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Creamy, Spicy Chicken Gnocchi Soup with bacon bits. This is a bowl of winter comfort food, and it’s exactly what we’re craving most right now. It’s a mix of vegetables, shredded rotisserie chicken, and potato gnocchi in a creamy verde broth with melty cheddar cheese. Top each bowl of creamy soup with crispy bacon, then serve with crusty bread. It’s absolutely the yummiest cozy dinner fit for an extra chilly night.
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It’s soup season! Growing up, the only three soups I was familiar with were chicken noodle soup, broccoli cheddar, and top ramen. We can’t forget that because there were times when Mom and I would eat that on repeat every single day for lunch.
My mom loves soup, and I love the three listed above the most. I’ve never been someone who gets overly excited about, say, tomato soup (although I’m coming around). Personally, I prefer a heartier soup—something with noodles, maybe some chicken, and if it’s creamy too, even better.
I’ve shared so many soups that we adore over the years, but gnocchi soup is one that I keep coming back to over and over again. It’s not only full of yummy gnocchi, but I also love to make my gnocchi soup on the creamy side. It’s so delicious!
And today’s version is a little spicier too! The trick is adding salsa verde. It adds just the right amount of flavor and spice. You don’t really know it’s there, but the flavor it adds makes this gnocchi soup better than the rest!
Trust me, I know you will enjoy it!
These are the Details to Know
Ingredients
- bacon
- fresh sage
- an onion
- carrots
- celery
- garlic
- fresh thyme, or use dried
- flour, gluten-free works great
- salted butter
- broth, I love chicken bone broth
- salsa verde, one of my most used ingredients
- chopped up kale or baby spinach
- cream or whole milk, coconut milk is great if you’re dairy-free
- potato gnocchi
- melty cheddar cheese
Special Tools
None! Just a large soup pot or Dutch oven – which we hopefully all have!
Steps
Step 1: cook the bacon
You’ll want to start with the bacon. Crisp it up, then toss in a handful of fresh sage or oregano leaves. Once the fresh herbs hit the bacon grease, they begin to fry up and become crisp.
The salty bacon and herbs add an unexpected special touch to each bowl.
Step 2: creating the broth
Once you’ve cooked the bacon, pull it out of the Dutch oven and put almost everything else in: the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and thyme. Season everything well with salt and black pepper.
Stir in butter and flour. I wanted this gnocchi soup to be incredibly creamy and have the most delicious broth. The flour helps keep the broth from separating.
Stir in a little broth and simmer everything together to allow the vegetables to cook and the flavors to mend together.
Step 3: adding the cream and gnocchi
Next, mix in the kale, cream or milk, salsa verde, and gnocchi. Let the gnocchi cook for a couple of minutes.
Now add a big handful of leftover shredded chicken, or turkey if you recently roasted a holiday bird! Add the cheese, cooking until it melts into the broth.
Step 4: serve
All you do now is ladle the soup into bowls and top with the bacon.
Of course, I like to serve this with bread. Add a nice side salad for color, and you’ll have the perfect easy dinner.
The Leftovers
If you’re planning to enjoy this soup leftover, be sure to remove the gnocchi from the broth before refrigerating. That way, the gnocchi won’t soak up all the broth. Then, just add the gnocchi back in before serving.
If your night needs some warming soup, this should be it. I’m looking forward to making this the week before Christmas—once I’m finally home again!
Looking for other easy Monday night dinners?? Here are my favorites:
Creamy French Onion and Mushroom Soup
Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken Tortilla Soup with Salty Lime Chips
One Pot Chicken and Sage Dumplings
Lastly, if you make this Creamy Spicy Chicken Gnocchi Soup, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Creamy Spicy Chicken Gnocchi Soup
Ingredients
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped, (optional)
- 8 fresh sage leaves
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- salt and black pepper
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 4-6 cups broth
- 3/4 cup salsa verde
- 4-6 cups shredded kale or chopped spinach
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream or whole milk
- 1 pound fresh potato gnocchi
- 1-2 cups shredded rotisserie style chicken
- 1/2 cup shredded spicy cheddar
Instructions
- 1. Cook the bacon in a large dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 5 minutes. During the last minute of cooking, add the sage and let it get crispy Remove the bacon. If there's excess bacon grease, drain off all but 2 tablespoons. Add the onion, carrots, celery, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, until fragrant.2. Stir in the butter and flour and cook for 1 minute. Add 4 cups broth. Simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes until the carrots are tender.3. Stir in the kale, cream/milk, salsa verde, and gnocchi. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the shredded chicken and cheddar cheese. If the soup is too thick, add additional broth.4. Ladle the soup into bowls. Top with bacon and sage. Enjoy, preferably with a crusty piece of bread.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
This soup absolutely SLAPS. I made it dairy free for my lactose intolerant husband using the dairy free heavy cream alternative from Califia and Daiya cheddar. Added red pepper flakes to make up for the unspicy cheddar. I’ll definitely be making this again!
Hey Ellie,
Happy Monday! I appreciate you giving this recipe a try, so glad to hear it was a hit!
Made this over the weekend, my husband said it was his favorite soup of all time 🙂
I used the Hatch Chili salsa from Trader Joe’s and skipped the spicy cheddar (using grated sharp cheddar instead). Delicious!
Hey Sue,
Awesome! I appreciate you making this recipe, so glad to hear it was a hit! Thanks for your comment!
Awesome and wholesome meal! I personally didn’t use the salsa verde because of spice preference, but this was a huge hit, including with my picky toddler! Will definitely make again.
Hey Christina,
Fantastic! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your comment, love to hear it turned out well for you!
Have the best weekend!
This recipe is so flavorful and perfect for a cozy day meal.
Hi Lauren,
Happy Sunday! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and your comment, so glad it turned out nicely for you!
Have a great holiday!🎄🎁
Can I just use a regular large soup pot instead of a dutch oven?
Hi Francisco,
You bet, that will work nicely for you! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try!
Wow! Best soup I’ve ever made! You’re right, the salsa verde is a game changer.
Hey Julia,
Happy Monday! Big thanks for making this recipe and sharing back. So glad it hit the spot!
This may be the best soup I have ever tasted!
Hey Lina,
Happy Sunday!🎃 Thanks for giving this recipe a whirl, so glad it turned out nicely for you!
has become one of my favorites!
Love to hear this, Madison! Thanks for making this recipe so often:) Happy Friday!
This soup was really flavorful and comforting. We subbed out the bacon and chicken with spicy italian sausage because it’s what we had. Definitely recommend!
Hey Heather,
Happy Sunday! So kind of you to try this recipe and leave feedback, I’m glad it was a hit!
My new favorite soup! And the salsa verde is the perfect complement to the richness of the cream. Love love love.
Hey Paige,
Thanks so much for making this soup:) I love to hear it turned out well for you! Have a nice Monday! xxT
Oops! Hit submit too quickly. How many lbs of thighs would I use since this only calls for 1-2 cups of rotisserie chicken? 🙏🏼❤️
I would go with 3/4 pound of chicken:)
If I wanted to make this with chicken thighs, when would I add them and how long would I cook them for?
Hi Erica,
You can follow the recipe exactly as written:) Just cook your chicken separately and then shred. Please let me know if I can help in any other way! xx
I’ve been making this on repeat. My remix is: pepper Jack cheese instead of cheddar and hatch green chiles made it DELICIOUS! Love this recipe!
Hey Aubrey,
Awesome! Love to hear this recipe turned out well for you, I appreciate you making it! xxT
This one fell a little flat for me. Just wasn’t a fan of the flavor combos.
Hey Kayla,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it wasn’t a fave! xx
Our family loved it. Husband has never cooked but I find him more and more by my side wanting to help since I started using your recipes. The smells draws him in, the end result makes him excited to try another recipe the next night. We got our first HBH cookbook today and he has highlighted 3/4 of the book. We served this one with your Beer bread, using a tomato beer. Great cold weather food.
Hi Courtney,
Wonderful!! So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for making it! I hope you love the cookbook:) Have the best weekend!☃️
Can I sub out the salsa verde for something else? Or remove completely?
Hi there,
You could skip the salsa verde:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx