Hello there, end-of-winter lover!
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.
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 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.
About The 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.
Please Bring This To All Your Friends
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!
More Creamy Soups That You Need Right Now
- Basic + Awesome Broccoli Cheese Soup (a perfect cozy classic)
- Ang’s Creamy Tortellini Soup (rich, creamy, and so yummy!)
- 5 Ingredient Cheesy Cauliflower Soup with Kale Pesto (easy, cheesy yum in a bowl)
- Lemon Chicken Soup with Orzo (a creamy cream-less soup wonder)
Watch How To Make This Recipe
Common Questions About This Crockpot Chicken Gnocchi Soup
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.
The leftovers soak up a lot of the moisture, 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.
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.
Yes! 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.
Crockpot Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours
- 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
- 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
- 5 ounces 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.
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: crockpot soup, gnocchi soup, chicken gnocchi, slow cooker soup, easy gnocchi soup
One More Thing!
This recipe is part of our all-star slow cooker recipes page. Check it out!
We’re loving trying out all of your great recipes – this is SUPER tasty – and one of our new faves! Thanks so much for sharing. We tried a scallop version too – adding them to the broth after pan frying. Delicious!
Thank you
Hi, just about to start making your soup. I don’t have poultry seasoning. Can I use another spice or can I just omit it from the recipe?
You could use thyme, rosemary, sage (or any combination of the three) in its place! Or simply omit!
I read your Gnocchi Soup recipe on 17th march and today I tried this it was aammmmaaaazzzinggg I love soo much my mother and sister gone crazy soo much love from India
THANKS FOR SHARING WITH US
This soup is AMAZING! My husband and I both loved it, as did our 3 year old daughter. It’s so creamy, but not heavy at all because you use evaporated milk instead of heavy cream. Absolutely delicious. I did the first batch of cooking on LOW for about 4 hours (my crock pot tends to get overheated) and it was perfect. I also added a bit extra bacon. Because… bacon. This is a new favorite that I’ll make all through the fall and winter!
Extra bacon is always a good idea! So glad it was a hit with your family!
Excited to try and make this! Just one quick question: I know the recipe says it serves 10. What is a serving size? TIA!
Hi Tara! We’d estimate the serving size to be around 1 1/2 cups.
Question (2, actually): Can i make this full through to completion and then leave on warm for a couple hours, do you think? Wanted to make before leaving for sports. Since you add the milk and gnocchi in and need 45 more min, trying to figure out if i can make this work. 2nd question/comment – trying to view/read on iPhone is PAINFUL! The page just keeps leaping back to the top every time a new add pops up. Is there anything that can be done? Thx!
Yes, you can keep this warm for a couple hours after cooking! And thank you for the user experience feedback. I will definitely pass it along to the team so they can troubleshoot.
delicious recipe ~ can leftovers be frozen?
Hi Denise! You can freeze the leftovers, but since this is a creamy soup, the texture might be a bit grainy the second time around.
What would be the best way to defrost the soup if frozen?
We suggest popping it in the refrigerator to defrost!
That soup was so amazing!!!
Thank you!
Glad to hear it!
Making this right now and it’s super runny. What else can I do to make it thicker?
We’d suggest adding another tablespoon of cornstarch dissolved in a tablespoon of water.
Can I use frozen gnocchi?
Yes, we think frozen gnocchi will work!
Made this soup last night! It’s just me an my partner, so I actually halved the soup recipe and it made plenty for dinner for 2 and lunch tomorrow for us both as well! It’s SO GOOD and nice to have a crockpot recipe that doesn’t taste like just, all the same thing.
We used sweet potato gnocci that we found at the store. It was Gluten Free (we are not gluten free) and it was okay. I think I’ll try again but with regular Gnocci.
Thanks for reporting back, Sarah! So glad you both enjoyed it!
Hi! Which size of Crockpot is the recipe made for?
We’d recommend a 7 quart or larger!
I have a 6 qt crock pot and I halved the recipe and it fit fine, might be pretty full if I did the whole thing but cooking on low it doesn’t bubble like crazy or anything.
Lindsay this soup is seriously so delicious. I made my own poultry seasoning as we don’t get it in Australia. I looked at other recipes & they only added 1 herb in so I made yours. It is heaven in a bowl & the whole family loved it. Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed the soup, Simone!
Oops! I meant to add in my previous post that I made it in the Instant Pot. Thanks for supplying additional instructions.
I made this exactly as directed and it was WONDERFUL. I’ll be back for more recipes. Thanks!
We love hearing this, Carol! Thanks for the comment!
We also combined tortellini and gnocchi.
This recipe was fantastic. We ended up putting it in a pot and bringing to a simmer. It wasn’t thickening in the crock pot. After bringing it to a simmer it was perfect. We will definitely be making this again. Thanks so much, Alan
So glad to hear it, Alan! Thanks for the comment!
Looks so good! Can’t wait to try it! Do you think coconut milk would be a good dairy free alternative?
Can confirm, I made this with unsweetened/canned coconut milk and its absolutely fantastic. Definitely needed a little extra corn starch but it thickened up well. No hint of coconut in the taste at all!
Awesome, Michelle! So glad it worked out!
We think it’d be a great option! Let us know how it goes!
I love gnocchi and this recipe looks amazing! I love that it can be made in the crockpot. Can it also go in the Instapot?
How would you adjust cooking time/recipe with an instant pot?
Hi Karen! We just updated the recipe card and FAQ section with Instant Pot instructions. Enjoy!
Looks delicious – but do you cut up the chicken breasts and if yes, recommended size, please?
We add the whole breasts to the crockpot and then shred. Enjoy!
Quick question, could I use cauliflower gnocchi for this? Would the cooking times vary? Thanks!
Great question! We haven’t tested this soup using cauliflower gnocchi, but we think it’s worth at try. I’d be inclined to crisp up the gnocchi on the stovetop or in the oven first, so it doesn’t break down and become mushy as it sits in the hot creamy soup base. If you give it a try, we’d love to know how it goes!
Any chance this could be made in the instant pot?
Yes! We just updated the recipe card and FAQ section with Instant Pot instructions. Enjoy!
This is the best soup I’ve ever made. I make it all the time, it’s my favorite. However 2 lbs of gnocchi is way too much, ive found that 1 lb is perfect.