Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup (Instant Pot)
My soup obsession is alive and kickin’ with this Instant Pot chicken gnocchi soup. With bites of pillowy gnocchi, fresh veggies, tender chicken and a touch of half and half, this is my favorite soup for when the weather starts turning.
You can make this soup in the instant pot, stove top or slow cooker. The heart of the soup is the gnocchi, often categorized as a pasta, but really more of a small potato dumpling. It adds so much texture and heart to this soup, it’s the one thing I don’t suggest subbing out.
Check out white bean and chicken chili, roasted butternut squash and red pepper soup or high-protein soups and chilis for a soup roundup that has something for the whole family, all winter long.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Low fat, high protein, and large servings.
- Copycat Olive Garden chicken gnocchi soup.
- This soup takes only 5 minutes to pressure cook.
- Customize your chicken gnocchi soup to how you want it! Your bowl…your rules.
Ingredients and Substitutes:
These are the main ingredients and substitutions. See the recipe card below for the full ingredients list and instructions for instant pot chicken gnocchi soup.
- Ground Chicken: any ground protein: beef, turkey, pork, rotisserie chicken, or shredded chicken.
- Fresh Spinach: the baby spinach makes it feel like a complete meal while adding greens and color. You can use any leafy green.
- White Onion, Carrots and Celery: any combo of fresh veggies but there are my classic go-to soup veggies.
- Frozen Peas and Corn: using frozen makes this easy.
- Chicken Broth: I used low sodium. Vegetable broth, beef broth, chicken stock or bone broth also work well.
- Gnocchi: made with flour, potato and egg. It’s soft, chewy, thick, and perfect for adding depth, flavor, and texture to this soup. I used De Cecco Potato Gnocchi but any brand or gluten-free gnocchi works. You can find fresh gnocchi at the grocery store in the refrigerated section or in the pasta aisle.
- Fresh Garlic: the more the better, in my book!
- Fat-Free Half and Half: or Greek yogurt, full-fat coconut milk or heavy cream in place of half and half.
Variations
- If you want to thicken this soup, add corn starch to the broth. Do this by making a cornstarch slurry with 1 Tbsp. of cornstarch and 1/4 cup of water. Add this when you add the half and half.
Dietary Modifications
- Gnocchi is not typically gluten-free as it’s made with potato and wheat flour. To make gluten-free use a gluten-free version, such as Trader Joes cauliflower gnocchi.
- For dairy-free, replace the fat-free half-and-half with full-fat coconut milk. Omit or substitute parmesan cheese for a dairy-free version.
How to make Instant Pot Chicken Gnocchi Soup (a visual step-by-step guide):
Step 1: sauté chicken and add veggies
Set your Instant Pot to the sauté setting. Add the olive oil, once hot, add the ground chicken (image 1). Cook until browned, breaking into bite-size pieces. Add the seasonings to the chicken. Stir to evenly coat (image 2). Add the garlic, onions, carrots, and celery (image 3). Sauté for about 2 minutes until the vegetables start to soften and the garlic is fragrant (image 4).
Step 2: stir in gnocchi and pressure cook
Pour in the chicken broth (image 5), stirring well to combine and scrape any bits off the bottom of the pot (image 6). Add the gnocchi to the pot. Stir well to combine (image 7).
Put the lid on the Instant Pot, set the valve to the sealing position, and cook on Manual High Pressure for 4 minutes. When the timer beeps, quick release the pressure. Once the pressure is fully released, remove the lid (image 8).
Step 3: return the instant pot to the sauté setting.
Set the Instant Pot back to the sauté setting. Stir in the spinach, peas and corn (image 9). Cook for a few minutes until the spinach has wilted and the peas and corn are warmed through (image 10). Add in the fat-free half-and-half, stirring until well combined (image 11). Allow the soup to simmer for a few more minutes until it’s heated through and the peas and corn are warm. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed and serve (image 12).
Expert Tip!
If you know your IP runs hot, add cooked gnocchi in after pressure cooking to avoid it being overdone.
Recipe FAQs
Store your leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Soup gets better the next day and this is no exception. Heat your chicken gnocchi soup on the stovetop or microwave. If you find the gnocchi have soaked up some of the liquid, add a little milk, fat-free half and half or broth to the pot while it heats up.
Nothing goes better with this creamy chicken gnocchi soup than a side of crusty bread and a little side green salad. So simple, but so complete.
1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the ground chicken. Cook until browned, breaking it into bite-sized pieces. This will take about 5 minutes.
2. Transfer the browned chicken to the slow cooker. Add seasonings, garlic, onions, carrots, celery, and chicken broth. Stir to combine.
3. Cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or HIGH for 2-3 hours.
4. About 20 minutes before serving, add the gnocchi to the slow cooker. Stir well, cook until the gnocchi flout to the top. Once cooked add in the spinach, peas, corn, and fat-free half-and-half. Stir well and cover, allowing the spinach to wilt and the peas and corn to heat through.
1. In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Once hot, add the ground chicken. Cook until browned, breaking it into bite-sized pieces, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the seasonings to the chicken, stirring to coat evenly. Mix in the garlic, onions, carrots, and celery, sautéing for about 2-3 minutes until the vegetables start to soften and the garlic becomes fragrant.
3. Pour in the chicken broth, making sure to stir well, scraping any bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 10 minutes.
4. Add the gnocchi and continue to simmer until they rise to the surface and are cooked through, approximately 3-4 minutes.
5. Stir in the spinach, peas, and corn. Allow them to cook for a few minutes until the spinach has wilted and the peas and corn are warmed through. Mix in the fat-free half-and-half, stirring well. Let the soup simmer for a few more minutes until everything is heated through.
Check out some of our other instant pot meals!
- Instant Pot Chicken Spaghetti
- Instant Pot Fettuccine Alfredo
- Instant Pot Fried Rice
- Instant Pot Chicken Stroganoff
If you make this recipe, please leave a rating and/or comment! Tag me on Instagram @ohsnapmacros, I love hearing from you!
Instant Pot Chicken Gnocchi Soup
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Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 lb. lean ground chicken
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 2 carrots peeled and diced in rounds
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 1 tsp. dried basil
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp. paprika
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 lb. potato gnocchi
- 2 cups fresh spinach packed
- 1 cup frozen peas 130g
- 1 cup frozen corn 140g
- 1/2 cup fat-free half-and-half 115g
Optional Toppings
- fresh chopped parsley
- fresh grated Parmesan cheese
- hot sauce
Instructions
- Set your Instant Pot to the sauté setting. Add the olive oil, once hot, add the ground chicken. Cook until browned, breaking into bite size pieces. This takes about 5 minutes. If using frozen ground chicken do the same this may just take longer to cook.
- Add the salt, pepper, basil, paprika and oregano to the chicken. Stir to evenly coat.
- Add the garlic, onions, carrots, and celery. Sauté for about 2 minutes until the vegetables start to soften and garlic is fragrant.
- Pour in the chicken broth, stirring well to combine and to scrape any bits off the bottom of the pot. This will prevent the "burn" warning.
- Add the gnocchi to the pot. Stir well to combine.
- Put the lid on the Instant Pot, set the valve to sealing position, and cook on Manual High Pressure for 4 minutes.
- When the timer beeps, quick release the pressure. Once the pressure is fully released, remove the lid.
- Set the Instant Pot back to the sauté setting. Stir in the spinach, peas and corn. Cook for a few minutes until the spinach has wilted and the peas and corn are warmed through.
- Add in the fat-free half-and-half, stirring until well combined.
- Allow the soup to simmer for a few more minutes until it's heated through and the peas and corn are warm.
- Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
- Serve the soup hot, garnished with a sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley.
Notes
- All nutritional information is an estimate and will vary with substitutions.
- Use any preferred ground meat for this gnocchi soup.
- Beef broth, veggie broth or bone broth may be used in place of chicken broth.
- Add any fresh or frozen vegetables you prefer.
- Alternatively to cooking the gnocchi in the instant pot you can simmer after removing the lid until cooked through.
Love this comforting soup and have made it many times. Delallo brand gnocchi completely disintegrated in the instant pot so I would recommend cooking it separately if you’re using it!!
I’ve made this a few times. It’s good and my toddler LOVES it. I always double the recipe because it goes fast. Another great recipe!
Very yummy and flavor-packed meal. I used full fat half and half and the calories were still very low. Gnocchi was cooked perfectly, my only complaint was that I was expecting a bit more creaminess, the soup came out pretty brothy, still delicious so I wasn’t upset but it wasn’t quite the texture I was expecting.
This soup is delicious! So easy and hearty. Very creamy and full of flavor. Will definitely make again!
My gnocchi became literal potato mush and I followed the exact pressure cooker directions. Any ideas why?
Not sure! Could be the gnocchi used or the instant pot heat. You can also make it without the gnocchi and add it after to avoid it happening again.
Made this in the crockpot and loved it! Family approved!
Awesome!! So glad you all loved it!