Creamy Crockpot Chicken Gnocchi Soup
This chicken gnocchi soup recipe is dreamy comfort food made slow cooker simple. It’s packed with tender veggies and flavorful chicken, dotted with pillowy gnocchi, and all wrapped up in a velvety soup that will have everyone scraping the bowl.
If you love comforting soups, Instant Pot creamy wild rice, carrot red pepper, or healthy tortellini chicken noodle varieties are all guaranteed to please!
The best part of this soup is the smooth, creamy base. Or maybe it’s the bites when a soft, pillowy gnocchi lands on your spoon. No, wait, I think it’s actually the tender, perfectly-seasoned, slow-cooked pieces of chicken.
Thank goodness we don’t really have to decide. The true best part is that all this comes together in one tasty package.
Whether or not you’re a fan of Olive Garden, which offers chicken gnocchi soup as a very popular menu item, you will love this soup and be excited to add it to your dinner rotation. And, for the busy home cooks among us, it’s one of those glorious meals beautifully suited to the crockpot or slow cooker. You literally get simmered-all-day flavor with minimal effort.
Ingredients and shopping tips
Here’s what you’ll need to make this creamy crockpot chicken gnocchi soup. And trust me, you want to make this happen tonight! As always, you can see the full recipe below for detailed amounts and instructions.
- About 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 small onion – white or yellow
- 3-4 medium carrots
- 1-2 stalks celery
- 3 cups or so baby spinach
- Garlic cloves
- Chicken broth or stock – preferably low-sodium so you can control the salt content to taste
- Cornstarch – I consider this a pantry staple; if you don’t have it on hand, look for it in a small box or jar in the baking aisle
- Two (12 ounce) cans evaporated milk – also in the baking aisle
- One 1 lb. package dried potato gnocchi – typically sold with the boxed pasta. If your store carries mini gnocchi, as shown below, they are especially nice for small bites of soup, but I’ve made this with full-size gnocchi, as well, with great results
- Seasonings: dried basil, Italian seasoning, salt & pepper
Why evaporated milk?
Since reading Kitchn’s take on creamy slow cooker soups, I’ve been dying to experiment with evaporated milk in the crockpot. And it’s kismet for making a low-and-slow version of chicken gnocchi soup, delivering a smooth and rich texture that’s hard to resist.
In short, evaporated milk does a beautiful job of thickening soup just enough, and adding creaminess without requiring you to pour in glug after glug of delicious but artery-clogging heavy cream.
What kind of gnocchi are best?
When it comes to store-bought gnocchi, quality matters, and all are not created equal. Dense, dry gnocchi give their lighter, airy cousins a bad name. If you can find DeLallo brand, go for it – they’ve never let this Pittsburgh girl down!
Whatever the brand, you’re looking for the dried, shelf-stable gnocchi typically sold near other boxed pastas. They cook perfectly right in the crockpot with the soup. No need to boil water and cook separately.
How to make chicken gnocchi soup in the crockpot
You won’t believe something so delicious can be so simple to make.
First, add the chicken, veggies, seasoning, and broth to a large crockpot. We love this 6-quart version; it doesn’t have many bells and whistles but is a reliable and affordable workhorse.
Cook for 6-8 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high, then shred the chicken. It will be very tender and easy to pull apart with two forks. You may even be able to shred it inside the crockpot; if not, scrape the pieces back in.
Now add a cornstarch slurry, the evaporated milk, and the uncooked gnocchi.
Mix cornstarch with cold water
Helpful hint: when making the slurry, be very sure to mix the cornstarch with cold water. Using hot or even warm water can lead to clumps or just a gritty texture. Cold water works like a charm every time.
Re-cover the crockpot and cook for another 20-30 minutes, then add the spinach, let it wilt, and serve.
Get ready for some major smiles around your table, and maybe even a high-five or two! It’s that good!
If you’re really feeling it, fry up a few slices of bacon to crumble into or on top of the bowls. So much flavor.
Complete the meal
Crockpot chicken gnocchi soup is hearty feel-good fare. It goes great with:
- Garlic bread, Dutch oven bread, or one-hour breadsticks
- A simple arugula salad or spinach salad, or any greens with a fresh homemade Italian dressing
- Easy oven-roasted broccolini
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Creamy Crockpot Chicken Gnocchi Soup
Ingredients
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 small onion chopped
- 3-4 medium carrots peeled and chopped
- 1-2 stalks celery chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 10-12 cranks freshly-ground black pepper
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- 2 12 ounce cans evaporated milk
- 1 pound potato gnocchi the shelf-stable kind, mini if you can find them
- 3 cups fresh baby spinach
- 4 slices cooked bacon optional, to serve
Instructions
- Place the raw chicken, chopped onion, carrots, celery, minced garlic, basil, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper in a large crockpot or slow cooker. Pour chicken stock or broth on top. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4-5 hours.
- While keeping the crockpot on, shred the chicken, either directly in the pot or by removing to a cutting board. It will be ready to fall apart easily. If you took the chicken out to shred, return the pieces to the crockpot.
- In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the cornstarch and cold water to make a thick slurry. Scrape that into the crockpot, along with both cans of evaporated milk and the gnocchi. Stir well to combine, then re-cover the crockpot and cook for another 20-30 minutes. The soup should be slightly thickened; the gnocchi, tender.
- Just before serving, stir in the spinach and let it wilt for 2-3 minutes. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, as desired. Serve with crumbled cooked bacon or fresh herbs for garnish. Enjoy!
Notes
- Be very sure to use cold water when making the cornstarch slurry. Adding cornstarch directly to a hot or warm liquid can lead to clumps or a gritty texture.
- If you prefer a thicker soup, try increasing the amount of cornstarch and water to 3 tablespoons each. You can also simply let the soup cook longer after adding the milk and gnocchi, with or without the crockpot lid.
- If the soup becomes too thick for your taste, simply add water or additional broth, 1/4 cup at a time, stirring well.
This turned out delicious! I used your tip about adding an extra tablespoon of corn starch to the slurry, and I also used half evaporated milk, half heavy cream. Extra garlic and lots of salt and pepper and it was perfect!Â
We made this last night and it was soooo yummy!!! Â Will definitely make again.Â
So happy it was a winner for you, and thank you for leaving this review!
Honestly it was a bit bland. Needed some kind of extra seasoning. And I think would have been much creamier if it used heavy cream instead of evaporated milk.Â
I’m sorry this didn’t suit, Sam, but thank you for leaving this feedback. Yes, you are right, adding heavy cream rather than evaporated milk will absolutely make any recipe more thick and creamy. 🙂
Amazing recipe though I used 1 tsp of nutmeg, and 1 tsp of thyme, it might be what everyone is saying is missing. I didn’t use the Italian seasoning just salt pepper garlic powder onion powder nutmeg and thyme. Not sure if this helps.
I used those ingredients due to how I make it with my other recipe(stove top)(chicken and gnocchi olive garden copy cat recipe).
I followed this to a T and I’m sorry but it was absolutely disgusting. I was so excited for this! Straight watery milk soup.Â
I’m so sorry, I know it’s frustrating when a recipe doesn’t work out. Was your Crockpot still on after adding the cornstarch slurry and the evaporated milk? All of those ingredients together should definitely thicken the soup, so I’m wondering what went wrong, and would love to troubleshoot both for your sake and in case there’s a clarification somewhere that could help someone else down the line. Of course it’s always possible to add more cornstarch if needed to thicken more to your liking. Please let me know if you can – thanks!
Can I used heavy cream instead of cornstarch slurry? Â If I do, how much? And do I still use the evaporated milk?Â
Hi Deara – I haven’t tried that so I can’t say for sure, but I suspect it would work! I would begin with adding about 1/2 cup of cream, see how it looks, and add more to taste. I would in that case leave out the evaporated milk. Please let me know how it turns out, I would love to know, and I’m sure other readers would, too!
I made this but used light cream instead of evaporated milk and it is DELICIOUS! I know this may increase the calories and macros a bit, but it was what my store had and it definitely gave it the creamy cozy taste I was craving. Followed everything else exactly as the recipe stated. Made in the Instapot on slow cook setting – so easy!!
Delicious soup & wonderful with some hot crusty bread!  Great comfort food during the cold winter.  Very simple recipe in the crockpot & definitely a keeper. My daughter shared it with me last year & I made it again this year.  Thank you 😋
For us it seemed like it was missing something. Editable but fell short of enjoyable. Definitely super easy to make.
Turned out Great! I don’t like basil or Italian seasoning so I substituted some montreal chicken seasonings. The kids loved it!
Can I use kielbasa instead of chicken in this recipe?
You could certainly try it but I would add it near the end of the cooking time since it is pre-cooked – maybe along with the gnocchi? Please let me know how it turns out!
Delicious!! My family loved this!!!
Something is off here. It’s just not good. It tastes way too strong of the spices, the evaporated milk doesn’t add good flavor to it either. It just tastes off. Maybe if you reduced the amount of seasoning and used half and half instead of evaporated milk it could be better. but unfortunately it’s wasted food here. Def not giving it to my husband and kids.
I added in the evaporated milk at the beginning. Will it be okay or should I start over?Â
I think it will be OK, but can’t say for sure! I would not start over in any case, and hope for the best – please let me know how it turns out. Fingers crossed for you!
It was perfect!Â
I am so happy to hear that! Thank you for coming back to share the good word! 🙂
I’m confused because this was not yummy at all. I threw it all away. DisappointedÂ
So sorry to hear that, Rachel. Was there anything specific about it that you did not like it?
I would definitely not use as much basal or Italian seasoning next time. I feel like it took away too much of the flavor.
Made this for dinner today and it is delicious! I substituted coconut milk in place of the evaporated milk — worked well! Will definitely be making again.Â
This recipe has entered our regular rotation–such a great cold weather comfort food! My husband says this is the best chicken soup he has ever had! For some reason my spinach doesn’t wilt as fast as the recipe says it will (even before I started doubling spinach), so now I know to build in some extra time at the end. I’ve started adding extra celery and doubling the spinach because those are my favorite parts.Â
Does this soup freeze well after making?
It’s OK but the gnocchi might absorb some extra liquid during the freezing/defrosting process!
Can I use frozen gnocchi instead of the boxed ones?
I think that would work fine! Perhaps just add them a few minutes earlier than indicated in the recipe. Enjoy!
Is it possible to use PLANT-BASED milk for this recipe for us dairy free folks who love creamy soups?
Hi Leticia, I haven’t tried it personally but suspect it would work, perhaps with your favorite non-dairy creamer for extra richness. Please let me know if you try it, I’m sure other readers would love to know, too!
This was great!! Followed recipe for ingredients but cooked it in the instapot and it turned out perfect. Hearty and warming. Exactly what we were looking for. Next time I might add a few more carrots and celery but it was great as is!Â
This soup is delicious. I made it as directed and it turned out great. My husband said it’s the best soup I’ve ever made! Thank you for the recipe.
Could you trade out the spinach for green chili?.. Asking for a friend… Lol
Hi Sallie, if you enjoy the flavor of green chili, I’m sure it would taste fine in this, or you could just leave out the spinach entirely.
This soup is amazing! I’m not normally a fan of creamy soups but this one is the exception. Preparation was so quick and easy, I followed recipe and ingredients exactly as written. My husband liked it so much he ate it cold for breakfast the next day. I plan to make another pot this week and take it to my soup loving granddaughter at George Mason. She will love it as much as we did!
So glad to hear this was a hit, Brenda! And thanks a million for sharing this feedback, I really appreciate it! I’m jealous of your granddaughter, haha, sounds like she is eating well this week! 🙂
I love gnocchi but I have never tried them in soup. I can’t wait to try the new recipe for my crockpot!
I only have 1 can of evaporated milk. Can I substitute the other can for whole milk?Â
I haven’t tried it to say for sure, but I suspect it will work just fine! Please let me know how it turns out – I’m sure others would like to know, too!