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Just about every week now, we’ve been making it a priority to get out of the house for something other than school, work, and church. That means we’ve been enjoying a lot more meals at a nearby Italian chain. And the best part? I’ve gotten hooked on this delicious Chicken and Gnocchi soup. I’ve become such a fan that I had to figure out how to make it myself! You know what? It’s SUPER easy to make at home, and you’ll love this flavor, whether you’re serving it on it’s own or making it as a starter for your favorite pasta dish.
To start, you’ll want to pick up a carton of Swanson 100% Natural Chicken Broth at your local Walmart store, plus a few other ingredients, including chicken and your favorite packaged gnocchi– it doesn’t matter if it comes from the freezer section or the pasta aisle. Either one will work just fine! (Or, if you’re extra crafty, you can make your own gnocchi, but I think the packaged stuff is perfect for a weeknight). When selecting your Swanson 100% Natural Chicken Broth, you’ll want to just get the original kind, in the carton– trust me, you’ll use the full thing.
Start by getting your veggies ready. I sometimes like to do this in advance and refrigerate my chopped veggies, but you can do it whenever you’d like. I’ve already shared how my family sticks to soup for our Christmas celebration because they’re so easy and delicious, plus they don’t require someone to be in the kitchen slaving away over a hot stove all day, which is why I can’t wait to contribute this soup at this year’s Christmas dinner.
For this soup, you’ll need an onion, 3 cloves of garlic, roughly 3 stalks of celery, and some carrots (life pro tip: I buy mine already julienned to save a step in the kitchen!), and some fresh spinach. You’ll also want herbs and spices. Do you want to know the secret ingredient? You can’t really taste it unless you’re thinking about it, but this soup would definitely be missing something if you didn’t include a little bit of nutmeg!
In a soup pot, start by melting one stick of butter and a drizzle of olive oil together, then add your onions, celery, and garlic. Saute that until the onion becomes translucent and the veggies are tender. Add flour, whisking for a minute, and then, over medium heat, add a quart of Half and Half while whisking. You could use regular milk, but it just isn’t quite as creamy as the Half and Half, so I really advise going full-force and getting the real deal.
Once your half and half is nice and mixed in, add in your entire carton of Swanson 100% Natural Chicken Broth. The thing I love about Swanson Chicken Broth is that it really enhances the flavors of the other food– like the gnocchi and the veggies– without overpowering them in any way. It’s perfectly seasoned to blend right in with it’s unique blend of flavors.
After that’s been fully whisked in, add in your spices, carrots, and spinach. This is also the time to add in chopped cooked chicken. Stir and let simmer for a few minutes to wilt the spinach a little and allow the chicken to heat up, then toss in your gnocchi. I used 2 packages of pre-packaged gnocchi, but if you want fewer dumplings, you can always skip that. Cook until the gnocchi is completely cooked and softened, then serve nice and piping hot.
I know my entire family is going to love this on our Christmas table, and in the meantime, I’ve already had requests to make it again– it really is JUST like the soup at our local branch of the popular Italian chain, and it’s so creamy and hearty, perfect for a chilly fall or winter day.
Trust me, also, it’s SO easy that you can make it really quickly, whether it’s a special occasion or a weeknight, making it a great go-to dish for holiday potlucks, but also a perfect addition to your weeknight meal.
- 1 stick butter
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow or white onion, diced
- 3 stalks celery, chipped fine
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 C flour
- 1 quart half and half
- 1 box Swanson 100% natural chicken broth
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/4 tsp oregano
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 C carrots, julienned
- 1 C spinach, chopped
- 1 1/2 lbs chicken, cooked and diced
- 1-2 (16 oz each) packages gnocchi, per taste
- Melt butter and oil in a soup pot.
- Add onion, celery, and garlic to the butter, and saute until onions are translucent and tender.
- Stir in flour, then whisk for 1 minute.
- Whisk in half and half and simmer until thickened, stirring often.
- Whisk in chicken broth, then simmer until thickened, stirring often.
- Add spices, as well as salt and pepper to taste.
- Stir in carrots, spinach, chicken, and gnocchi, then simmer until heated through, then serve hot.
My favorite … Mmmmm!! Going to have to make this next week, when my mom visits! Thanks 🙂
Looks amazing, but I don’t see gnocchi anywhere in the ingredients list!
Oops! Sorry about that– I’ve updated it to reflect that you will need 1-2 packages (16 ounces each) of gnocchi. 1 package will yield a soup with more cream/broth, and 2 packages will be closer to like a chicken and dumplings, much heartier. Hope that helps, and thank you for pointing it out!
I have this on the stove now and can’t wait to see how it turns out. I’m making a double batch to share with friends.
I’m so glad you decided to make this recipe, Maria! I’d love to hear what you thought of it!
I did not see any reference to the gnocchi. Do you use the dried packaged kind, an if so, how much?
Hi, Gwen,
I sincerely apologize that the original recipe was missing the gnocchi. I’ve updated it to include that I used 2 packages (16 oz each) of dried packaged gnocchi, but you can use between 1 and 2 depending on your personal taste. Further, this recipe also works really well with frozen gnocchi or your favorite homemade gnocchi recipe, so feel free to experiment with it. In the photos of this recipe, it’s 2 16oz packages of dried gnocchi. Hope that helps!
Will definitely be making this one, just would like to know approx. prep and cook time so I can plan ahead.
thanks
Chris
Hi, Chris! Once your chicken is cooked, you should be able to prep in about 30 minutes, then stir and let simmer for another 30-35 to get it nice and hot. You add the gnocchi in about the last 5-10 minutes of cooking. If you want to cut down on the prep time, I highly recommend pre-julienned carrots and to use a cooked chicken (like a rotisserie chicken, or some leftover Thanksgiving turkey to substitute for chicken!). Otherwise, start-to-table, it’s roughly an hour including unattended cook time. Hope that helps!
How many oz is the chicken broth
Hi, Vicky, you’d be using a 32 ounce carton for this recipe. Hope that helps!
Thank you
Hi! I live alone and would love to try this. Have you or do you know anyone who has froze this after words for later meals. Thanks!!!
I have not tried freezing this soup, but if you do try it, let me know how it goes! My recommendation would be to freeze it before putting in the gnocchi, and then re-heating it and adding the gnocchi each time you re-heat, rather than freezing it with that pasta already in it. I think it would hold up better during the process, but again, I haven’t tried it yet. Enjoy!