My Thick Chicken and Vegetable Soup with Gnocchi uses leftover chicken, fast cooking vegetables and NO cream which means a lightened-up version of creamy chicken gnocchi soup is on the dinner table in 35 mins.
Comfort food at it's best - super quick & super tasty! Usually, comfort food for me means long, slow cooking, but this bowl of Thick Chicken and Vegetable Soup with Gnocchi only takes 35 minutes! I know it looks really creamy and calorie-laden as well, BUT....there is absolutely NO cream! The creamiest ingredient in the recipe is milk!
This thick gnocchi soup is packed with juicy chicken, fresh vegetables and tender little potato gnocchi dumplings all combined in a rich and creamy base. This one-pot wonder chicken soup dinner is all the things you want in quick creamy comfort food!
This lightened-up version of creamy chicken gnocchi is also super fast because it uses some shortcuts.
- The first shortcut ingredient is rotisserie chicken (or in Australia we call it a "barbecue" chicken - not sure why, because it's not barbecued!) or shredded roast chicken. It speeds up this dish because it's already cooked, leftover chicken recipes are a kitchen timesaver!
- Another shortcut ingredient for this chicken gnocchi soup is ready-made gnocchi from the refrigerator section of the supermarket. They literally cook in minutes, and obediently float to the top to tell you they are cooked - love that.
- The last shortcut ingredient is fast cooking vegetables - in this case baby spinach and grated carrot - both are cooked in the thick and creamy soup base in next to no time, and with minimal prep. Easy!
More recipes using leftover chicken you may like
Easy Creamy Chicken Pasta Bake - leftover chicken, smoky bacon and pasta all coated in a simple 2 ingredient cheese sauce.
Chicken Mornay Baked Potatoes - baked jacket potatoes loaded with a creamy mornay sauce made with leftover chicken, plus avocado, bacon & cheese.
A quick and comforting recipe like this is a favourite of mine for a night on the couch in front of the TV because not only does it taste amazing, but you can eat it with a spoon on your lap! Win win!
My take on the traditional chicken gnocchi soup means you still get a generous and thick chicken and vegetable soup, despite being made with milk instead of cream. This is my kind of soup, because for me - if I'm going to have soup for dinner, it had better be a substantial one! I'm not really a sit-down-to-a-bowl-of-bone-broth kinda girl - just sayin'.
I know it's probably better for me but I just can't do it!
Lee-Ann ♥
Thick Chicken and Vegetable Soup with Gnocchi
Ingredients
- 300 g leftover cooked chicken roughly chopped/ shredded
- 40 g salted butter
- 1 leek sliced
- 4 garlic cloves crushed/minced
- 100 g baby spinach leaves
- ¼ cup plain/all purpose flour
- 2 cups milk full cream
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 large carrot grated
- 500 g packet ready-made fresh gnocchi from the refrigerator section
- salt & pepper
- grated fresh parmesan cheese to serve
Instructions
- In a large heavy-based pot or dutch oven, heat butter and fry leek over medium low heat for 5 mins or until soft. Add garlic and fry for 30 seconds.
- Add flour to butter/leek mixture in pot and cook, stirring for 2-3 mins or until butter/flour mixture becomes grainy and frothy. Remove from heat.
- Add stock to flour mixture gradually (about ¼ cup at a time) making sure that stock is fully incorporated and mixture is lump free before each new addition. Once this process is finished, mix in milk & grated carrot and bring to a simmer.
- Simmer for 5 mins, or until carrot is almost cooked when tested.
- Then add chicken, spinach & gnocchi (uncooked) to pot and mix to combine. Bring to a simmer, and continue to simmer until gnocchi is tender and cooked - this should only be a few minutes once simmering.
- Taste test for salt and pepper, then serve with fresh grated parmesan.
Notes
- For the grated carrot I just use a good-old stock-standard box style metal grater, on the side with the biggest holes.
- You will know when the gnocchi is cooked because it will float to the top of the soup.
- Recipe adapted from The Recipe Critic.
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