Feel-Better Chicken Gnocchi Soup

This delicious Chicken Gnocchi Soup is true "comfort in a bowl". It's loaded with fresh veggies, lean protein and soft, pillowy gnocchi in every delicious bite!

We just finished enjoying a bowl of this Chicken Gnocchi Soup for lunch. I made it several days ago but it was just as delicious today, rewarmed in the microwave. Maybe even better, as all the wonderful ingredients have had time to meld, mingle and marry!

Although we have a scad of chicken soup recipes in The Café archives, I'm a firm believer that there's always room for one more quite a few more. In fact, I'm quite sure our chicken soup collection will be ever-evolving as I already have several ideas for new variations. I do have a few recipe guidelines though that I adhere to regarding new chicken soup recipes. They have to:

• Have great nutrition with lots of veggies, visible and/or invisible (as in this recipe in which a lot of the veggies are pureed after simmering).
• Incorporate lots of lean protein to keep us healthy and satiated.
• Include unique ingredients. There can be some overlap but never the same list and always a few new things thrown in the pot.
• Of course, they must be super delicious - but each soup also needs to have a unique flavor profile.
• Have regional or international inspiration. There's nothing wrong with good old American chicken noodle soup, but we also love to travel around the globe for chicken soup inspiration.
• A befitting name is important (like Feel-Better Chicken Gnocchi Soup!).

Feel-Better?

I know it's an unusual name, but the "Feel-Better" part describes this delicious soup perfectly. It's the kind of soup you want to make for a friend, neighbor or family member that's under the weather or is going through a hard time. It travels well, reheats in minutes and is a universal winner with so much comfort in every spoonful.

It's also a great soup to have stashed in the freezer as you never know when a need will arise or when someone in the family (or you!) just won't be "feeling up to snuff." Warm up a pot of this Chicken Gnocchi Soup and... well, let's just say everyone who partakes will be satiated, smiling and "feeling much better"!

What is gnocchi?

If you're not familiar with gnocchi (pronounced NYOK-kee), you're missing out on something delicious. Gnocchi is often considered a type of pasta, but it's not like any other pasta I know of. To me, gnocchi are more like little dumplings. Although gnocchi can be made from lots of different veggies, the ones we're talking about here (and most common in the U.S.) are made from potatoes, flour and eggs.

They can be a labor of love to make, as each little gnocchi is individually rolled and then pressed against a fork to form ridges. The good news? These days, it's pretty easy to find decent store-bought gnocchi.

For this Chicken Gnocchi Soup, I like to use mini gnocchi which are half the size of regular gnocchi. Most larger grocery stores stock both regular-size and mini gnocchi in the pasta aisle.

Hidden veggies

Although there are a ton of healthy veggies in this soup, the only ones visible to the eye are the sliced carrots. The rest (onion, garlic, shallot, celery and bell pepper) are pureed in chicken broth after being simmered until tender.

An additional "hidden" ingredient in this Chicken Gnocchi Soup is a scoop of rice. Rice? Yep, jasmine, basmati, long grain... it doesn't matter which you use. Add a half cup along with the veggies and simmer for 25 minutes. The rice breaks down and helps thicken the soup, but it also adds a delicious layer of flavor.

What to serve with this Chicken Gnocchi Soup

This soup makes a great lunch or casual dinner on its own, but we like to dress it up a bit with a sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan and a scatter of finely chopped fresh rosemary or thyme. I've also topped it with a chiffonade of fresh basil, delicious!

It pairs nicely with a simple green salad and, if I want to splurge, a warm crispy loaf of this Ridiculously Easy Focaccia Bread.

However you decide to serve this Feel-Better Chicken Gnocchi Soup, expect lots of rave reviews and requests to make it again!

Cafe Tips for Making This Chicken Gnocchi Soup

• This recipe calls for a package of mini gnocchi. You can find gnocchi at most larger grocery stores stocked in the same area as pasta. There are several different brands of mini gnocchi. I like to look for gnocchi that's made in Italy. My favorites are DeCecco and DeLallo but I'm sure there are other great options. You can also find gluten-free options.
• The ingredient list for this soup calls for a yellow bell pepper. You could use any color but I like the hue that a yellow bell pepper gives the soup.
• There are two simmers in this Chicken Gnocchi soup recipe. The first simmer combines chicken broth with veggies, seasoning and rice. The mixture is simmered until everything is very soft and a little mushy. This mixture gets pureed. I like to use an immersion blender for this.
• If you don't have an immersion blender, it's a wonderful little kitchen workhorse that saves time and keeps you from dirtying extra dishes. You can use it for so many other things besides soup - including whipping cream! Yes, you can whip cream to perfect soft peaks with an immersion blender lickety-split! I really like my Cuisinart immersion blender.
• This soup rewarms beautifully. You can also freeze it, but I prefer to freeze it without the gnocchi and add those after thawing. Most brands of mini gnocchi only take 2 minutes to cook.
• Be sure to "mind" the pot after the veggies are pureed and the carrots are simmering. The sauce is much thicker now and can stick to the bottom of the pot if you'e not giving it a nice stir now and then.

Thought for the day:

Search me, God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious thoughts.
See if there is any offensive way in me,
    and lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalm 139:23-24

What we're listening to for inspiration:

Where Can I Go

If you enjoy this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review! It's so helpful to other readers to hear your results, adaptations and ideas for variations.

Scroll Down for the Recipe - or Save It to Your Inbox

We’ll email you the recipe so it’s easy to save, print, or share.

SUBMIT

Feel-Better Chicken Gnocchi Soup

Chris Scheuer

This delicious Chicken Gnocchi Soup is true "comfort in a bowl". It's loaded with fresh veggies, lean protein and soft, pillowy gnocchi in every delicious bite!

5 from 5 votes

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Servings 14 servings

Calories 231

PRINT PIN COMMENTS

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

.5x1x2x

For the soup:

• 1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter, I use salted butter
• 1 large sweet onion, roughly chopped
• 1 large shallot, roughly chopped
• 4 medium stalks celery, roughly chopped
• 1 large yellow bell pepper, roughly chopped
• 6 medium cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth, maybe more
• ½ cup uncooked rice, I use basmati but jasmine or long-grain will also work
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, I use Morton
• 1 pound carrots, thinly sliced, divided (you can use regular peeled carrots or baby carrots)
• 2 medium bay leaves

To finish:

• 1 pound mini gnocchi
• 3-3½ cups shredded rotisserie chicken
• ¾ cup grated Parmesan, I like Parmesan Reggiano but a good domestic Parmesan is also great.
• ½ teaspoon black pepper

For serving:

• finely chopped fresh rosemary and/or fresh thyme leaves, for garnish
• grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish
• freshly grated black pepper, for garnish

Instructions

 

For the soup:

1. Heat a large Dutch oven or soup pot to medium heat. Add the oil and butter. Swirl the pan a few times until the butter is melted and bubbly.
2. Add the onion, shallot, celery and bell pepper and stir to combine. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until the onions are translucent, stirring them occasionally. Add the garlic, stir well and cook for another 2 minutes.
3. Add the broth, rice, kosher salt, bay leaves and 1 cup of sliced carrots. Set the remaining carrots aside for now.
4. Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce to a steady simmer. Cover and cook for 25 minutes until the veggies are very tender and the rice is starting to disintegrate. Remove from the heat.
5. Using an immersion blender, puree the mixture until nice and smooth. You can also use a regular blender. NOTE: If you use a regular blender, be sure to let the mixture cool down a bit before blending. Also, remove the center cap on the blender top and cover it with a clean kitchen towel or several thicknesses of paper towels. This will allow the heat to vent and prevent it from building up.
6. Add the reserved carrots and return the mixture to a simmer. Cook for 14-18 minutes or until the carrots are nice and tender, stirring frequently to prevent the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pot.

To finish:

1. Open the package of gnocchi and separate the individual pieces so there are no clumps. Add the gnocchi to the soup and cook for another two minutes, stirring frequently.
2. Add the chicken, parmesan and black pepper. Stir to combine.
3. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if needed. If the soup seems thick, add more chicken broth to thin it out. Taste it again though, after adding the broth, to see if it needs a touch more salt.

For serving:

1. Serve with extra grated parmesan, a scatter of finely chopped fresh rosemary, thyme leaves or basil leaves and fresh ground black pepper. Enjoy!

Notes

See Café Tips above in the post for more detailed instructions and tips to ensure success.

If you prefer to use Metric measurements there is a button in each of our recipes, right above the word “Instructions”. Just click that button to toggle to grams, milliliters, etc. If you ever come across one of our recipes that doesn’t have the Metric conversion (some of the older recipes may not), feel free to leave a comment and I will add it.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupCalories: 231kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 18gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 39mgSodium: 649mgPotassium: 425mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 5596IUVitamin C: 28mgCalcium: 92mgIron: 2mg

We love seeing what you made!Tag @thecafesucrefarine on Instagram for a chance to be featured.

Course: Main Course, Soup

Cuisine: Italian-Inspired