Chicken Gnocchi Soup

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This Chicken Gnocchi Soup is a thick and hearty meal that comes together quickly, making it perfect for a weeknight or any time you need to get food on the table fast. 

Overhead picture of a bowl of Instant Pot chicken gnocchi soup, topped with fresh parsley, with bread in the background.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe: You can keep the gnocchi on-hand, along with the broth and seasonings, so you’re just a quick trip to the store away from creamy, comfort food.

Soup is one of our favorite things to cook in the Instant Pot. You get the flavor that tastes like it’s been simmering all day, but it’s ready in a fraction of the time.

This chicken and gnocchi soup is no exception. The soft, al dente gnocchi provides a great contrast to the chicken and vegetables in the soup. 

Ingredients for making Instant Pot chicken gnocchi soup, including diced chicken, spices, butter, celery, onion, carrots, corn starch, gnocchi, broth, and half and half.

INGREDIENTS YOU NEED

Don’t worry about the length of the ingredient list! It’s mostly fresh produce and spices you likely already have in your pantry.

  • Butter: Include one quick phrase or sentence here.
  • Onion, celery, carrots: This classic blend of mirepoix vegetables have been used as a base for soups for hundreds of years. 
  • Chicken broth: We prefer to use reduced sodium broth in our recipes. If you use low-sodium or regular traditional broth, you’ll need to adjust the salt and pepper to your liking.
  • Chicken breasts: We try to cut the chicken breasts into 1-inch cubes so they cook quickly and evenly.  
  • Parsley: We love the lovely color that parsley gives this dish.
  • Thyme: We love the aromatic flavor that thyme gives this dish; however, you can substitute oregano, poultry seasoning, or even Italian seasoning if you prefer a slightly different profile.
  • Salt and pepper: Adjust the amounts to your liking.
  • Cornstarch: We like to use cornstarch as a thickener in this recipe.
  • Half and half: This helps give the soup a creaminess. 
  • Gnocchi: See below for more details.
A white bowl filled with Instant Pot chicken gnocchi soup, topped with parsley and served with bread.

A Gnote about Gnocchi

Gnocchi are little potato dumplings that are often served topped with pasta sauces. In the grocery stores near me, you can find gnocchi in the freezer section, in the refrigerator section, and in the shelf-stable pasta section. 

This recipe was tested with the shelf-stable gnocchi. (At our store, the gnocchi is up on the high shelf, so it took me a minute to find.) You want the gnocchi cooked until it’s al dente

You can absolutely make it with refrigerated or frozen gnocchi; however, adding a bunch of frozen dumplings to the soup will absolutely change how long you have to simmer the stew to get it to your preferred consistency. (If any of you do make it that way, leave us a comment and we’ll update the recipe notes with your info!)

Looking for other hearty comfort foods? Try our Beef Stew, Poppyseed Chicken, Swedish Meatballs, or Easy Pork Chops in Mushroom Gravy.

Sautéing carrots, celery, and onion in an Instant Pot, with diced chicken in the background.

How to Make Chicken Gnocchi Soup in an Instant Pot

This easy recipe will work in any brand of electric pressure cooker, including the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi, or Power Pressure Cooker XL.

First, melt the butter and saute the veggies until they’re softened. Then add the chicken broth, diced chicken and seasonings. Lock the lid in place, and set your pressure cooker to cook at High Pressure with a 4 minute cook time.

A ladle scooping chicken gnocchi soup out of an Instant Pot, with fresh parsley in the background.

Use a quick release to vent the pressure, then stir in a cornstarch slurry. Once the soup has thickened, add the gnocchi simmer until warmed through.  

Serve immediately, We love this soup served with just a slice of good, crusty bread on the side. The kids prefer it with Ritz crackers. If you want something extra, add a fresh green salad on the side. 

Note: This soup looks thin at first, but it thickens up quite a bit to a stew-like consistency as it cools, thanks to the starches in the gnocchi.  

A white bowl with a spoon filled with chicken gnocchi soup, with bread and an Instant Pot in the background.

Frequently Asked Questions about Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

How to adjust this recipe to copycat Olive Garden’s Chicken & Gnocchi Soup?

I wanted to keep our gnocchi soup simpler, so we used cornstarch as a thickener instead of the white sauce base that Olive Garden uses.

The restaurant version has spinach in it, so I’d add about a cup. I’d also julienne the carrots to more closely match their version, and probably top it with finely grated parmesan cheese.

Can I substitute milk instead of half and half? 

You can use milk, heavy cream, or a combination of the two with no change to the cook time. (Just keep in mind that milk will result in a soup that is thinner than if you’d used half-and-half.)

Can I skip sauteing the vegetables?

Spending the extra couple of minutes doing this will definitely enhance the flavor of your soup. However, you can skip if you are in a hurry, just know your soup may lack some of the rich flavors that come from the mirepoix. 

How to store leftover soup? 

Store leftover chicken gnocchi soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave or Instant Pot. (Note that the soup will thicken as it cools, so you may need some broth or water to return it to your desired consistency.)

A white bowl filled with Instant Pot chicken gnocchi soup, topped with parsley and served with bread.

More Chicken Soup Recipes

Interested in making other delicious chicken soups in your Instant Pot? You’ll love one of these:

  • Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings is pure comfort food in a fraction of the time it would take on the stovetop, topped with fluffy homemade dumplings.
  • Chicken Tomatillo Stew is made with mild salsa verde, tomatillos, and hominy is a cozy chicken soup you can really adapt to your tastes with a variety of toppings. 
  • Chicken and Rice Soup starts with rotisserie chicken or leftover cooked chicken and thickened up with rice. 

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A white bowl filled with Instant Pot chicken gnocchi soup, topped with parsley and served with bread.

Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

Servings: 6 people
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 4 minutes
Additional Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 29 minutes
Course: Chicken, Soup
Cuisine: American
This Chicken Gnocchi Soup is made with spices you likely already have in your pantry, plus diced chicken, fresh veggies, and gnocchi. It's a hearty meal that comes together quickly, perfect for soup season.
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Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 cup diced onion
  • 1/2 cup diced celery
  • 1/2 cup diced carrots
  • 2 cans (14 oz each) reduced-sodium chicken broth
  • 4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-size pieces
  • 1 tablespoon dried parsley
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/4 cold water
  • 1/3 cup half-and-half
  • 1 package (16 oz) shelf-stable gnocchi (we used Kroger brand Private Selection Italian Gnocchi)

Instructions

  • Select Saute and melt the butter in the pressure cooking pot. When melted, add the onion, celery, and carrots. Saute 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until all of the veggies have soften, the onions are translucent, and the celery and carrots have brightened in color.
  • Stir in the chicken broth. Then add the chicken, parsley, thyme, salt, and pepper. Lock the lid in place. Select High Pressure and 4 minutes cook time.
  • When the cook time ends, turn off the pressure cooker. Use a quick pressure release. When the valve drops, carefully remove the lid.
  • In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch and cold water until smooth. Select Saute and add the slurry to the pot, stirring constantly until the sauce comes to a boil and thickens. Stir in the half and half.
  • Stir in the gnocchi and simmer until warmed through and the gnocchi rises to the top, about 3-4 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 180kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 557mg | Potassium: 521mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1959IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 1mg

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