Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken Gnocchi Soup
Warm, creamy, and packed with flavor, this Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken Gnocchi Soup is the ultimate comfort food. With tender chicken, pillowy gnocchi, and a rich Tuscan-inspired broth, it’s a simple, hands-off meal your whole family will love.
There’s nothing quite like coming home to the cozy aroma of a meal that’s been simmering away all day. This Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken Gnocchi Soup is the kind of recipe that feels like a hug in a bowl—hearty, creamy, and packed with comforting flavors. Tender shredded chicken, pillowy gnocchi, and vibrant Tuscan-inspired ingredients like sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, and garlic come together in a rich, creamy broth. The best part? Your slow cooker does most of the work, making it the perfect hands-off dinner for busy weeknights or chilly weekends.
Looking for other cozy soup recipes? Check out my Crock Pot Chicken Rice Soup, Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup, and Slow Cooker Beef Stew!
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Easy - this recipe is a set it and forget it recipe that cooks all day in the slow cooker!
- Family Favorite - my kids LOVE this soup. Gnocchi is always a hit with them!
- Delicious - this delicious soup recipe is made with quality ingredients and has so much flavor!
Ingredients
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts - chicken breasts are the main protein in this soup and takes on the flavors that are added to the soup.
Onion and Celery - some vegetables to add flavor and bulk up the soup.
Garlic - four cloves for a ton of garlic flavor.
Sun-Dried Tomatoes - I use sun-dried tomatoes that are packed in oil. Be sure to chop them into small pieces is they are not already.
Italian Seasoning - a combination of oregano, parsley, basil, rosemary, and thyme.
Salt and Pepper - to enhance the flavors.
Chicken Broth - this is the base of the soup, which the chicken and vegetables are slow cooked in.
Heavy Cream - for a super creamy and decadent soup.
Fresh Baby Spinach - fresh chopped spinach is added at the end for some color and nutrition!
Potato Gnocchi - I use mini gnocchi, as I think it works really well in a soup but regular sized works, too!
Fresh Basil - fresh chopped basil is stirred into the soup and sprinkled on top.
Parmesan Cheese - optional, but I love some freshly shredded or grated Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top of this soup.
Refer to the recipe card for the complete list of ingredients!
Variations
Add More Veggies - you can add vegetables like chopped carrots, mushrooms, or kale to this soup.
Different Protein - you can use boneless skinless chicken thighs or chicken tenders instead of chicken breasts if you prefer.
Fresh Herbs - you can use fresh rosemary, oregano, parsley, and thyme if you have them on hand!
Chicken Stock - instead of chicken broth, you can use chicken stock or bouillon mixed with water.
Step by Step Instructions
Step 1. Add olive oil, onion, and celery to slow cooker and sauté for 3-4 minutes. Note: if your slow cooker does not have this function, you can do it on the stovetop or just skip this step!
Step 2. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and sun-dried tomatoes and give it a good stir.
Step 3. Add the chicken and pour the broth into the slow cooker. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 7-8 hours.
Step 4. Remove the chicken from the slow cooker, shred with two forks, and then return to the slow cooker. Add the gnocchi and cook another 30 minutes on high, until pillowy and tender.
Step 5. Stir in the cream, fresh basil, and spinach and cook for another few minutes, until the spinach is wilted.
Step 6. Serve, topping with more fresh basil and Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Expert Tips
Serving Suggestions - this is delicious served with fresh French bread or sourdough bread, and would be perfect with a salad like my Strawberry Arugula Salad.
Storage - store leftovers in an airtight container for 4-5 days. Reheat in the microwave.
Freezing - I typically do not have great luck freezing creamy soups. However, you could make this into a freezer meal. In a large freezer Ziplock bag, add the onion, celery, herbs, chicken, and bouillon for 5 cups of broth. In a separate baggie, add the gnocchi, basil, and spinach. Freeze these and when ready to use, add the contents of the chicken Ziplock into a slow cooker with 5 cups of water. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours and then follow the recipe instructions for adding the remaining ingredients.
Recipe FAQs
It’s a creamy Italian-inspired soup made with tender chicken, pillowy gnocchi (potato dumplings), spinach or kale, sun-dried tomatoes, and a rich broth. Think of it as cozy comfort food in a bowl.
Gnocchi are small Italian dumplings traditionally made from potatoes, flour, and eggs. The dough is rolled into ropes, cut into bite-sized pieces, and often shaped with ridges. You can find frozen gnocchi in the freezer aisle or shelf-stable gnocchi in the pasta aisle.
Either works. I like the sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil because I think they taste better but since you are cooking them in broth, the dried sun-dried tomatoes will soften and still be delicious.
If you want to cut down on the calories and fat in this recipe, I would recommend using half and half or evaporated milk instead of heavy cream. In addition, you could add more spinach for a more nutrient-dense soup.
Other Soup Recipes You'll Love
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #greensnchocolate.
Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken Gnocchi Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 white onion diced
- 2 stalks celery finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes drained from oil, chopped
- 4-5 cups chicken broth Add more or less to get to your desired consistency - we like a lot of broth!
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 16 ounces mini gnocchi
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 cups chopped baby spinach
- ¼ cup fresh chopped basil plus more for topping
- Grated Parmesan cheese for topping
Instructions
- If your slow cooker has the sauté function, turn it on and add the olive oil, onion, and celery and cook for 3-4 minutes, until slightly softened. Then add the garlic, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and sun-dried tomatoes, and stir well.
- If your slow cooker does not have a sauté function, you can do it on the stovetop OR just skip this part altogether and simply add the ingredients into the slow cooker.
- Add the chicken and broth to the slow cooker with the onion/celery/sun-dried tomato mixture and stir well to combine.
- Cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours.
- Remove the chicken and shred. Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker.
- Add the gnocchi and cook another 30 minutes on high.
- Stir in the cream, basil, and spinach, cooking until the spinach is wilted, just a few minutes.
- Serve topped with Parmesan cheese and fresh chopped basil. Enjoy!
