This Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup transforms classic chicken and dumplings into an easy to make comfort food. It’s full of nutritious, gluten-free, dairy-free ingredients and comes together with minimal prep time on the stove!
What Is Gnocchi?
Gnocchi, pronounced ‘n(y)oh-kee’ are a type of pasta consisting of soft, fat, and chewy dumplings. Traditionally, gnocchi pasta is made with semolina flour, eggs, and mashed potatoes. They’re formed into small rounds and left smooth or pressed with a fork or a gnocchi board to create ridges.
However, for this gluten-free chicken gnocchi soup recipe, we replaced standard wheat gnocchi with DeLallo’s gluten-free gnocchi! Made in Italy with a blend of potato and rice, it’s every bit as fluffy as traditional gnocchi yet is made with natural, gluten-free ingredients for a comfort food pasta option everyone can enjoy!
Chicken Gnocchi Soup ingredients
Simple wholesome ingredients you might already have in your pantry.
- Unsalted Butter or Olive oil – Feel free to use light olive oil instead for dairy free option.
- Veggies – Yellow onion, large or medium carrots, celery ribs, minced garlic, and frozen peas (optional).
Note: If you want to add even more nutrients to this recipe, feel free to stir in fresh baby spinach, too!
- Gluten-Free 1:1 Flour – Feel free to use oat flour, if preferred.
- Chicken Stock – Adjust the amount included to achieve your desired consistency. Chicken broth will also work.
- Canned Coconut Milk or Coconut Milk Lite – If dairy is tolerated, heavy cream can be substituted.
- Gluten-Free Chicken Bouillon – Technically optional, this adds a rich, savory taste.
- Skinless Chicken Thighs – Use uncooked chicken thighs. Or, opt for pre-cooked shredded chicken or rotisserie chicken instead. It’s a great way to use up leftovers and create easy chicken gnocchi soup!
Ingredient Swap: Feel free to swap out the chicken with cooked Italian sausage, ground beef, or leftover turkey from Thanksgiving instead, and add it in at the end of cooking.
- Herbs and Spices – Fresh thyme (or a teaspoon of dried thyme), Italian seasoning, cracked black pepper, kosher salt, and bay leaf.
- Store bought Gluten-Free Gnocchi – Use gluten free potato gnocchi or mini gnocchi. The regular-sized gnocchi will create bigger dumplings whereas the mini option provides bites of dumplings in every bite. Both are equally delicious!
Note: We recommend using prepacked, gluten-free gnocchi instead of homemade gnocchi for this recipe! While delicious, homemade gnocchi will begin to breakdown in the soup, creating a gummy texture.
How to Make Chicken Gnocchi Soup
There are endless variations of creamy chicken gnocchi soup, but we kept our recipe simple with just a handful of ingredients. It imitates the rich flavor and creamy texture of chicken and dumplings with a lot less work!
- Sauté the veggies. Melt the butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, swirling it around to coat it completely. Add the onion, carrots, and celery, and cook until soft. Stir in the garlic.
- Add the ingredients for the broth. Stir in the flour, and cook for another minute, coating the vegetables. Then, whisk in the coconut milk and chicken stock, and add the bouillon. Stir to remove any clumps.
- Boil. Increase the heat, bringing the liquid to a soft boil. Add the chicken and seasonings, and stir to combine.
- Simmer. Allow the soup to simmer uncovered until the chicken is cooked. Remove it from the pot, and shred it with two forks.
- Combine the remaining ingredients. Add all the ingredients to the pot, and simmer until the gnocchi are cooked, fluffy, and tender.
- Serve. Remove the bay leaf, adjust the seasonings as desired, and enjoy warm!
PRO TIP: Feel free to serve with a garnish of parmesan cheese or vegan parmesan, if desired.
Slow Cooker Option
Just sauté the veggies and add them to a slow cooker with the broth ingredients and chicken. Cover, and cook until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Then, shred it with two forks, and add it to the slow cooker with the remaining ingredients. Cover, and cook again until the gnocchi are soft and pillowy.
Storage Options
- Store: Once cooled, leftovers can be transferred to an airtight container and stored in the fridge for up to four days.
- Reheat: Place the soup back in a pot on the stove over medium heat until heated through. Add more broth as needed to thin it back out. If you’re in a pinch, you can also simply heat up a bowl of soup in the microwave, too.
A Note on Freezing: If needed, leftovers can be frozen for up to three months. However, the soup is likely to become a bit watery and the texture of the gnocchi will alter slightly.
More of Our Favorite
Comforting Soup Recipes
Creamy Chicken and Gnocchi Soup Recipe
- Total Time: 45 to 55 minutes
- Yield: 5 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Experience the ultimate comfort food experience with this gluten-free and dairy-free friendly, creamy chicken and gnocchi soup recipe!
Ingredients
- 5 Tablespoons unsalted butter or ¼ cup light olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 1–2 large carrots (100 grams), peeled and chopped (about 1 cup)
- 3 celery ribs, chopped (about 1 cup)
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 3 Tablespoons gluten free 1:1 flour (see notes)
- 3–4 cups chicken stock (4 cups for thinner consistency)
- 1 ¼ cups canned coconut milk or coconut milk light (see notes)
- 2 teaspoons gluten free chicken bouillon (optional for richer flavor)
- 12 ounces skinless chicken thighs (about 3 small thighs) or 3 cups precooked, shredded chicken
- 1 Tablespoon fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- ½–1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 package (12 to 16 ounces) store-bought gluten free potato gnocchi or mini gnocchi (see notes)
- 1 cup frozen peas (optional)
- 1 bay leaf (optional)
Instructions
- Heat a large pot over medium to medium-high heat. Melt the butter or add the oil, coating the pot.
- Add the onion, carrots and celery to the pot and stir to combine. Cook for 3-5 minutes or until the vegetables soften. Stir in the garlic and continue to cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in the flour and cook for another minute while coating the vegetables in the flour. Quickly whisk in the coconut milk and chicken stock. Add the optional bouillon and stir again to remove any clumps.
- Turn the heat up until the pot begins to reach a soft boil. Add the uncooked chicken thighs or precooked shredded chicken, thyme, Italian seasoning, black pepper, and salt. Mix to combine.
- Let the soup simmer, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes when using the uncooked chicken or 10 minutes when adding the pre-cooked shredded chicken. Make sure the chicken is cooked through before removing it from the pot to dice or shred it.
- Add the gnocchi, optional frozen peas, and the diced/shredded chicken back to the pot. Stir to combine. Place the optional bay leaf on top and let the soup simmer, covered, for 10-15 minutes or until the gnocchi is soft and pillowy and the peas are cooked.
- Remove the bay leaf. Adjust seasonings, if desired, and serve. Store the soup in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the fridge.
Notes
Storage Tips – The soup will thicken once chilled/stored. To reheat, place soup in a pot on the stove over medium heat until warmed through. Add more broth, if desired.
Substitute Tips – Gluten free 1:1 flour works best or gluten free oat flour. The regular size gnocchi will create a bigger dumpling, but just as delicious. If dairy is tolerated, heavy cream may be substituted for canned coconut milk.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 to 45 minutes
- Category: dinner
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 428
- Sugar: 5.6 g
- Sodium: 695.6 mg
- Fat: 17.4 g
- Saturated Fat: 10.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 42.8 g
- Fiber: 1.5 g
- Protein: 24.1 g
- Cholesterol: 79.8 mg
Thank you for sharing! I was able to modify this recipe to suit my food intolerances and it came out Delicious 😋 Keep up the good work and creativity! We appreciate all that you do 🥰
We are so glad you enjoyed this soup! Well done to make the necessary substitutes. Happy eating!