There’s nothing quite like a warm, hearty soup on a chilly day. As a food blogger, I’m always thinking of creating cozy comfort food recipes to share with you all. My latest favorite is this creamy chicken gnocchi soup, a unique take on classic chicken noodle soup. Chicken, gnocchi, vegetables, and a creamy broth come together for a dish that’s perfect for cold weather.
Building the base of the soup
Making this creamy chicken gnocchi soup is pretty straightforward. First, I season chicken thighs with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Then, I heat some olive oil in a pot and brown the chicken on both sides, about 5-7 minutes per side. I remove the chicken, chop them into bite-sized pieces, then set aside.
In the same pot, I sauté diced onions and tomatoes until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Then, add the minced garlic and sauté for 30 more seconds. It might seem a little weird to sauté onions with tomatoes, but this is very typical in Filipino cooking. I find that this method adds such a depth of flavor to a lot of dishes, especially soups.
Once you’ve sautĂ©ed your aromatics, add 1/2 cup of white wine and reduce it to half the volume. This part is optional — you don’t have to use white wine, especially if it’s not easily accessible. But if you do have it in your pantry, I highly recommend not skipping this step — it’s for extra flavor.
Simmering the soup
Once the white wine has reduced, you can add your vegetables. I opted to put celery, carrot, broccoli, and cauliflower, but you don’t have to use all of these. If you prefer to omit the broccoli and/or cauliflower, that’s totally fine! You can substitute your preferred veggies. However, depending on what you end up using, it may slightly change the overall flavor of the soup.
Then I add 4 cups of chicken broth and bring to a boil. I add the browned chicken thighs back to the pot. Reduce heat and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 10-15 minutes. Once that’s done, I add 1 cup of milk and 1 cup of heavy cream to the pot. This is also the perfect time to add the gnocchi and simmer until the gnocchi is tender and heated through, about 3 to 5 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the gnocchi!
Top with freshly-chopped parsley if you feel like being fancy!
Ready to try?
This creamy chicken gnocchi soup turned out rich, hearty and comforting! The creamy broth and little pillows of gnocchi are so satisfying. Hope you’ll give this recipe a try and let me know what you think. Stay warm and happy cooking!
Ingredients
- 4 pieces boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes (or grape tomatoes), halved
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 1 medium carrot, sliced
- 1 cup broccoli
- 1 cup cauliflower
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 16 oz (1 lb) gnocchi
- 1/2 cup white wine (optional)
- salt, pepper, and smoked paprika to taste
Instructions
- Pat dry both sides of the chicken thighs. Season both sides with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Then, heat some olive oil in a pot and brown the chicken on both sides, about 5-7 minutes per side. Remove the chicken, chop them into bite-sized pieces, then set aside.
- In the same pot, sauté the chopped onions and cherry tomatoes until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Then, add the minced garlic and sauté for 30 more seconds. It might seem a little weird to sauté onions with tomatoes, but this is very typical in Filipino cooking. I find that this method adds such a depth of flavor to a lot of dishes, especially soups. If you're opting to use white wine, you can add it to the pot at this point and reduce it to half the volume.
- Add the celery, carrot, broccoli, and cauliflower to the pot and mix everything together. Then, pour the chicken broth to the pot and bring to a boil. Add the browned chicken thighs back to the pot. Reduce heat and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 10-15 minutes.
- Add the milk, heavy cream, and gnocchi to the pot. Simmer until the gnocchi is tender and heated through, about 3 to 5 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the gnocchi!
- Serve and enjoy! Top with freshly-chopped parsley if you feel like being fancy đŸ™‚
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