Million Dollar Soup is a creamy chicken soup with bacon, soft potato gnocchi, cheddar and a cup of heavy cream, and it tastes about as rich as the name suggests. It is also a weeknight pot: 15 minutes of chopping, 30 minutes on the stove, and dinner for 8.
How to make Million Dollar Soup: soften onion, celery and fennel in butter and olive oil for 5 to 6 minutes, splash in white wine, stir in a little flour, then whisk in the chicken stock and simmer it covered for 10 minutes. Add cooked chicken and gnocchi and simmer 3 to 4 minutes, just until the gnocchi float. Turn the heat to low, melt in the cheddar a handful at a time, then stir in warmed cream that you have tempered with a ladle of hot soup.
Why You’ll Love It
- 45 minutes, start to finish — 15 minutes of prep and 30 on the stove.
- Leftover chicken welcome — rotisserie or leftover chicken breast is exactly what it wants.
- Rich without fuss — the only real trick is the order at the end: gnocchi, then cheese, then cream.
- Feeds a crowd — 8 servings from one Dutch oven.
Ingredient Notes
Potato gnocchi. Grab the shelf-stable package from the pasta aisle, 8 ounces. Fresh gnocchi can overcook quickly, and this soup does not give them much room for error.
Fennel. Yes, fennel. Half a cup of thinly sliced bulb goes in with the onion and celery.
Cheddar. You need 2 1/2 cups, and I shred it from a block. Pre-shredded cheese has anti-caking agents that can make the soup gritty, which is a sad thing to discover after you have stirred in all 2 1/2 cups. Colby Jack works too.
Heavy whipping cream. One cup, warmed before it goes in. More on that below, because it matters.
Bacon. Six slices, cooked and crumbled. Half goes into the pot and half goes on top, so everybody gets some crunch.
Soy sauce and cayenne. A tablespoon of soy sauce and 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne. Small amounts. I would not leave them out.
Greens. Chopped spinach is the easy choice. Kale works in the same 3-cup amount.
Chicken. Two cups of cooked chicken breast, shredded or chopped. If you cook it yourself, cook it to 165°F.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced fennel bulb
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste at the end
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 cups cooked chicken breast, shredded or chopped (rotisserie or leftover chicken works)
- 8 ounces potato gnocchi, shelf-stable package
- 3 cups chopped fresh spinach, or 3 cups chopped kale
- 6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled, divided
- 2 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded from a block
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream, warmed
- Green onions, sliced, for garnish
How to Make Million Dollar Soup
1. Soften the vegetables. Melt the butter with the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and fennel and cook 5 to 6 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds.
2. Add the wine and flour. Pour in the wine and scrape up the browned bits. Simmer 2 to 3 minutes, until mostly gone. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir for 1 minute.
3. Build the broth. Pour in 1 cup of the stock, whisking until smooth, then whisk in the rest a little at a time. Add the soy sauce, salt, thyme, black pepper and cayenne. Cover and simmer 10 minutes.
4. Add chicken and gnocchi last. Stir in the chicken and gnocchi. Simmer uncovered 3 to 4 minutes, just until the gnocchi float. Stir in the spinach and half the bacon and cook until the spinach wilts.
5. Melt in the cheese on low. Turn the heat to low. Add the cheddar a handful at a time, stirring until each handful melts before adding the next.
6. Temper and add the cream. Whisk a ladle of the hot soup into the warmed cream in a bowl. Pour the cream slowly into the pot, stirring the whole time. Keep the heat on low and stir gently until hot.
7. Season and serve. Taste and add salt if needed. Serve right away, topped with the rest of the bacon and the green onions.
Keep the Cheese and Cream Smooth
All the dairy goes in at the very end, after the gnocchi, in a set order. This is the part worth slowing down for.
Turn the heat to low first. Before any cheese touches the pot, drop the burner to low. Low heat keeps the soup from curdling or scorching on the bottom.
Cheese before cream, a handful at a time. Add the cheddar in small handfuls and let each one melt before the next goes in. Dumping it all at once is tempting. Resist.
Warm the cream, then temper it. Put the warmed cream in a bowl, whisk in a ladle of the hot soup, then pour it slowly back into the pot while you stir. Tempering keeps the cream from curdling, and it takes about as long as reading this sentence.
Shred from a block. Pre-shredded cheese can turn the soup grainy.
| Step | Heat | Done when |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken and gnocchi | Simmer, uncovered | Gnocchi float, 3 to 4 minutes |
| Spinach and half the bacon | Simmer | Spinach wilts |
| Cheddar, a handful at a time | Low | Each handful melts |
| Tempered warm cream | Low | Soup is hot, stirred gently |
Add the Gnocchi Last
Gnocchi go in near the end and only cook until they float, which takes 2 to 4 minutes. Then move straight on to the spinach and cheese. Serve the soup right away, because gnocchi left sitting in hot soup get mushy.
If you are planning leftovers, keep the gnocchi and the dairy out of whatever you store. I would rather cook fresh gnocchi and add the cheese and cream on the day I eat it.
Want It Even Richer?
The long version goes further: it caramelizes 2 sweet onions for about 40 minutes and finishes each bowl with a baked panko and Parmesan topping. Both are lovely on a slow Sunday. Neither is needed on a Tuesday, which is why this version skips them and stays at 45 minutes.
This is the chicken, bacon and gnocchi version. Some cooks make it with ditalini pasta and Parmesan instead.
Variations
- Swap the gnocchi. Cheese tortellini, pasta shells or diced potatoes all work. If you use pasta, stir often so it does not stick to the pot.
- Swap the cheese. Gruyere or Gouda can stand in for the cheddar. Melt it the same way: low heat, a handful at a time.
- Swap the greens. Kale or Swiss chard instead of spinach. Add chard where the spinach goes.
Storage & Reheating
Refrigerate. USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours (1 hour if it is above 90°F) and to divide a big pot of soup into smaller shallow containers. FSIS allows 3 to 4 days in the fridge; I stick to 3 days for this one because the gnocchi keep softening.
Freeze. Stop before the gnocchi, spinach, cheese and cream. Cool the broth base, freeze it for up to 3 months, then finish it with fresh gnocchi, cheese and cream when you reheat. USDA FSIS says frozen soup can be reheated in a saucepan or the microwave without thawing.
Reheat. USDA FSIS says to reheat leftovers to 165°F and to bring soups to a rolling boil, covered. Stir often, and add a splash of stock if the soup has thickened. In the microwave, go in 45-second bursts and stir between each. USDA FSIS also says not to reheat leftovers in a slow cooker.
What to Serve With It
This soup wants something to drag through the bottom of the bowl, and warm butter biscuits do that job well. If you like creamy chicken soups, Crack Chicken Soup is the cream cheese and ranch cousin, and Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup trades the gnocchi for noodles. For more gnocchi and spinach, try Creamy Spinach and Mushroom Gnocchi. Leftover rotisserie chicken also goes a long way in Million Dollar Chicken Casserole, and if melting cheese into soup is your happy place, Crockpot Potato Broccoli Cheddar Soup is next.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you freeze Million Dollar Soup?
Yes, but freeze it without the cream and cheese, because they can separate when frozen and thawed. I leave the gnocchi out too. Freeze the base for up to 3 months and add fresh gnocchi, cheese and cream when you reheat.
How long does it last, and how do I reheat it?
Keep it covered in the fridge and eat it within 3 days. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave until it reaches 165°F, stirring often, with a splash of stock if it has thickened.
What can I use instead of gnocchi?
Cheese tortellini, pasta shells or diced potatoes. The rest of the soup stays the same.
Can I use rotisserie chicken?
Yes. Rotisserie or leftover chicken is the easy way to get the 2 cups of cooked chicken, and it saves time.
Final Notes
Have the cheese shredded and the cream warmed before the gnocchi go in, because the end moves fast. After that it is ladling, the rest of the bacon, and a few green onions on top.
Million Dollar Soup
Want This Recipe Later?
We'll send this recipe straight to your inbox.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup onion diced
- 1 cup celery diced
- 1/2 cup fennel bulb thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup dry white wine
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste at the end
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 cups cooked chicken breast shredded or chopped; rotisserie or leftover chicken works
- 8 ounces potato gnocchi shelf-stable package
- 3 cups fresh spinach chopped; or 3 cups chopped kale
- 6 slices bacon cooked and crumbled, divided
- 2 1/2 cups cheddar cheese shredded from a block
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream warmed
- green onions sliced, for garnish
Instructions
- Melt the butter with the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, celery and fennel and cook 5 to 6 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds.
- Pour in the wine and scrape up the browned bits. Simmer 2 to 3 minutes, until mostly gone. Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir for 1 minute.
- Pour in 1 cup of the stock, whisking until smooth, then whisk in the rest a little at a time. Add the soy sauce, salt, thyme, black pepper and cayenne. Cover and simmer 10 minutes.
- Stir in the chicken and gnocchi. Simmer uncovered 3 to 4 minutes, just until the gnocchi float. Stir in the spinach and half the bacon and cook until the spinach wilts.
- Turn the heat to low. Add the cheddar a handful at a time, stirring until each handful melts before adding the next.
- Whisk a ladle of the hot soup into the warmed cream in a bowl. Pour the cream slowly into the pot, stirring the whole time. Keep the heat on low and stir gently until hot.
- Taste and add salt if needed. Serve right away, topped with the rest of the bacon and the green onions.
