Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup is a rich, savory soup filled with colorful vegetables, seasoned chicken, smokey bacon, and pillowy textured gnocchi. It is the perfect cozy, hearty soup to warm you up on a cold winter evening. This recipe is completely dairy-free as luscious cashew cream is what gives this soup the rich, incredible depth that’ll leave you eating more and more.

I can’t find the words to describe how incredible this soup taste. Every single bite had my tastebuds exploding. This soup is creamy, rich, savory, and so satisfying. It’s absolutely perfect if you are looking for a cozy meal to warm you up during these flighty winter months.

This Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup Comes together so easily. I like to make this soup in my dutch oven and allow the flavors to blend over low heat for a couple of hours. However, you can just as easily make this soup in a crockpot, which is perfect if you want to simply throw the ingredients together and have a perfectly rich soup ready for dinner.

I love making gnocchi from scratch. It is a very romantic endeavor that takes hours in the kitchen and involves me spewing lots of adoring words to the potatoes and cassava flour so that the gnocchi comes out just right. For this recipe, I opted to skip this step and use my favorite pre-made gnocchi from Trader Joe’s. They have two types, Kale Gnocchi and Cauliflower Gnocchi, which is my absolute favorite and gluten-free. For this recipe, you can simply toss the gnocchi in frozen and allow it to cook and absorb the delectable flavors of the soup.

What you will need for the soup:

• Mirepoix: the flavor base for the soup. A mix of chopped carrots, celery, and onions.
• Peppers: Poblano and Jalapeno
• Chicken Breast: 1 pound cut into large cubes, which will then be shredded once fully cooked.
• Bacon: applewood smoked bacon is the best for this soup and gives the soup a subtle smokey flavor. (feel free to omit the bacon)
• Aromatics: Fresh Oregano, Rosemary, and Garlic add depth to the soup
• Chicken Broth: I use 4-5 cups of chicken broth. The ingredients will first simmer in chicken broth until it is time to add the cream.
• Cashew Cream: I LOVED how the cashew cream impacted this recipe. I usually use coconut cream as my dairy-free go to but decided to use cashew cream in order to avoid the detectable coconut flavor that comes with using coconut cream. I am so happy I did! The cashew cream took on all the flavors used in the soup and made the soup mouthwatering and creamy! Even if you are not dairy-free, I would recommend using cashew cream instead of heavy cream; it was phenomenal! Cashew cream is simple to make and here is my quick method recipe to making the perfect cashew cream.
• Gnocchi: There are many pre-made gnocchi options available. I prefer the frozen options and like to use Trader Joe’s Cauliflower Gnocchi.

How to make this Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup in the Crockpot?

If you are making this soup in the dutch oven, simply follow the recipe instructions below. If you are making this soup in the Crockpot, you will need to alter a few steps.

First, to yield the most flavor from this soup, pan sear the chicken slightly to form a golden crust and maximize the flavor. In a medium pan over medium-high heat, add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil. Once the oil has heated, add chicken. Season the chicken with cayenne pepper, oregano, and Italian seasoning. Saute the chicken for only 3-4 minutes, making sure to add the bacon chunks during the last minute.

Remove the chicken and bacon from the heat and add the chicken to the Crockpot with the remaining ingredients (except the cashew cream, kale, and gnocchi). Cook the soup on high for 4-5 hours or low for 6-8 hours.

After the soup is cooked and ingredients are soft, use two forks to shred the chicken (while inside the soup). Next, add the cashew cream, kale, and frozen gnocchi to the Crockpot. Cook the soup on high for 1 hour. Season with Salt and Pepper. Enjoy!

Quick Way to Make Cashew Cream

For this recipe, place 1 cup of raw unsalted cashews into a medium bowl. Boil 2 cups of water and pour the hot water over the cashews. Allow the cashews to soak for at least 15 minutes. When ready, place the cashews in a blender with 1/2 cup vegetable broth (or chicken broth). Slowly add up to 1/2 broth until you reach a creamy, smooth consistency. For a more detailed recipe or for tasty variations on this cashew cream, check out my blog post here.

Here is a quick, step-by-step video on how to make this delectable Chicken Gnocchi Soup!