This Slow Cooker Chicken Gnocchi Soup is thick and creamy! Made with tender chicken breasts, vegetables, gnocchi, spinach and parmesan in a rich and flavorful broth. This recipe goes perfectly with some crusty bread!
This recipe post has been sponsored by Reynolds Kitchens® and I was compensated for my time in creating this recipe. Thank you for supporting the brands that make The Recipe Rebel possible! All opinions are my own.
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It won’t take much time around here to realize how much we love soup!
Soup is pretty much my perfect meal, and this slow cooker Chicken Gnocchi Soup is no exception.
We’ve got vegetables, protein and carbs in one pot with minimal effort but maximum flavor. And when we break out the slow cooker and use one of Reynolds Kitchens® Slow Cooker Liners, it makes dinner time even easier!
Let’s be honest — no one enjoys scrubbing the slow cooker after a long day of work or play!
Since this stovetop Chicken Gnocchi Soup has been such a hit, I knew I wanted to create a slow cooker version as well.
It’s the perfect meal for those chilly days when you need something hearty and comforting!
I love making a batch of Garlic Bread, Mom’s Homemade Buns or Homemade Breadsticks to dunk in it!
Ingredients Needed:
- Onion, celery and carrots: A classic mirepoix creates the flavor base for our soup. You can choose to sauté these in a skillet before adding to the slow cooker, but I like to keep things as simple as possible. If you do sauté them, add a bit of oil to the pan to help them brown.
- Parsley, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper: garlic and herbs are a soup must have! Feel free to mix these up for other herbs that you enjoy.
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts: I love using boneless, skinless chicken for this soup because I can throw it in the slow cooker and don’t have to worry about bones or skin. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs would also work well.
- Chicken broth: I always choose low sodium or no salt added when possible. If you’re using salted broth, you may want to reduce the amount that is added.
- Cream: heavy cream or evaporated milk are your best bets for soup, because they won’t curdle when added to the hot liquid and are stable when heated. They also make a rich and flavorful broth.
- Corn starch: to thicken our broth slightly.
- Gnocchi: I used dried, shelf-stable gnocchi that you can find in the pasta aisle. Fresh or frozen gnocchi would also work just fine.
- Fresh spinach: give it a rough chop and throw it in! The spinach will shrink up considerably, so feel free to add more if you prefer.
- Parmesan: gives our soup so much flavor! It is quite salty, so if you are sensitive to excess sodium, you could add Parmesan to each bowl to taste.
How to make Chicken Gnocchi Soup in the slow cooker:
Here are some tips and step by step photos to get you started! Please refer to the detailed recipe in the recipe card below.
- Throw it all in (almost) everything: line your slow cooker with a Reynolds slow cooker liner. Our vegetables, seasonings, broth and chicken all get added to the slow cooker right away. If you prefer, you can also sauté the vegetables before adding them for more flavor, but I like to keep this recipe simple.
- Add the cream, corn starch and gnocchi: shred the chicken (you can do this in the slow cooker or place it on a cutting board) and stir back in with the cream and corn starch mixture as well as the gnocchi. This needs to hang out for an hour to cook and thicken.
- Finish with spinach and parmesan: stir these in just before serving!
Chicken Gnocchi Soup recipe FAQs
A 4-6 quart slow cooker will work best for this recipe. This recipe was photographed in a 4-quart slow cooker.
Theoretically, you could. However, cooking frozen meat in the slow cooker is not recommended because it stays at an unsafe temperature for too long.
This recipe is easy to prep ahead! You can chop the vegetables and added them to the slow cooker, along with the herbs, seasonings, chicken breasts and broth and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, simply remove from the refrigerator, turn it on and continue with the recipe.
Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
You can also freeze this soup for up to 3 months.
Yes! Chicken Gnocchi Soup freezes well as long as you used heavy cream or evaporated milk. Low fat dairy does not freeze as well since it can take on a funny texture.
To serve, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and warm in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Substitutions and Variations:
This recipe is so easy to customize based on what you have!
- Got cooked chicken? This recipe works well if you already have some Shredded Chicken (or Crockpot Shredded Chicken or Instant Pot Shredded Chicken) sitting in the fridge or freezer. You can also use Pan Fried Chicken Breasts that you have cut into small pieces. Add pre-cooked chicken with the gnocchi so that it warms through but doesn’t overcook.
- Swap the chicken for Italian sausage (crumbled and cooked) or leave it out and sub the chicken broth for vegetable for a vegetarian version.
- Cream substitutes: I only really recommend heavy cream (or at least 10% fat and up, like half and half) or evaporated milk as plain milk won’t have that rich flavor or thick texture. It may also curdle when it’s added to the hot liquid. I haven’t tried with non-dairy substitutes — I suspect they would work fine but the flavor will change depending on what you use.
- Veg it up: you can easily add more vegetables to this recipe, just keep in mind that quick-cooking vegetables should be added at the end (like spinach, kale, green beans, etc.) and firmer vegetables can be added with the rest (like mushrooms or peppers).
More slow cooker soup recipes you’ll love:
Slow Cooker Chicken Gnocchi Soup
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 2 ribs celery (chopped)
- 1 large carrot (peeled and chopped)
- ½ medium onion (finely chopped)
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 lb)
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 3 cups small gnocchi (500g)
- 1 ½ cups fresh spinach roughly chopped
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Add one Reynolds Kitchens® Slow Cooker Liner to a 4-6 quart slow cooker.
- Add celery, carrots, onion, parsley, garlic, thyme, salt, pepper and broth to the slow cooker and stir. Add chicken breasts and press down into the liquid.
- Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 3-4 hours, until vegetables are cooked through.
- Carefully shred chicken in the slow cooker (or remove to a cutting board to chop).
- Whisk together cream and corn starch and stir into the soup with the gnocchi. Cover and let cook for 1 hour on high until gnocchi is tender and broth is slightly thickened.
- Stir in spinach and Parmesan. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve.
- Remove Reynolds Kitchens® Slow Cooker Liner and see how easy clean up can be!
Nutrition Information
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Devon says
I have made twice already and writing my shopping list to make my third batch of this after I write this review. It is very similar to olive garden. I love gnocchi and this is my favorite way to use it.
The Recipe Rebel says
Yay! Thanks Devon!
Sparkle Lady says
can we make this without the liner? Same directions?
The Recipe Rebel says
Yes! It’s just for easy clean up! Hope you enjoy it!
Janet Sketchley says
So tasty! And super easy. Thank you.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Janet! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Courtney says
I know I’m probably going to get flack for this but I dropped my slow cooker lid and haven’t been able to replace it yet, hence the adjustments I made below:
Made on stove top. Replaced chicken with 1.3lbs of spicy chicken sausage. Cooked the sausage first then added veggies, seasoning, and garlic for a couple minutes. Added stock and gnocchi, brought to a boil, then let simmer for 15 minutes. Added cornstarch and heavy cream, simmered another 7 minuets. Added cheese and spinach. Waited until fully incorporated/wilted and served.
Best soup I’ve found in a long time. Thanks so much, Ashley!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Courtney! So sorry to hear that! I do have a stovetop version but looks like you worked it out! So glad you enjoyed it! https://www.thereciperebel.com/chicken-gnocchi-soup/
Wanda says
Please continue to email recipes to my current e mail address.
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Wanda! Please email with any concerns about that. Thanks!