Slow Cooker Chicken Gnocchi Soup

Name: Slow Cooker Chicken Gnocchi Soup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 7 h 45 min
Total time: 7 h 55 min
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1-1.5 lbs of chicken breast (2 large breasts), trimmed; 1 cup yellow onion, diced fine; 3/4 cup roasted red peppers, diced small; 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced; 1 teaspoon salt + more to taste; 1/8 teaspoon black pepper; 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper; 1/2 teaspoon dried basil; 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano; 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley; 5 cups chicken stock; (1) 17.5 ounce package potato gnocchi; 1/2 cup heavy cream; 2-3 ounces baby spinach; 1 cup parmesan cheese, shredded from the block

Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

This Slow Cooker Chicken Gnocchi Soup is so creamy and hearty. It's a dump and go crockpot meal that's super easy to prep in the morning for a quick dinner that night. Top this creamy soup with parmesan cheese and get your tastebuds ready!

Chicken gnocchi soup in bowl with parmesan cheese.

Slow cooker meals are the best in the Fall and Winter months, especially when they are loaded with comfort, like this recipe.

A creamy broth meets tender shredded chicken, gnocchi and veggies for some serious Italian flavors.

For more of my favorite slow cooker recipes, check out these Crockpot Birria Tacos, Sirloin Tip Roast in the Crockpot, and Crockpot Chicken Enchiladas.

Jump to:

Why You'll Love This Crockpot Recipe:
What is Gnocchi?
Ingredients:
Substitutions and Variations:
How to Make Slow Cooker Chicken Gnocchi Soup:
Expert Tips:
Recipe FAQs:
More Soups You Will Love:
Recipe

Why You'll Love This Crockpot Recipe:

Easy to Prep. Take 10 minutes to prep this in the morning and let the crockpot do the work.
Delish. This Italian Soup is packed with flavors that the whole family will love.
Little Effort. Slow cooker meals are great because there's really not much actual cooking involved.
Simple Clean Up. No multiple pots and pans with this recipe.

If you want a side dish to pair with this soup, try this Air Fryer Garlic Bread, Pull Apart Garlic Bread or whip up an easy Caesar Salad with this Caesar Salad Dressing without Anchovies.

What is Gnocchi?

Gnocchi can sometimes be mistaken as a pasta, but it's actually potato. Personally, it reminds me of a dumpling in soup and it's delish. It's on the heavier side, which makes this soup recipe actually fill you up.

Try this Gnocchi Marinara, Creamy Pesto Gnocchi, and Sausage Gnocchi with Spinach too!

Ingredients:

Gnocchi: A chewy potato dumpling that is out of this world! I like the Gia Russa and De Cecco brands. They can be found in the pasta isle.

Chicken Breast: Cooks low and slow until tender and is then shredded apart before serving. Smart Chicken is my top brand for chicken breast because it usually requires little to no trimming.

Chicken Stock and Heavy Cream: Create the creamy rich soup broth. Chicken stock will have richer flavor versus Chicken Broth, because it's cooked with the bones.

Onion, Roasted Red Peppers and Garlic: Bring in big Italian flavor and textures.

Baby Spinach: Added for health benefits. Spinach is high in many vitamins like potassium and iron. Plus, it's high in fiber.

Spices: An Italian blend of dried parsley, basil and oregano are used for taste, as well as salt and a bit of black and crushed red pepper for heat.

Parmesan Cheese: Used for topping to add a nutty flavor right before serving. I recommend shredding the parmesan from a block for the best melt.

*Full recipe ingredients and quantities are listed in the recipe card below.

Substitutions and Variations:

For another addition of sweet and spicy, try adding in a few tablespoons of roughly chopped peppadew or piquante peppers. If you like really spicy, add a teaspoon of Calabrian chili paste.
Not big on gnocchi? A small pasta, like ditalini or macaroni, can be substituted. Only use about ¾ cup to avoid it soaking up a lot of the broth. It may need to cook for a bit longer (15-20 minutes) more than the gnocchi.
Love tomatoes? Add in ½ of a 15 ounce can of drained diced tomatoes.

For more easy chicken soup recipes try this Marry Me Chicken Soup, Chicken Soup with Wild Rice, and Green Chicken Chili Soup.

How to Make Slow Cooker Chicken Gnocchi Soup:

Chicken breast in crockpot with onion seasonings and roasted red pepper.

Step 1: Add the chicken breast, onion, roasted red peppers, garlic, salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper, basil, parsley and oregano all into the slow cooker.

Step 2: Pour the chicken stock over the ingredients. Cover and turn heat on low. Cook for 6 to 7 hours until the chicken is fall apart tender.

Step 3: Use two forks to shred apart the chicken breast into smaller pieces. It should be super easy and you don't even have to pull it out of the pot.

Step 4: Pour in the gnocchi, heavy cream and baby spinach. Stir well, turn the heat to high and cover for 45 minutes, stirring once half way through. Note: If you don't like the stems on the spinach, remove them before adding to the soup.

Step 5: Serve with a sprinkle of parmesan on top and/or more crushed red pepper flakes.

Step 6: Enjoy!

Expert Tips:

The chicken should shred without hardly any effort. If it feels tough, you may need to cook it for an extra hour or so.
Make sure to cut the onion really fine or it may have a bit of a crunch to it when serving.
Don't leave the gnocchi in the broth on high heat after the 45 minutes of cooking or they will start to get mushy. Leave the crockpot partially covered and on warm until everyone's eaten.

If you're big on Comfort Food, try these Mini Chicken Pot Pies, Chicken Tater Tot Casserole and Boneless Beef Short Ribs.

Recipe FAQs:

Should you cook gnocchi before adding it to soup?

No, you don't need to. It actually cooks even quicker than pasta would right in the soup broth.

How long to cook chicken breast in a slow cooker?

Chicken breast takes 6-7 hours on low in the slow cooker or 3-4 hours on high. To check it, just make sure the internal temperature reads 165 degrees. It should shred apart with little effort.

Storage & Reheating:

Allow the soup to come to room temperature, then store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, simply add the soup to a saucepan with lid and heat over medium low on the stovetop.

More Soups You Will Love:

If you tried this Slow Cooker Chicken Gnocchi Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!

Recipe