This creamy Veggie Packed Chicken & Gnocchi Soup is so cozy and delicious and you can prepare it easily in your Instant Pot or on the stove top. The gnocchi cook up to be the most tender dumplings and this hearty meal will warm you up on chilly winter nights.
Imagine if a chicken pot pie was crossed with chicken and dumplings and you’ll have a good idea of what this recipe tastes like. Classic spices like thyme, marjoram, and sage delicately flavor the rich and creamy broth that is studded with vegetables, chicken, and pillowy soft gnocchi dumplings.
This recipe is a great way to use up leftover turkey after a big family dinner. For even more great ways to use up leftover chicken or turkey, check out this collection of recipes for What to Make with Leftover Turkey.
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Ingredients
I include ingredient notes here when I think they’ll be helpful, including ways to source, any preparation tips, or why I've chosen a particular ingredient. Be sure to check out the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and their quantities!
- Diced Carrots, Celery, and Onion: This combination is also known as mirepoix and gives the soup an aromatic and flavorful base.
- Garlic: What's a soup without a little garlic? I use minced fresh garlic, but you can use jarred garlic paste here too.
- Poultry Seasoning: This is a blend of a few herbs and spices, usually including marjoram, sage, thyme, parsley, or rosemary. If you don't have poultry seasoning, feel free to add a combination of these to the soup instead. I think sage is perfect with this soup, so add that if you can!
- All Purpose Flour: All purpose flour is used to thicken the soup for a hearty texture.
- Chicken Stock or Broth: Feel free to use homemade, boxed, or canned stock or broth. I also often use bouillon paste and water for this recipe.
- Cooked Chicken or Turkey: Break your leftover chicken or turkey down and shred or dice the leftover meat. Both dark and white meat work well in this recipe.
- Gnocchi: Find gnocchi near the pasta in your regular grocery store aisles. These potato dumplings are tender and versatile for so many recipes.
- Green Beans: Use either fresh or frozen and thawed green beans. Cut them into 1-inch pieces so that they are easy to scoop up with the spoon for a delicious bite.
- Peas: Use either fresh or frozen peas. There's no need to thaw the peas before adding them to the soup.
- Half and Half: The recipe calls for ½ cup, but add it until you have the creamy texture you desire.
- Fresh Parsley: Just a bit of bright and fresh parsley at the finish really livens up the flavor of the soup.
Preparation in the Instant Pot
Instant Pot gnocchi soup is great for a preparation that is a bit more hands-off, plus you can easily keep the soup warm in the pot for any late diners.
We'll use two different functions in the preparation of the soup, the sauté and the soup modes. The sauté function will help bloom the spices and create the roux for thickening. The soup function brings the contents of the pot up to a more gentle boil so that you don't break up the gnocchi.
Select the "sauté" function and let the insert heat up for a few minutes. Add the oil, carrots, celery, onion, and garlic and stir often until the vegetables start to soften, about 5 minutes.
Add in the salt and pepper, poultry seasoning, and flour. Stir this around for about 30 seconds, cooking the flour and blooming the flavor of the herbs and spices. Add in the chicken stock slowly, stirring often. You'll want to make sure you scrape the bottom of the pot so that you don't get the dreaded "burn" warning once you pressure cook the soup. You'll also want to stir while the stock is added to avoid any lumps forming.
Add in the chicken or turkey, gnocchi, green beans, and peas. Stir everything well and then place the lid on the pot and lock it in place.
Close the valve and cook the soup using the "soup" function for 5 minutes. Once the 5 minutes are up, release the pressure. You should have tender gnocchi and a thickened soup.
Stir in the half and half and parsley, taste and adjust the seasonings, and the soup is ready!
Preparation on the Stove Top
The chicken & gnocchi soup can be prepared on the stove top with almost the same steps. Heat a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat and add the oil. Add in the mirepoix and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables get a bit tender. Reduce the heat if they start to brown.
Add in the flour, salt and pepper, and poultry seasoning and cook for 30 seconds. Stream in the chicken stock and stir to avoid any lumps from forming. Add in the chicken or turkey, gnocchi, green beans, and peas and bring the mixture to a boil.
Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook the soup for 10 minutes. The gnocchi should be tender and the soup should be thickened. Stir in the half and half and the parsley and taste for final seasoning before serving.
Substitutions and Variations
The substitutions listed below have been tested in this recipe and work well. If you successfully make any other ingredient substitutions, let us know in the comments!
- Swap Vegetables - Use any combination of fresh or frozen vegetables you like in this recipe. Make it extra simple with a bag of frozen mixed vegetables! Corn, potatoes, finely diced broccoli, spinach, or cubed squash will all work, though potatoes and squash may need additional cooking time to get tender.
- Use Rotisserie Chicken - Shredded or cubed rotisserie chicken is perfect in this soup for an easy addition.
- Omit the Chicken - Make this soup vegetarian by removing the chicken altogether and using a vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.
Equipment
This recipe was developed with a 6-quart Instant Pot capacity. You can also make this recipe using a Dutch oven or soup pot with equal volume capacity. I’d love to hear if you try this using a slow cooker, so chime in with a comment!
Make This Recipe Kid Friendly
Instant pot gnocchi soup has proven to be popular with a big range of kids, though some choose not to eat any gnocchi and others pick out all of the chicken or certain vegetables. Serve this soup with veggie sticks and an alternative protein source (hard-boiled eggs, cheese sticks, or yogurt) as an option for kids that don’t like all of the textures in the soup.
Storage
Store the cooled soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. The soup will reheat well in either the microwave or on the stove top. It is not recommended to freeze this soup, the gnocchi and some of the vegetables suffer texture-wise after freezing.
Make-Ahead Options
This chicken & gnocchi soup will reheat well from the refrigerator, so you can make the whole pot a day ahead of serving and have everything done in short order. You can also choose to chop and dice all of the vegetables the night before to help speed things along the next day. Store your prepared vegetables in an airtight container or zip bag.
FAQ
Gnocchi are typically made of mashed cooked potato, flour, and sometimes eggs. This is the type of gnocchi you will find on grocery store shelves near the pasta and the type you should use in this recipe. There are also gnocchi made of ricotta, four, and eggs or flour, water, and milk. Gnocchi can even be made with spinach, sweet potato, or pumpkin for different flavors.
Serve this soup with a simple side salad or some crusty bread for dipping.
Gluten-free gnocchi are available in some larger supermarkets. Swap regular gnocchi for the gluten-free variety and use cornstarch in place of the flour to thicken the soup. When using cornstarch as a thickener, do not add it dry to the soup pot like you would the flour. Reserve about one cup of the cold chicken stock or broth and whisk the cornstarch into it to form a slurry. Pour the slurry into the rest of the broth once it has been added to the vegetables.
More Recipes for Rotisserie Chicken
We often pick up rotisserie chicken for easy lunches throughout the week. Try these recipes for some new and delicious ways to use up shredded or diced rotisserie chicken:
More Cozy Instant Pot Dinners
The Instant Pot is a high-use appliance for good reason. It makes quick work of rice and pasta dishes and also cuts cooking time for stews and braises considerably. Here are some favorite pressure cooker recipes:
Try It and Share
I hope you try this Veggie Packed Chicken & Gnocchi Soup and share the recipe with family or friends. I want to see your results! Tag your photo with #planeatpostrepeat and mention me @planeatpostrepeat on Instagram or Facebook. I can give you a virtual high five and thank you for cooking one of my recipes! Comment below with any questions and please leave a review so others can find this recipe more easily.
Recipe
Veggie Packed Chicken & Gnocchi Soup (Instant Pot or Stove Top)
Equipment
- Instant Pot Pressure Cooker
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup diced carrots (~6 oz.)
- 1 cup diced celery (~6 oz.)
- ½ cup diced onion (~3 oz.)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 cups chicken stock or broth
- 2 cups diced cooked chicken or turkey
- 16 oz. uncooked gnocchi
- 1 cup peas (frozen or fresh)
- 1 cup green beans, cut in 1" pieces (~6 oz.)
- ½ cup half and half
- ¼ cup parsley, chopped
Instructions
Instant Pot Method
- Turn the instant Pot on and select the "sauté" function. Add the oil, carrots, celery, onion, and garlic to the insert and cook for 5 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften.
- Add in the flour, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Cook 30 seconds.
- Slowly stream in the chicken stock or broth, scraping the bottom of the insert and stirring constantly to avoid lumps.
- Stir in the chicken, gnocchi, peas, and green beans.
- Lock the top in place and close the valve. Select the "soup function" and cook for 5 minutes.
- Do a manual release of the pressure. Stir in the half and half and the parsley. Taste for seasonings and adjust if needed.
Stove Top Method
- Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the oil, carrots, celery, onion, and garlic and cook for 5 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften.
- Add in the flour, poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Cook 30 seconds.
- Slowly stream in the chicken stock or broth, scraping the bottom of the pot and stirring constantly to avoid lumps.
- Stir in the chicken, gnocchi, peas, and green beans.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes, until the gnocchi are tender.
- Stir in the half and half and the parsley. Taste for seasonings and adjust if needed.
Nutrition facts are sometimes provided below and are calculated using an online calculator. With specific brands of ingredients and additions, omissions, or substitutions the nutrition facts may change. We encourage you to use your own nutrition facts caculator to obtain the most accurate nutrition facts for your meal.
Cassie @ Plan. Eat. Post. Repeat. says
Please let me know if you have any comments or questions about this recipe!
Jean Waltman says
This was a great, easy fall recipe.
Cassie says
So glad you enjoyed it, Jean! It’s perfect for chilly fall evenings.
MaryAnn Catros says
A friend made this soup for a “soup supper” buffet, and it was a hit!! I hunted down your recipe, and it’s in my must-make file!
Cassie Waltman says
I love the idea of a soup buffet! So glad you enjoyed this soup and now have the recipe to try it out in your own kitchen.