So I broke down the other day and bought a rotisserie chicken. I feel a little guilty because it was out of budget, but on the other hand I’m not so upset that rotisserie chicken has replaced frozen pizza as my go-to splurge food. :P We ate some of the chicken as-is for dinner, then I took one of the breasts the next day and turned it into this awesomely Creamy Kale Chicken and Gnocchi Soup. This soup is incredibly fast and is a fun spin on traditional chicken noodle soup. Those little gnocchis are so soft and delicious! You can make this soup with a simple clear chicken broth or add a little half and half for a deliciously creamy and comforting soup.
Weeknight Recipe Shortcuts For the Win!
This recipe was designed with a lot of short cuts (like pre-made broth, pre-cooked chicken, and store bought gnocchi), which makes it perfect for last minute week night dinners. If you want to take a more “from scratch” approach, check out my classic Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup recipe, which can easily be modified to include kale and gnocchi.
Sometimes you just need quick and easy, though. Right?
What Are Gnocchi?
If you’re unfamiliar with these tender little dumplings, now is the time to give them a try! Gnocchi are basically small dumplings made of semolina (like pasta), that can be tossed into soup, sautéed in a skillet with butter, or drenched in your favorite pasta sauce. They’re quite versatile, and quite delicious! You can find packaged gnocchi in most major grocery stores in the pasta aisle, or near other specialty Italian or Mediterranean ingredients.
Can I Substitute the Kale?
Yes, if you’re just not a fan of fibrous kale, you can use tender spinach instead. Just toss the spinach in the soup at the very end and stir it into the soup until wilted. You could also use frozen spinach, if that’s what you have on hand. I suggest thawing and squeezing out the extra moisture first, so the liquid doesn’t turn your soup green!
Kale Chicken and Gnocchi Soup
Servings 6 (8 cups total)Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil ($0.16)
- 4 cloves garlic ($0.24)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.31)
- 2 carrots ($0.38)
- 1 bunch kale ( $1.50)
- 1 rotisserie chicken breast (about 1-1.5 cups) ($1.50)
- 5 cups chicken broth* ($0.65)
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg ($0.02)
- 1/2 tsp dried basil ($0.05)
- Freshly cracked black pepper ( $0.05)
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper (optional) ($0.03)
- 1 lb. gnocchi ($2.39)
- 1/2 cup half and half or cream (optional) ($0.45)
Instructions
- Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Sauté the onion and garlic with olive oil in a large pot over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, or until the onion are soft and transparent. While the onion and garlic are sautéing, peel and slice the carrots. Add the carrots to the pot and continue to sauté for 3-5 minutes more.
- While the onion, garlic, and carrots are sautéing, pull the kale leaves from the woody stems and then rip or cut them into thin strips. Rinse the kale well under cool water in a colander. Add the rinsed kale to the pot and sauté until the kale has wilted down to half its volume (3-5 minutes).
- Chop or shred the chicken into bite sized pieces then add it to the pot along with the broth, nutmeg, basil, a generous does of freshly cracked pepper (about 20 cranks of a pepper mill), and a pinch of red pepper flakes.
- Bring the pot up to a boil over medium-high heat, then add the gnocchi. Let the gnocchi simmer in the soup for 3-5 minutes, or until they are light and tender. Turn the heat off.
- Serve the soup as is, or add 1/2 cup half and half or cream. Taste the broth and adjust the salt or pepper as needed.
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Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup – Step by Step Photos
Begin by dicing one yellow onion and mincing four cloves of garlic. Add the onions and garlic to a large pot along with 1 Tbsp olive oil and sauté over medium heat for 3-5 minutes, or until the onions are soft and translucent.
While the onions and garlic are cooking, peel and slice two carrots. Add them to the pot and continue to sauté for a few minutes more, or just until the carrots begin to soft a bit.
While the carrots are sautéing, prepare the kale. I used Lacinato or “dino” kale, but you can use curly leaf as well. Pull or slice the leaves from the stems, then slice them into 1/2 inch strips (they don’t have to be perfect). I find it’s fastest to just hold the stem in one hand, grab the base of the stem with the other and slide my hand down towards the tip. That strips the leaves quickly and easily off the stem.
Rinse the kale well under cool running water. Add the rinsed kale to the pot and continue to sauté until the kale has wilted to half its volume. You don’t need to get the kale really dry before adding it to the pot. Any residual moisture will steam the kale and help it wilt.
Chop or shred one pre-cooked chicken breast into bite-sized pieces, then add them to the pot. You should have about one to one and a half cups of chicken pieces. I used meat pulled off of a rotisserie chicken.
Finally, add 5 cups chicken broth, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp basil, a good dose of freshly cracked pepper (about 20 cranks of a mill), and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Bring the pot up to a boil over medium-high heat.
Once the soup reaches a boil, add one pound of gnocchi. This is the gnocchi that I used, which can be found unrefrigerated next to the regular pasta.
When the soup reaches a boil, add the gnocchi and let it boil for 3-5 minutes, or until it’s soft and pillowy. This brand of gnocchi only takes a few minutes to cook, but be sure to check the package directions if you’re using a different brand. The soup can be served like this, with a clear broth, or continue to the next step for the creamy version.
For the creamy version, turn off the heat, then add 1/2 cup half and half or cream. Taste the Kale Chicken and Gnocchi Soup and adjust the salt or pepper as needed.
Deeeelish.
OMG I love those little gnocchi! <3 <3 <3
This soup is AMAZING. I never make reviews about anything but im sitting here eating this and I just had to write one. Everything goes so well together and its such a nice comforting soup.
This was delicious! I used red beets instead of carrots due to a family member with a carrot intolerance and it was a scrumptious pink soup. :) The flavors were great. I’m really looking forward to leftovers tomorrow!
Great, easy soup! Followed recipe exactly. My family ate it up! My 10-year old even commented on how he liked the kale in it. Will make again.
This was a fantastic soup!! It was simple to make, yet very flavourful. Growing up, my family never made gnocchi (despite being Italian), so, as an adult, I decided to try some…and this was the recipe I chose. I always follow your recipes exactly, but this time, I had to make a last minute substitution of spinach for kale. It was delicious! Thanks so much!
I use 6 cups of water and boil the chicken breasts and I use this water as my chicken stock. It is quick and easy and works great! This is one of my kids favorite meals.
This was really good. I didn’t use the Gnocchi or Chicken. I instead just diced up some potatoes. I always really want to eat kale but I never really knew what to do with it. This is nice and give the Kale good flavor.
I used tortellini instead of gnocchi and whole milk yogurt instead of cream and it was good.
Wow so good. For some reason I had been overlooking this recipe for a while. Fast cooking soups make me nervous because most of my success soups are long stewing soups that I can taste and adjust along the way. But nope, once again your recipes make me look like a cooking genius to my husband. Little does he know…
:)
Could this be made in a crock pot by adding all of the ingredients and cooking on high for 4hrs?
I’m not sure how the gnocchi would hold up, but perhaps you could add them toward the end? You might need to add the cream at the end as well. I’m not sure I see much benefit to doing it in the slow cooker, since it only takes about 30 minutes on the stove top.
This is so good I can’t believe it – I love the cooked kale and I saw where she was going spice wise, I like my soups with a kick so I added more of the recommended spices as well as a little bit of tumeric and cayenne.
Thank you so much Beth for coming up with these amazing and cheap recipes – this totally changed my grocery budget and the way I plan my meals.
Made this yesterday for lunch and it was great! I added a little bit more cream as well as a little more nutmeg and red pepper flakes. I also added some leftover bacon. Because…bacon! I had a little kick but it was still a good and flavorful soup. Thanks for the great recipes!
I made this tonight using coconut oil instead of olive oil (who knew there wasn’t any evoo in the pantry… not me… hee hee.) It was so delish! Everyone raved about it!
This recipe was really easy, but unfortunately it was way too bland for my taste. The gnocchi also really degrades when reheated, going very soft; this isn’t going to be a dealbreaker for everyone, but maybe proceed with caution if you have texture issues.
I’m a big fan of this dish and all of your recipes. I love how you specify how many “cranks” of pepper to use. Without that, I’d be very likely to under-season. Thank you!
I love this soup! I’ve tried a lot of your recipes (that aren’t too veggie crazy because of the picky husband), but of all your soups, this takes the cake! Added an extra 1/2 cup cream.