture because of the gnocchi, so you might need to add more evaporated milk depending on how soupy you want it and/or how long you’ll be keeping it around.
Can I make this with dairy-free milk?
It won’t be as creamy with a dairy-free milk, but it should still work. We’d recommend unsweetened almond milk or canned coconut milk and adding an additional tablespoon of cornstarch to the soup.
Can I make this soup in the Instant Pot?
Yes! We like this one*. Add the chicken, mirepoix, basil, Italian seasoning, poultry seasoning, salt, and broth to the Instant Pot. Cook for 20 minutes on high pressure. Let out the steam using quick release. Remove the chicken to shred and then add it back to the pot. Stir in the cornstarch mixture, evaporated milk, and gnocchi. Use the “Saute” function to simmer the soup for another 20 minutes or so to thicken it all up. Add in the bacon and spinach, and stir to combine.
Can you freeze this soup?
Honestly, I’ve never had a ton of luck with freezing soups that have dairy. I’d probably skip freezing this one!
How do you know when the gnocchi is cooked?
The almost one hour of time that it sits in the soup should do the trick, but if you want to be sure, I’d recommend just taking out one of the gnocchi and cutting it down the middle to ensure it’s cooked and tender.
How Do You Make Gnocchi?
To me, crockpot chicken gnocchi soup means something that can be quickly and easily tossed together and tastes best when using good, quality ingredients.
If I don’t just *happen* to have some fresh homemade gnocchi laying around (which hello, like, NEVER HAPPENS, because homemade gnocchi disappears in five seconds flat around here), then store-bought gnocchi it is. Those savory fluffy little bites of airy perfection cook up just right when stirred in at the end of cook time for this soup.
Other Ingredients You’ll Need For This Soup
We’ve already covered the ever-convenient storebought gnocchi, but here’s what else you need to make this soup happen:
- Chicken
- Mirepoix (carrots, celery, onion)
- Seasonings
- Chicken broth
- Evaporated milk (trust me)
- Garlic
- Spinach
- And BACON (yes, yes, yes)
How To Make Chicken Gnocchi Soup
There are only three steps here. THREE. You can do this.
- Add it all to the crockpot: Place the chicken, mirepoix, basil, Italian seasoning, poultry seasoning, salt, and chicken broth in a crockpot or slow cooker to cook. You’ll even shred your chicken right in the crockpot after cooking.
- Thicken the soup: Add the evaporated milk, cornstarch, and gnocchi, and stir. This is how you’ll cook your gnocchi – no extra pot needed!
- Crisp up your bacon: The BEST PART. Crisp it up, then add the spinach and garlic, and add it to the soup. Stir it all up and your done.
So easy, so good. Serve it with a delicious little green salad and you’re in dinner business.
Perfect For a Meal Delivery
I could totally see this chicken gnocchi soup being a great bring-to-a-new-mom-or-sick-friend type of meal. It’s easy to throw together, it’s got that basic-yummy flavor that families love, there’s some redeeming vegetables in with all that creamy awesomeness, it saves well in the fridge or freezer… win, win, win, all around.
I have brought it to a few friends with a loaf of the Miracle No-Knead Bread and the bread + the chicken gnocchi soup combo get rave reviews every time.
Match made in heaven, I’d say.
This recipe was adapted from Jessica’s version – she introduced me to the genius of using evaporated milk!
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Crockpot Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- Total Time: 8 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 8–10 1x
Description
This Crockpot Chicken Gnocchi Soup is lusciously cream-free, comforting, and made with lots of vegetables. Perfect with crusty bread and a green salad. ♡
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 2 cups mirepoix (just a simple mixture of chopped onions, celery, and carrots)
- 1–2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1–2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
- two 12 ounce cans evaporated milk
- two 1 lb. packages gnocchi (about 4 cups)
- 6 slices bacon
- 2–3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach
Instructions
- Place the chicken, mirepoix, basil, Italian seasoning, poultry seasoning, salt, and broth in a crockpot or slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 6-8 hours. Shred the chicken directly in the crockpot.
- Add the cornstarch mixture, evaporated milk, and gnocchi. Stir and replace cover. Cook another 45 minutes – 1 hour until the soup has thickened and the gnocchi has softened.
- While the soup is thickening, cut the bacon into small pieces and fry until crispy. Drain on paper towels and wipe most of the bacon grease out of the pan, leaving just a little bit for the spinach/garlic. Add the garlic and saute for one minute. Add the spinach and stir until wilted. Remove from heat. Add the bacon and spinach to the crockpot. Stir to combine.
- Add any additional liquid as needed (I added about a cup of water once it started to thicken) and season again with salt and pepper as needed.
Equipment
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Notes
Be sure to taste and adjust with salt/pepper before serving. It may need more depending on the saltiness of your broth.
Instant Pot Instructions: Add the chicken, mirepoix, basil, Italian seasoning, poultry seasoning, salt, and broth to the Instant Pot. Cook for 20 minutes on high pressure. Let out the steam using quick release. Remove the chicken to shred, and then add it back to the pot. Stir in the cornstarch mixture, evaporated milk, and gnocchi. Then, use the “Saute” function to simmer the soup for another 20 minutes or so to thicken it all up. Add in the bacon and spinach, and stir to combine.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: crockpot soup, gnocchi soup, chicken gnocchi, slow cooker soup, easy gnocchi soup
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One More Thing!
This recipe is part of our all-star slow cooker recipes page. Check it out!
Filed Under: All Recipes Bacon Carrot Dinner Main Dishes Meat and Chicken Most Popular Pasta Quick and Easy Slow Cooker Soups Spinach Spring Stovetop Sugar-Free
April 9, 2021
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I’m Lindsay and I ♡ FOOD. I used to be a teacher, and now making food and writing about it online is my full-time job. I love talking with people about food, and I'm so glad you're here.
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This is one of the best and easiest recipes I’ve made in a while! I used heavy cream/milk instead of evaporated milk. I also used tortellini instead of gnocchi. I didn’t have poultry seasoning but used a dried herbal blend (from my neighbor’s garden). I will be adding this into bi-weekly rotation for the winter. Perfect!
Has anyone tried replacing evaporated milk with coconut milk for a dairy free option?
Hey Abby, I do that all the time with recipes. My husband was DF for years, so canned coconut milk is my go-to. Experiment with brands, because the Trader Joe’s canned coconut milk is very coconuty, but Sprouts’ coconut cream has zero coconut taste to it. I skipped the evaporated milk because the carrageenan in it kind of sketches me out. This was great with coconut milk instead. 🙂
In Step 2, do you “Cook another 45 minutes – 1 hour” on high or on low? I don’t want to overcook the gnocchi but also not have it be ready on time.
I’d cook on high! Enjoy!
I made this last night and it was delicious! I thought the soup was well seasoned and thick enough. I will be making it again!
I think this might be our new favorite soup for the winter! My kids are usually really picky eaters so the fact that they went back for seconds was so great. Thanks for sharing!
This is like SOS dinner copycat for creamy chicken dumpling soup! It was super easy in my instant pot, I used homemade bone broth, and the gnocchi filled super hungry teenage bellies! Great comfort meal for the winter. This will be a rotating regular on weekly soup nights!
“Love this recipe! The flavors are amazing, and the step-by-step instructions make it so easy to follow. Can’t wait to try it!”
This might be my new favorite soup. I used half milk and half heavy cream instead of evaporated milk, 4 cloves of my own homegrown garlic, and next time I will use an extra cup of mirepoix because I like the veggies, but mmmmmm. Restaurant quality. Thank you.
This recipe was so delicious and I have fallen in love with it. This is going in my cook book and I will make it for the rest of my life (dramatic I know but a good soup stays with the soul)
This one left a little to be desired, unfortunately. The seasonings are excessive, in my opinion. I also think heavy cream would be better than evaporated milk. Also, for some reason, the carrots never softened so I kept getting a crunch texture that was off-putting. No, I did NOT leave them large but also would expect that long of cooking to have softened them more.
Will the 2x recipe fit in a 6 quart crockpot?
Unfortunately not! One batch of this already makes the crockpot pretty full!
!!!!!!!!!
So I have an issue. This is my first time making it and I added the evaporated milk and cornstarch mixture in first. Did I totally mess it up?? Can I still cook it??
How did it go?
This was excellent.
This recipe was really good and super easy, but not as tasty as I was hoping. Personally, I added celery salt, a splash of hot sauce, and a small bit of cheese and it made it so much better!
Fancy soup with such ease! I accidentally read tablespoon instead of teaspoon for basil and Italian seasoning but it turned out just fine. It was totally devoured at our Lenten soup supper at church. I don’t feel like it’s like the Olive Garden one as others suggested but it is super tasty and easy and yummyful!
I have always loved the soup at Olive Garden and wanted an easy way to make it for myself. I made this recipe and “Wow!” It was so warm and comforting, like a “hug in a bowl” since I made it during our subzero temps in the mid south. My family loved it too! And I found a good way to reheat this soup one bowl at a time in the microwave. Just put the bowl in for 7 minutes on half power (which is on 5). It turns out perfect!
Wonderful dish! The only thing I’d change is how you finish it. I didn’t find that an extra hour in the crockpot at end thickened the broth enough, so I took about half out and thickened separately on the stove with corn starch instead.
I saw a few negative reviews and almost didn’t make it but I’m so glad I did! It’s absolutely delicious and, while it has an essence of American chicken stew, because well, it’s chicken stew, the Italian seasonings give it an awesome flavor that’s just different enough.
I’ve seen a couple negative reviews so I figured I’d leave my own. I started making this a year or so ago and it’s a constant in our fall/winter meal rotation, we love it! I do leave out the bacon most of the time just by preference but it’s a great recipe!
Hi! Do you think this would work in the slow cooker with chicken thighs, or do you think they’d fall apart too much?
Loooove this recipe! This soup is amazing. Any idea how I can make this a 2 serving soup in a pot on the stove?
Can this be made without the chicken or bacon without compromising too much of the flavor?
You could try it! I would probably reduce the liquid by a little bit since there’s less volume with ingredients, or replace with chicken with something like chickpeas or white beans to bulk it up.
The crockpot chicken gnocchi soup was awesome! I fed five people and needed more! So tasty.
Delicious, hearty, forgiving soup recipe. I used 1.5-2 times the amounts of all the ingredients except the broth and gnocchi and replaced the cornstarch/evap. milk with 2 cups of water. Served with crusty bread. Very flavorful and filling.
I don’t normally comment on recipes, but felt like I should since this one unfortunately fell flat for us. I followed all instructions to a T and used the max seasonings, but it still turned out quite bland for us. We sprinkled mozzarella on ours to make it a bit more edible.. it helped slightly.
Your family must eat heavy amount of Chile based foods, anyone reading should pay no mind to this comment.
I agree with Trent. It’s so flavorful and delicious. I didn’t change a thing. There are always variables, like the quality of your ingredients, the freshness of your herbs. (check the date). I was going to bake at 2 different friends and my DIL’s house. Two of them had baking powder that was years past it’s expiration date, and my DIL had ancient baking soda. Probably explains why my fool-proof pancakes were flat the last time she made them!
I made this recipe several weeks ago and it was delicious, will be making again this week! Just wondering if this soup would do ok in the freezer?