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My brother has one rule about chicken gnocchi soup: the gnocchi have to be soft as pillows and the broth creamy enough to coat the back of the spoon, or it is not the real thing. He means the creamy soup from the Italian restaurant chain, the one people keep ordering more bowls of. It turns out to be one of the easiest soups you can make at home. Onion, carrot and celery are softened in butter, a little flour thickens the broth, cream turns it silky, and then come shredded chicken, spinach and a package of store-bought potato gnocchi.
There are only two ways to get it wrong, and both happen at the end. Boil the soup hard after the cream goes in and the cream can split into grainy flecks. Add the gnocchi too early, or leave them sitting in the pot, and they swell, soak up the broth and turn gluey. A little flour in the base, gentle heat once the cream is in, and gnocchi added at the last moment fix both. Here is how to keep the cream from splitting and the gnocchi soft, every time.
Why this chicken gnocchi soup works
- A roux base. Flour cooked in the butter with the vegetables thickens the soup and protects the cream from splitting.
- Gentle heat after the cream. The soup only ever simmers once the cream is in; a hard boil is what curdles it.
- Gnocchi at the very end. Store-bought gnocchi need only 2 or 3 minutes; they are done the moment they float.
- Cooked chicken. Shredded cooked chicken, from a roasted chicken or poached breasts, keeps the soup quick and the meat tender.
- Spinach off the heat. Fresh spinach wilts in the hot soup in a minute and stays bright green.
Ingredients
Serves 6, about 10 cups of soup. The measurements are in US cups with grams in brackets.
For the soup
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (55g)
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 2 medium carrots, cut in thin matchsticks or small dice
- 2 ribs celery, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (30g)
- 4 cups chicken broth (950ml)
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream (360ml)
- 1/2 cup whole milk (120ml)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- Salt and black pepper
To finish
- 3 cups cooked chicken, shredded (about 400g)
- 1 package shelf-stable or refrigerated potato gnocchi (16 ounces, 450g)
- 2 packed cups fresh baby spinach (60g), roughly chopped
- Grated parmesan, to serve
Any cooked chicken works: a store-bought roasted chicken, leftover roast chicken or two breasts poached in the broth before you start. Use full-fat heavy cream; lighter creams split more easily.
How to make chicken gnocchi soup
- Melt the butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring now and then, for 6 to 8 minutes, until soft but not browned.
- Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, until it smells sweet.
- Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir constantly for 1 to 2 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste.
- Pour in the broth a little at a time, stirring well after each addition so no lumps form. Add the thyme and bring it to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes, until slightly thickened.
- Turn the heat to low and stir in the cream and milk. From now on, keep the soup at a bare simmer, with only a few lazy bubbles. Never let it boil hard.
- Add the shredded chicken and season with salt and plenty of black pepper. Let it heat through for 5 minutes.
- When you are ready to eat, add the gnocchi and cook them gently for 2 to 3 minutes, only until they float to the top and feel soft.
- Take the pot off the heat, stir in the spinach and let it wilt for a minute. Taste for salt and serve right away with parmesan.
Tips that make the difference
- If the soup does boil and the cream looks a little grainy, take it off the heat and whisk hard; a splash of cold cream often brings it back.
- Do not rinse or pre-cook the gnocchi. They go straight from the package into the hot soup.
- If you are making the soup ahead, stop before the gnocchi and add them only when you reheat it to serve.
- Season at the end. Broth and parmesan are both salty, so taste before adding more salt.
- Cut the carrots small. Thin matchsticks cook in the same time as the onion and look like the restaurant bowl.
Variations
- Lighter. Use half-and-half instead of the cream and milk, and keep the heat especially gentle.
- Kale. Use chopped kale instead of spinach and simmer it for 5 minutes before the gnocchi.
- Mushroom. Brown a cup of sliced mushrooms in the butter before the vegetables.
- Homemade gnocchi. Use fresh homemade potato gnocchi, cooked the same way, until they float.
Storage and make-ahead
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The gnocchi will soften and the soup thicken overnight; loosen it with a splash of broth or milk.
Reheat gently over low heat, stirring, and never let it boil.
Cream soups with gnocchi do not freeze well. Freeze the base without the gnocchi and spinach for up to 2 months, then add them fresh when you reheat.
Frequently asked questions
Why did my cream soup split?
It boiled after the cream went in, or a light cream was used. Keep it at a bare simmer and use heavy cream; the flour in the base helps keep it smooth.
Why are my gnocchi gluey?
They cooked too long or sat in the soup. Add them only at the end, cook them just until they float and serve right away.
Can I use frozen gnocchi?
Yes. Add them straight from the freezer and give them a minute or two longer, until they float.
Can I make it in a slow cooker?
Cook the vegetables, broth and raw chicken on low for 6 hours, shred the chicken, then stir in the cream and flour slurry and the gnocchi for the last 20 minutes on high.
Make a pot on a cold evening and put out the big bowls, because somebody always asks for a second one.
Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup (Restaurant Style, Cream That Never Splits, Soft Gnocchi)
Restaurant-style creamy chicken gnocchi soup made in one pot: onion, carrot and celery in butter, a light roux, chicken broth and cream, shredded chicken, spinach and store-bought potato gnocchi added at the very end.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 2 medium carrots, cut in thin matchsticks or small dice
- 2 ribs celery, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- Salt and black pepper
- 3 cups cooked chicken, shredded
- 1 package shelf-stable or refrigerated potato gnocchi
- 2 packed cups fresh baby spinach (60g), roughly chopped
- Grated parmesan, to serve
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery with a pinch of salt and cook, stirring now and then, for 6 to 8 minutes, until soft but not browned.
- Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, until it smells sweet.
- Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir constantly for 1 to 2 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste.
- Pour in the broth a little at a time, stirring well after each addition so no lumps form. Add the thyme and bring it to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes, until slightly thickened.
- Turn the heat to low and stir in the cream and milk. From now on, keep the soup at a bare simmer, with only a few lazy bubbles. Never let it boil hard.
- Add the shredded chicken and season with salt and plenty of black pepper. Let it heat through for 5 minutes.
- When you are ready to eat, add the gnocchi and cook them gently for 2 to 3 minutes, only until they float to the top and feel soft.
- Take the pot off the heat, stir in the spinach and let it wilt for a minute. Taste for salt and serve right away with parmesan.
