Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup: Crock Pot Recipe
Craving a warm, creamy, and totally satisfying soup recipe that's made with minimal effort? This Crockpot Chicken Gnocchi Soup is just the ticket! Made with tender chicken, pillowy gnocchi, creamy white beans, flavorful vegetables, and the convenience of your slow cooker, this chicken and gnocchi soup delivers maximum cozy flavor with very little preparation.
Equipment
- 1 crockpot or slow cooker
Ingredients
- 1 pound Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts – cut into 1-inch dice
- 1 small Yellow Onion – peeled and diced
- 2 whole Carrots - peeled and diced (about 1 1/3 cup)
- 3-4 cloves Garlic – minced
- 1 whole Parmesan Rind (optional)
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can Diced Tomatoes
- 4 Cups Chicken Broth (substitute: chicken stock or veggie broth) (SEE NOTES)
- 1 TBS Italian Seasoning
- 2 tsp Dried Basil
- 1/2 - 1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper Flakes - to taste
- 1 ½ tsp Kosher Salt
- ½ tsp Ground Black Pepper
- 2 (12 ounce) cans Evaporated Milk
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can White Beans – drained and rinsed
- ¼ Cup Cornstarch – dissolved in 2 TBS of Water
- 1 (16 ounce) package Mini Potato Gnocchi
- 4 ounces Fresh Baby Spinach - stemmed (about 3 cups, packed)
- ¼ Cup Parmesan Cheese – freshly grated, or more to taste
- Optional for Serving: Lemon Wedges, Fresh Parsley or Basil; Crusty Bread
Instructions
- Start the Soup in the Crock Pot: Place the died chicken, onion, carrots, garlic, parmesan rind (if using), tomatoes, broth, Italian seasoning, basil, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper into the bowl a slow cooker or crockpot. Use a wooden kitchen spoon and give everything a good stir to thoroughly combine the ingredients.
- Cover and Slow Cook: Cover the crockpot and cook or LOW for 3 ½ - 4 ½ hours. (Note 1: You aren't cooking the chicken fully through. It will continue to cook in the next steps.) (Note 2: I recommend cooking the soup on low for the best results. However, if you are in a pinch you can cook on HIGH for 1 ½ - 2 ½ hours.)
- Add Evaporated Milk, White Beans, and Cornstarch Slurry: Uncover the slow cooker and pour in the evaporated milk, white beans and cornstarch (dissolved in water) to the slow cooker. Use a wooden spoon and stir well to thoroughly combine all the ingredients. Cover the crockpot and cook on HIGH for 30 minutes, or until the soup is slightly thickened.
- Add the Gnocchi: Uncover the crock pot and dump in the dry gnocchi. Cover and continue to cook on HIGH for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the gnocchi are just softened.
- Stir in the Spinach: Uncover the slow cooker and add the spinach. Cover the slow cooker and cook until spinach is just wilted, about 5-10 minutes.Uncover the crockpot and use a spoon to taste the soup. Adjust the soup for seasoning with salt and pepper for overall flavor and specific ingredients for specific flavor.
- Garnish and Serve Chicken and Gnocchi Soup: Use a ladle to portion the soup into warm soup bowls. Garnish the top with the fresh parmesan, a sprinkle of fresh herbs to taste, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Chicken: You can use boneless skinless chicken thighs instead chicken breasts if you prefer more flavor. Just make sure you cut the chicken into bite size cubes and please note you may need to increase the cooking time.
- Broth: You can either use chicken bouillon, chicken broth, chicken stock, or veggie broth in this recipe. I like to use chicken bouillon since it has more flavor than chicken broth. However, if you're looking for a viscous soup, you may want to consider using chicken stock.
- Evaporated Milk: I personally like to use evaporated milk to make this soup as saves a few calories. However, if you're looking for a super creamy, thick soup, I recommend swapping in half-and-half or heavy cream.
- Spinach: If spinach isn’t your thing, kale is a delicious substitution.
- Reheating: While this soup reheats well, the gnocchi will soak up a good amount of the liquid during storage. Therefore you may need to add more evaporated milk (or half-and-half or heavy cream depending on what you used in the soup) when reheating. The amount of liquid you add will depend entirely on how much soup you are reheating and how “soupy” of a consistency you are looking for.
-
Need to Scale the Recipe? Hover your mouse over the number of servings in the recipe card. You'll see a sliding scale pop up, you can use that to scale the recipe up or down as needed.
-
Got questions? I've got answers! If you ever run into an issue, have a question, or need any clarification - please feel free to drop them in the comments section. I'm happy to help when I can!
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and the nutrition facts are an estimate based upon 8 servings. Exact information will depend upon the brands of ingredients and precise measurements used.
Nutrition
Calories: 112kcal Carbohydrates: 7g Protein: 15g Fat: 3g Saturated Fat: 1g Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g Monounsaturated Fat: 1g Trans Fat: 0.01g Cholesterol: 41mg Sodium: 1005mg Potassium: 352mg Fiber: 1g Sugar: 1g Vitamin A: 1467IU Vitamin C: 6mg Calcium: 82mg Iron: 1mg