Creamy “Marry Me” Chicken Gnocchi Soup is made with chicken breast, sausage, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, and pillowy soft gnocchi.
Chicken Gnocchi Soup
My Marry Me Chicken recipe has been going viral in the Skinnytaste Facebook Community Group, so why not make it into a soup? Someone asked me to lighten a Marry Me Chicken Soup that someone made with lots of cream and potatoes. I was inspired by my Tuscan Chicken Gnocchi Soup (a fan favorite) from the Skinnytaste Cookbook. After some testing, I loved how this Chicken and Gnocchi Soup recipe turned out. It’s that winter comfort soup we’re all craving this time of year made healthy with plenty of protein and vegetables. For more gnocchi recipes, try my Cheesy Eggplant Gnocchi Caprese, Gnocchi in Red Pepper Sauce, and Cauliflower Gnocchi.
Chicken Gnocchi Soup Ingredients
- Slurry: A slurry is a water-flour mixture that thickens soups. Use all- purpose or gluten-free flour, half-and-half, and cold water.
- Sausage: Remove the casings from sweet Italian chicken sausage.
- Shallot and Garlic: Once cooked, shallot and garlic become mellow and aromatic, imparting depth to the soup.
- Tomato Paste adds a savory tomato flavor.
- Chicken: Use a pound of boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
- Parmesan: Using a parmesan rind and grated cheese gives this simple gnocchi soup a deliciously creamy, nutty flavor.
- Sundried Tomatoes: Drain sundried tomatoes in oil and chop them.
- Italian Seasoning is a dried herb blend consisting of basil, oregano, rosemary, and others.
- Potato Gnocchi: Buy one package of store-bought gnocchi or use homemade.
- Spinach: Chopped baby spinach provides vitamin C, iron, and other nutrients.
- Basil: Fresh basil has a brighter, more intense flavor than dried.
How to Make Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- Create a slurry by whisking cold water, half-and-half, and flour in a small bowl.
- Cook the sausage in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Break it up with a spoon and cook until it’s no longer pink and slightly browned.
- Add the Other Ingredients: Sauté the shallot and garlic in olive oil for a few minutes. Add the tomato paste and chicken breasts, followed by water, broth, parmesan rind, sundried tomatoes, and Italian seasoning.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, partially cover, and simmer on low heat until the vegetables are soft and the chicken shreds easily. Remove the chicken, shred it with two forks, and return it to the pot. Pour in the slurry, stirring well, and bring it back to a boil.
- Gnocchi and Spinach: Add the gnocchi, spinach, parmesan cheese, and basil. Cook the gnocchi according to the package directions (they will float to the top when done).
- Before Serving: Adjust the salt and pepper to taste and discard the cheese rind.
Variations
- Sausage: Substitute chicken sausage with turkey.
- Parmesan Rind: If you don’t have a parmesan rind, it’s fine to skip it. However, it adds depth you can’t get from grated parmesan. One tip for always having rinds on hand is to store them in a zip-locked bag in the freezer the next time you cut one off a block of parmesan.
- Shallot: Swap the shallot with red onion.
- Italian Seasoning: If you don’t have Italian seasoning, substitute dried basil and oregano.
- Chicken: Use skinless chicken thighs if you prefer dark meat.
What to Eat with Gnocchi Soup
Packed with protein, carbs, and vegetables, this healthy gnocchi soup is a complete meal by itself, but here are some suggestions to round out the meal:
- Crusty bread or baguette for dipping in the broth
- Garlic knots pair well with the garlic in the soup.
- A green salad is an easy side for any soup. My go-to is romaine with red onion and avocado, but any combination of veggies, like grape tomatoes or cucumber, would work.
Storage
This easy chicken gnocchi soup will last in the refrigerator for four days or in the freezer for three months. I like to freeze soup in smaller glass containers or souper cubes to pull out a serving whenever I need a quick meal. You can let it thaw in the fridge in advance or microwave it frozen.
Gnocchi Soup FAQs
Gnocchi are soft potato dumplings consisting of potatoes, eggs, and flour. The gnocchi dough is formed into a rope and cut to make one-inch pieces.
There are a few ways to cook gnocchi. Which one is the best depends on what texture you want.
1. Boiling gnocchi in water, like pasta, is the most common way to cook it.The results are softer, more tender gnocchi.
2. Bake gnocchi on a sheet pan for a crispier, firmer texture.
3. Sautéing gnocchi in olive oil in a skillet will result in a similar texture as baking it.
Gnocchi will cook in the hot broth, so it’s not necessary to cook them separately before adding them to soup.
More Chicken Soup Recipes You’ll Love
- Chicken Soup with Spinach and Acini di Pepe
- Lasagna Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Chicken Shiitake and Wild Mushroom Soup
- Chicken Sweet Potato and Kale Soup
Chicken Gnocchi Soup Recipe
Equipment
- Dutch Oven or large pot
Ingredients
Slurry
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour, or gluten-free flour mix
- 1/4 cup half and half
- 1 cup cold water, divided
Soup
- 7 ounces sweet Italian chicken sausage, removed from casings
- Olive oil spray
- 5 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
- 1 large shallot, diced
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons tomato paste
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast
- 1 parmesan cheese rind
- 1/3 cup sundried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 16 ounce package gnocchi, or gluten-free gnocchi
- 4 cups fresh baby spinach leaves, rough chopped
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 2 tbsp fresh basil , optional for garnish
Instructions
- Create a slurry by combining 1/2 cup of the cold water, half and half and flour in a small bowl and whisk until well blended. Set aside.
- Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat and spray with oil then add the sausage. Cook the sausage, breaking up with a wooden spoon as it cooks, until no longer pink and slightly browned.
- Add the shallots and garlic and cook until soft, 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste and chicken breast.
- Pour the remaining 1/2 cup water and chicken broth, parmesan rind, sundried tomatoes, Italian seasoning and bring to a boil. Partially cover and simmer on low until vegetables are soft and the chicken shreds easily, about 25 minutes.
- Remove the chicken and set aside, shred with 2 forks.
- Return the chicken to the pot then slowly stir in slurry, stirring well as you add and bring it back to a boil.
- Add the gnocchi, spinach, parmesan cheese and basil; cook according to package directions for the gnocchi, or until they start to float to the top and soup thickens. Adjust salt and pepper to taste, discard parmesan cheese rind and serve.
Last Step:
Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.Notes
- Sausage: Substitute chicken sausage with turkey.
- Parmesan Rind: If you don’t have a parmesan rind, it’s fine to skip it. However, it adds depth you can’t get from grated parmesan. One tip for always having rinds on hand is to store them in a zip-locked bag in the freezer the next time you cut one off a block of parmesan.
- Shallot: Swap the shallot with red onion.
- Italian Seasoning: If you don’t have Italian seasoning, substitute dried basil and oregano.
Absolutely Wonderful! Took a chance making this recipe because my dad hates spinach and Mom hates sausage, but they both loved it 10 out of 10 stars!
I love Gina’s recipe but this didn’t have much flavor – maybe because didn’t have a cheese rind, sweet sausage and added chicken roisetiere sausage. Slur needed flavor maybe too. I like married with chicken gnocchi but it was still good.
This was absolutely delicious!! I made a few adjustments, substituting a whole shredded rotisserie chicken for the breast, which I added with the spinach and gnocchi (cutting down on Step 4’s cooking time) and left out the parmesan cheese rind as I didn’t have one. Will definitely be making this again.
Delicious!! I did use spicy Italian sausage instead of sweet sausage and I did not have a cheese rind. My husband was very impressed with the flavors.
I’ve made this recipe several times. I don’t add sausage and a little less spinach. Great each time especially with a name brand gnocchi.
When listing ingredients, it would be more helpful if the divided ingredients are listed with the part it is used for. The slurry only takes 1/2 cup water. The remaining water goes in later with the chicken and sausage.
This took WAY longer than anticipated. Maybe I just had giant chicken breasts (though total weight was 1lb!), but it took 45 minutes before they were shred able. Next time I’ll start earlier. Flavorwise it was good, and I used pre-cooked sausage to save time (jokes on me 😂)
Love, love, love this soup. Super easy to make and great to warm up on a cold night. I am a party of 1 so follow steps 1 – 6 and then freeze 1/2. I cut ingredients for step 7 in 1/2.
Amazing soup! So tasty! I even did a variation where instead of the slurry I added 1 can of tomato sauce. It was so good!
So good 👍🏻👍🏻
Delicious! Fan favorite. This dish will be a repeat on our menu. I substituted the chicken sausage for spicy Italian sausage. It gave it a little kick.
Soup was hearty, creamy and not too heavy despite the gnocchi.
Definitely a keeper!
Delicious meal !!! Easy and one pot!!
Delicious soup!
It was very good,husband loved it. I’ll make again, I did add red pepper flakes to soup. Love your recipes.
Making this weekend! looks so good!!
Great dish! Comes together nicely! We’ve made it twice now, so good.
I love Marry Me Chicken and this soup version was so delicious! Thanks so much for a great recipe!
My family liked this one, I’ll make it again. The prep took longer than expected, but came together easily. I added more chicken, it’s what was in the package I had, but otherwise I made it as written. It was slightly salty but that could have been from the brand of sausage. This could be a great way to use up leftovers (veggies, meat)!
Really good and easy. Has anyone ever made ahead and froze?
Sooooo good! Something I would expect to find in a restaurant…but better. And so easy to make!
Yummy! To make it easier on myself, i leave the chicken out and use the whole package of italian sausage. Otherwise, i follow the recipe exactly as it is written. This soup is so good!
I like this idea. I’m going to try this.
Would totally make this again!
Amazing and easy! I went the quick route & bought preshredded chicken breast, diced shallot & garlic. I omitted the rind since my parm wedge didn’t have one. So easy! I can’t wait to eat the leftovers tomorrow! Thank you!
I will be making this for the second time. This recipe is easy to put together and very comforting on a cold day. I will be making this again and again.
Simple,tasty and hearty soup.
This is so delicious! I’ve made it several times. Gina’s recipes are excellent.
Delicious! Subbed can of diced tomatoes and mild Italian sausage since that’s what I had on hand. Will definitely make again.
My kid’s not picky but he’s not a fan of leftovers so I’ve just been trying whatever catches my eye on here. This was so tasty. I’ll 100% be adding it to the rotation. Followed the recipe exactly except for the rind. My wife also said it kept her full as a lunch option.
Perfect!
I cook a lot and I’ve found the Skinny Taste recipes consistently good. Unfortunately, this one was “meh”. The broth was flavorful but not sure how much the gnocchi added. The chicken came out rubbery and the sausage was ok. It was a rare miss- probably won’t make again anytime soon.
This recipe is a keeper and will be going into regular rotation as a cold weather comfort dish.
This recipe is absolutely delicious! It’s so meaty and filling and the flavor is amazing!
Haven’t made yet but what do you do if you don’t have a parmesan rind?
Delicious and so easy.
This sounds delightful, but my husband doesn’t like Italian Sausage. What meats would you suggest for a good substitute?
I really wanted to like this more than I did. I’m not sure why, but it was just ok.
Amazingly delicious! So so good I wanted to eat it all! I added 1 extra cup of broth and 1 less tablespoon of flour, next time I will add 2 extra cups of broth as it still thickened nicely. Thanks again Gina for creating all these healthy recipes that don’t make me feel like I’m missing something.
Thanks Sally! Glad you enjoyed it!
Delicious!
Made this tonight and it’s my new fav!!
Excellent!
Did not disappoint but then I can’t recall a Skinnytaste recipe that has!
Thanks Karen!
10 out of 10 ! I love this soup!
GREAT!!
Very delicious! Substituted whole milk for the half & half because it what I had.
My hubby loved it!!!
Looking forward to making it again!
This was delicious, so much flavor. It was great the day we made it but even better the day after!
This is delicious! My husband told me that I can make this dish anytime. Will definitely make this again.
I must confess that I not sure I would like this soup, but tried it anyway because of the positive comments. I made it exactly as written and my husband and I loved it so much. It is easy to make, nutritious and very satisfying. This recipe is a keeper for sure. Thanks Gina!
Fantastic recipe! The family loves it he soup, it is heart healthy, and most importantly, very tasty. I am a dietitian and have a PhD in nutrition, and will be including this in my favorite recipes file.
I made this soup last night. It was very creamy, flavorful and filling. I will definitely make this one again
This was amazing! It makes a ton so I froze half. Hearty, delicious and will definitely make again. I think the shallot is a must – the leftovers are SO tasty. Thank you for this recipe!
This soup was excellent!!! Will be on our regular rotation!
Wonderful ” resturant quality” was the verdict. I had the dried type sun dried tomato which I soaked in the extra half cup of water that was to get added to the recipe. Seasonings were great, and did have fresh basil to add to the bowl. Had a 12 oz bag of frozen caulilfower gnocchi, and they seemed to work just fine, added to boiling water per recipe. Thanks!
Absolutely delicious! WOW. Didn’t change anything.
Made this soup for a family gathering and everyone loved it.
Super tasty! I didn’t use the chicken sausage. My husband liked it – which is a huge deal since he’s not a “soup” or “white meat” lover.
Rave reviews this was sooooo good! Family loved it could not get enough
I subbed hot chicken sausage which gave this a nice zing! Used frozen spinach and threw in about 1/2C of frozen corn. Used mini gnocchi. This s soup was creamy, delicious and really lends itself to various veg Fresh or frozen. Try it!!
This soup is hearty and delicious! There is a depth of flavor and i enjoyed it till the last bite. It was not too time consuming. I really appreciate all of your recipes and it allows me to continue eating healthy and enjoy it.
This was delicious! My whole family loved it, including two picky kiddos. Leftovers were great too.
Just wanted to let you know that I made this and it was amazing. One bite and my hubby said oh boy you have to make this again!
YAY
I made this tonight as written. It had wonderful flavor and no additional salt was needed because of the Parmesan rind/cheese. When I make it again, however, I will double the amount of the chicken Italian sausage and not use the chicken breast OR just do the chicken breast (or just make it with sweet Italian pork sausage). I personally didn’t care for the two different textures of meat together.
This was outstanding! Not hard at all to come together on a weeknight and kids and adults all enjoyed it. Felt much more filling than the calories!
GREAT!
Delicious Chicken Gnocchi Soup! I made this for a Sunday dinner. It was super easy to put together and it was a hit for my husband and I. It made great leftovers for lunch the next day too. I can always count on finding easy, nutritious and delicious recipes from Skinnytaste!
This came out sooo good. I followed it to a tee except added in some fresh lemon juice & zest at the end! This will for sure be in my rotation.
Came out absolutely delish and I didn’t change a thing!
Definitely a keeper. Was better than we expected and only 9 points on the new WW plan. 🙂
I love your recipes ordinarily, Gina, but this one was OUT OF THIS WORLD! My husband could not stop raving about it. And one serving left me feeling full. I’m so excited for lunch leftovers today!
Oh my goodness, this is totally amazing. I didn’t change a thing. For the first time ever I get tasting the layers of flavors. Wow! This is an absolutely winner and I will most definitely share it with everyone. I have followed you for years. I can’t tell you how much you have brought into my life with my new cooking skills.
Super delicious and very easy to follow! I will definitely be making this again!
Loved it! I’ll definitely make again. I had to use sweet Italian pork sausage because that was my only option at the grocery store. The broth has such a good flavor. I am such a fan of the skinnytaste recipes. They’ve been an excellent tool in my weight-loss journey. I’m down 100 lbs
Congrats Angela! That’s awesome!
Delicious! This is going on my list of favorites. I’ll definitely be making this again!
My husband loved this recipe and so did I. It was very flavourful, delicious and looked very appetizing. I will be making this again and again.
Just not my favorite recipe of yours. I think the chicken needed more flavor, the broth was quite nice. I have half left over, so hoping that it will taste so much better today after it has sat in the fridge overnight.
I absolutely LOVED this soup! Will make it again and often. I added some chopped green pepper to soup. It was so creamy and delicious!
Can you do this in the crockpot?
I have not tried but it should be ok?
Delicious soup! I could not stop eating it!
Planning on making this tonight and plugged it into MFP and the numbers are different. This recipe says 1 1/2 cups per serving and the MFP says 1 1/4 cups. Will simply enter the macros from this recipe on Pinterest rather than using the MFP information. But the numbers are quite different and worth noting if you’re counting macros!! Can’t wait to make it!
I dont put the numbers in MFP, so I would go by these.
This was an elevated bowl of comfort food. I used Trader Joe’s chicken sausage but next time (and there WILL be a next time) I will use Publix chicken sausage which has more flavor. I didn’t have the rind so I threw in a chunk of Parmesan. I also added a bit more herbs, otherwise, stuck close to the recipe. My husband pointed out it’s a colorful soup and he loved it, too.
Just finished making it-so much going on in this soup-love it!
Can you use cauliflower rice to make homemade gnocchi? Instead of fresh cauliflower?
Yes look for my cauliflower gnocchi recipe.
This was delicious! Perfect meal for a cool evening. Made it exactly as described in recipe – and other than having a hard time finding the Parmesan rind to pull out – it was super easy. Family all loved it.
A good hearty soup
I have made A LOT of Skinnytaste recipes, and this one might just be my favorite! Delish!
This soup was delicious and easy to make! My husband and I both loved it. I did not have a parmesan rind, but it still came out so good. Nice, hearty meal for a cold night. Thank you Gina for always sharing great recipes
Do you think you can make this in the slow cooker?
So good and PERFECT for this cold, rainy weather in CA. Family loved it, even though my husband wasn’t that crazy about the Marry Me Chicken, he thought this was incredible.
Super easy to make. Taste is delicious!
Looks so good! Do you suggest fresh or frozen gnocchi? Will either work?
both work fine
This looks amazing! I’d really like to try this recipe. However my husband is not a fan of Italian sausage…something about the seasoning in it. Can you suggest a good replacement protein?
Just swap for a sausage he likes.
Hi Gina,
Could I just use 2% milk for the slurry? I never have half and half in the house. Thanks for sharing your consistently delicious recipes. I’ve not had a failure with any I’ve tried.
Yes but it wont be as creamy.
Looks amazing! Do you think the Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi would work in this?
I used it and it was fine!
Step 4 says to simmer until the vegetables are soft and the chicken shreds easily. Vegetables??? Do you mean the sun-dried tomatoes? Also, do you have to remove the parm rind or does it melt into the soup? I’ve not cooked with it before. Many thanks, I’m looking forward to making this recipe.
Yes correct. And yes you should remove it.
What would be a good non dairy substitute for the half and half
Any non-dairy creamer
I’m planning on making this for dinner tonight, but when I clicked on the WW link to track it for the day, the recipe that shows up is Chicken Florentine for 6pts—not the soup recipe, which is apparently 9pts per serving.
Thanks I just updated
I appreciate that! And thank you for such a delicious recipe! This was super tasty, and we really enjoyed it for dinner tonight!