Slow Cooker Chicken Gnocchi Soup is a creamy chicken soup with soft potato gnocchi, carrots, celery, spinach and Parmesan. The chicken and vegetables cook low and slow in chicken stock with Italian seasoning, then the gnocchi and heavy cream go in for the last 30 minutes. It serves 8 and needs about 10 minutes of hands-on work.
How to make it: Put the chicken, carrots, onion, celery, garlic, Italian seasoning and stock in a 6-quart slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 6. Shred the chicken, add the gnocchi and cream for 30 minutes, then stir in spinach and Parmesan right before serving.
Why You’ll Love It
- Ten minutes of prep: everything goes into the slow cooker raw.
- The gnocchi cook in the soup: no separate pot to boil and drain.
- Creamy and filling: heavy cream and Parmesan make a rich broth, and the gnocchi make it hearty.
- A big batch: 8 servings from one slow cooker.
Ingredient Notes
Chicken breasts: One pound of boneless, skinless breasts, about 3. Thaw them first; frozen meat should not go into a slow cooker. Chicken thighs work too.
Carrots, onion, celery and garlic: Matchstick carrots save chopping. A diced onion, two stalks of celery and three cloves of garlic round out the base.
Italian seasoning: Three and a half tablespoons season the whole pot.
Chicken stock: Four cups. Low-sodium works if you prefer to salt it yourself at the end.
Potato gnocchi: One pound. Dried, shelf-stable gnocchi from the pasta aisle work, and so do fresh or frozen.
Heavy cream: Two cups. Half and half or evaporated milk can stand in; low-fat dairy is not a good swap here.
Spinach and Parmesan: Two cups of baby spinach and a cup and a half of shredded Parmesan, stirred in at the end. The spinach shrinks a lot, so add more if you like.
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 3, thawed
- 2 cups matchstick carrots
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 1/2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 pound potato gnocchi
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach
- 1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese, shredded
- Salt and pepper, to taste
How to Make Slow Cooker Chicken Gnocchi Soup
1. Load the slow cooker. Add the chicken, carrots, onion, celery, garlic, Italian seasoning and chicken stock to a 6-quart slow cooker.
2. Slow cook. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 6 hours, until the chicken is cooked through to 165°F.
3. Shred the chicken. About 30 minutes before serving, take out the chicken, shred it with two forks and return it to the slow cooker.
4. Add gnocchi and cream. Add the gnocchi and heavy cream, cover and cook 30 minutes more, until the gnocchi are tender.
5. Finish. Right before serving, stir in the spinach and Parmesan until the spinach wilts and the cheese melts. Taste, season with salt and pepper, and ladle into bowls.
When to Add the Gnocchi (and Do You Cook It First?)
The gnocchi go in uncooked, straight from the package, but not at the start. They join the soup near the end, once the chicken is cooked and shredded.
Timing. Add the gnocchi with the cream for the last 30 minutes of cooking. With cornstarch-thickened cream it takes 20 to 30 minutes on HIGH, and with evaporated milk 45 minutes to an hour; the gnocchi are ready when they are soft and tender all the way through.
Any kind of gnocchi. Shelf-stable gnocchi from the pasta aisle, fresh gnocchi and frozen gnocchi all cook in the soup the same way. Taste one before serving.
Thicker soup. For a thicker broth, whisk 1 tablespoon of cornstarch into the cream before it goes in. If you want it thicker still, stir in a little more cornstarch mixed with an equal amount of cool water.
Thinner soup. If it gets thicker than you like as it sits, add liquid a little at a time; a cup of water is plenty to loosen a big pot.
Greens and cheese last. Stir in the spinach and Parmesan right before serving, so the spinach just wilts and the cheese melts into the broth.
| Stage | Setting | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken, vegetables and stock | HIGH / LOW | 4 hours / 6 hours |
| Gnocchi and cream | Same setting | About 30 minutes |
| Gnocchi with cornstarch-thickened cream | HIGH | 20 to 30 minutes |
| Spinach and Parmesan | Stir in | Right before serving |
Tips for Success
Can gnocchi be cooked in a slow cooker?
Yes. Add them for the last 30 minutes or so, once the chicken is done, and cook until tender. They don’t need to be boiled first.
What’s the best broth for chicken gnocchi soup?
Chicken stock or chicken broth. Low-sodium or no-sodium-added broth lets you salt the soup to taste at the end.
Can I put frozen chicken in the slow cooker?
No. Always thaw meat before it goes into a slow cooker. Thaw the chicken in the refrigerator the day before.
Variations
- Bacon and evaporated milk: replace the cream with two 12 ounce cans of evaporated milk and 3 tablespoons of cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons of water, and cook with the gnocchi 45 minutes to 1 hour. Crisp 6 slices of bacon, sauté 2 cups of spinach with garlic in a little of the fat, and stir both in at the end.
- Chicken thighs: use 1 1/2 pounds of boneless, skinless thighs or breasts.
- Chicken pot pie gnocchi soup: at the end, stir in a sauce of 3 tablespoons butter, 4 tablespoons flour and 1 1/2 cups milk, plus 1 cup of frozen peas and the gnocchi, and cook on HIGH 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Thyme and nutmeg: season with 1 teaspoon ground thyme and a pinch of nutmeg instead of Italian seasoning.
- Vegetarian: leave out the chicken and use vegetable broth.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days, or freeze them for 3 to 4 months. Cream sauces don’t freeze well, so a frozen batch may look a little different after thawing. Thaw frozen soup in the refrigerator. Reheat it on the stove to a rolling boil, adding a splash of broth if it has thickened, and don’t reheat it in the slow cooker.
What to Serve With It
Crusty bread or cheesy Texas toast is perfect for dipping. For more cozy soups, try crack chicken soup, slow cooker lemon chicken and rice soup, million dollar soup or baked potato soup. If you love gnocchi, creamy spinach and mushroom gnocchi is a quick skillet dinner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need to cook gnocchi before putting it in soup?
No. Add uncooked gnocchi to the hot soup for the last 30 minutes in the slow cooker, until tender.
Can I use half and half instead of heavy cream?
Yes. Half and half or evaporated milk work. Low-fat dairy is not recommended.
How do I make the soup thicker?
Whisk 1 tablespoon of cornstarch into the cream before you add it, and stir in a little more cornstarch mixed with cool water if you want it thicker still.
Can I add bacon?
Yes. Crumble cooked bacon over each bowl, or stir crisp bacon into the pot at the end.
Final Notes
Set a timer for the last 30 minutes so the gnocchi and cream go in at the right moment. If you make this, tell me in the comments how it turned out.
Slow Cooker Chicken Gnocchi Soup
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Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts about 3, thawed
- 2 cups matchstick carrots
- 1 cup onion diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 1/2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 pound potato gnocchi
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach
- 1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese shredded
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the chicken, carrots, onion, celery, garlic, Italian seasoning and chicken stock to a 6-quart slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 6 hours, until the chicken is cooked through to 165°F.
- About 30 minutes before serving, take out the chicken, shred it with two forks and return it to the slow cooker.
- Add the gnocchi and heavy cream, cover and cook 30 minutes more, until the gnocchi are tender.
- Right before serving, stir in the spinach and Parmesan until the spinach wilts and the cheese melts. Taste, season with salt and pepper, and ladle into bowls.
