Soup recipes are my favorite in the fall and winter and this one just topped the list (along with ground turkey vegetable soup).Just like cowboy soup, it’s all made in one pot, takes less than 30 minutes to make, and is a great freezer meal.
And let’s chat about the pillowy gnocchi. It’s one of my favorite pastas to use in soup, like this creamy chicken gnocchi soup and sausage gnocchi soup, because it holds up well to broth and cooks quickly.
Ingredients You Need: sun dried tomatoes, chicken breasts, butter, onion, garlic, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, parmesan, chicken broth, gnocchi, heavy cream, spinach.
Pasta Options
I love the pillowy bites of gnocchi in this soup, but I also tried this with farfalle and ditalini. Orecchiette is another great option—anything small that holds it shape.
You can also use a gluten-free gnocchi or a gluten-free pasta of choice.
Love chicken soup? Try creamy chicken and wild rice soup, creamy white chicken lasagna soup, or creamy chicken tortilla soup next!
How to Make Marry Me Chicken Soup
Here are the simple steps, with photos, to make this marry me chicken soup recipe. Skip to the recipe card for the printable version.
Step 1. Cook the Chicken. Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and season. Cook in a large dutch oven for 4-5 minutes in sun dried tomato oil, until cooked through.
Step 2. Cook Onion and Tomato Paste. Cook the diced onions in butter then stir in the seasonings and tomato paste and cook for 2-3 minutes.
Step 3. Simmer the Broth. Pour in the chicken broth and add the parmesan rind. Simmer for 8-10 minutes to develop the flavors and reduce slightly.
Step 4. Cook the Gnocchi. Add the gnocchi to the simmering soup and cook for 2-4 minutes. The soup will be pretty thick, but the gnocchi should float to the surface when it’s done.
Step 5. Make it Creamy. Stir in the cream, spinach, and cooked chicken. Cook for a few minutes until the spinach wilts. Add more cream or broth to reach your desired consistency and serve with fresh basil and a greens salad for a complete meal.
Make it Dairy-Free
Swap the butter for olive oil, the heavy cream for full fat coconut milk, and the parmesan cheese for nutritional yeast.
Testing Notes + Recipe Tips
- Don’t overcook the gnocchi: You’ll know they’re done when they float to the top of the soup.
- Adjust the thickness of the broth to your liking: If the broth is too thick, you can thin it out by adding a little bit of water or broth or thicken it with a cornstarch slurry with cornstarch.
- Taste and season as you go. The flavors of the soup change the longer it cooks and reduces.
Marry Me Chicken Soup
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Ingredients
- 1 (8-ounce) jar sun dried tomatoes roughly chopped, plus 2 Tablespoons of the oil
- 1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts cubed
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt and pepper to taste
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 4 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 12-16 ounces gnocchi gluten-free if needed
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese plus the rind, optional
- 5 cups baby spinach chopped
- Fresh basil, parmesan cheese, or red pepper flakes for topping
Instructions
- Season chicken breast with salt and pepper. Heat the oil from sun dried tomatoes in a large soup pot over medium high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 4-5 minutes, until golden brown and heated through. Transfer to a bowl or plate.1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts, 1 teaspoon Kosher salt and pepper to taste, 1 (8-ounce) jar sun dried tomatoes
- Turn the heat down to medium and add butter to melt. Add the onion and garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes to soft. Stir in the tomato paste, sun dried tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes. Stir and cook until the tomato paste coats the onions and becomes slightly rich in color.1 small yellow onion, 4 cloves garlic, 4 Tablespoons tomato paste, 1 (8-ounce) jar sun dried tomatoes, 2 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Pour in 6 cups of chicken broth and add the parmesan rind. Bring it to a boil over high heat then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 8-10 minutes.6 cups chicken broth
- Add the gnocchi to the soup and cook until tender, 3-4 minutes. The soup will be somewhat thick but the gnocchi should float to the top when it's cooked. Remove the parmesan rind if using (it will be mostly melted).12-16 ounces gnocchi
- Add the cooked chicken back to the soup along with the heavy cream, parmesan cheese, and spinach. Cook over medium-low until the spinach wilts and the cheese is melted. Taste and add more salt and pepper as needed. Adjust the consistency with more broth or cream as needed.3/4 cup heavy cream, 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, 5 cups baby spinach
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Glorified tomato soup with chicken, gnocchi, sun dried tomatoes and spinach! So good! I used about 1/2 pound more chicken and 8 cups of chicken stock. A recipe that will be on repeat at my house!
Thanks, Lori!
Can’t wait to try this one! I love how you put the measurements with the step my step instructions. It is so helpful!
Glad you like it Mandie! I love that feature too:)
WOW! This soup is amazing! Even my picky eaters loved it!!! It is so easy and perfect for cold weather! Thanks Molly! (Sorry I forgot to put the 5 stars so I had to post again)!
You’re so welcome! Glad you liked it! Thanks for taking the time to rate it.
So tasty! Made this with my Mom, it’s perfect for a cozy winter day 🙂
delicious but didnt like the cubed chicken. shredded would be better. would love to see a crock pot version of this
Thanks! The way you cut the chicken is totally a preference thing. Love the crock pot idea.
This soup was fantastic! I did substitute kale for spinach and it held up perfectly. The broth was delicious and flavorful. I cooked mine in the instant pot, sautéing the chicken and onions first in there. I also cooked my gnocchi in a skillet before adding to the soup at thr end. I will definitely be making again!
Thanks Kristin!
LOVED THIS RECIPE!!! My family and I will definitely be making again. #whatwemade
So good! Easy recipe that was a fun dish to try as something new and different than our routine meals. #whatwemade
Made this for a work luncheon and it was a hit!!! Everyone loved it. I think the next time I will try the kale in place of the spinach. My co-workers will definitely ask for me to bring this again.
#whatwemade
Very yummy and easy! I didn’t have any parmesan and I definitely think cheese would make this better, so next time I’ll do that. #whatwemade
#whatwemade this was SO Good! Made this for dinner tonight. Have made the marry me chicken before but I think we’ll be making the soup from now on. ☺️ So much easier and equally delicious!
So good and so easy! I had the option of buying regular gnocchi and mini gnocchi, next time I’ll go with the mini. Left the sundried tomatoes out but used the oil in the first step. Would definitely make this again on a cold night, for guests, or when I just need a good, easy, solid recipe. You won’t be disappointed!
#whatwemade
Thanks so much!!!!
This soup was a hit with everyone in our family of four. We substituted the heavy cream with coconut milk and it was delicious! I was so impressed with the recipe, I made a second batch the next day for a friend. Thanks for always providing quality recipes! #WhatWEMade
Thanks, Tracy! That’s such a huge compliment!
The flavor was really good, but for me it was too rich to eat as a soup. Delicious as a sauce over more gnocchi, or rice/pasta.
Thanks for the feedback! Next time you can adjust to add more broth to thin it out and use less cream. That might help! Consistency can be a personal preference here.
Talk about yummy comfort food! This recipe is so warm and full of flavor. I served it with some homemade bread and we had leftovers for lunch the next couple days. Delicious! #whatwemade
Thanks, Olivia!!
Having seen so many versions of “marry me chicken” online it was fun to finally make a version of this recipe in soup form. The overall flavor is rich, creamy and tomato-y, and the wonderful flavor profile is enhanced by the gnocchi, sun dried tomatoes and Italian seasoning. A wonderful dinner! #whatWEmade
Thanks, Marcy!!! Love this!
I made this soup last week for dinner and my husband and I loved it! I’ve been making a lot of your recipes since I gave birth to my daughter because you make it so easy to adjust them to be dairy free which is what I need right now since I can’t have dairy while nursing! This soup was perfect, we substituted for coconut milk and loved how it turned out! Such a fun recipe for soup season!
#whatwemade
Love this Bailey! We swap coconut milk in soups all the time to keep them dairy free. I totally get it so I’m so glad I can be of help when you need DF recipes. Congrats on your daughter!!!
What a delicious, hearty and comforting soup! Love the addition of gnocchi and in place of spinach, I used some kale I had on hand. Definitely a keeper!
#whatwemade
Kale sounds like a great swap—thanks for sharing that! So glad you liked it.
Very tasty soup! I adjusted a bit and made in my crockpot. Excited to eat for lunch all week 🙂 #whatmollymade
Thanks so much!
This soup was flavorful and delicious! We used tiny red potatoes instead of gnocci and it worked well. I think next time I’ll try wild rice instead!
#whatwemade
Love adding potatoes instead of gnocchi, such a great idea!
Oh my, so delicious! Husband took leftovers for lunch the next day and his coworkers asked for the recipe, it looked and smelled so good. Tastes even better! Love that it’s a one pot, simple instructions recipe. Definitely going to be in rotation for us!
#WhatWEMade
Love when I make it in the rotation! Thanks, Liz!
So tasty! I adjusted slightly and made in my crockpot. I also added carrots–so yummy. Looking forward to having it for lunch all week. #whatwemade
Love that you made it in the crock pot!! I’m sure everyone will be glad to know it worked for you. Carrots sound yummy—thanks!
This recipe was so good!! I loved the flavors and the sun dried tomatoes made it!! I actually used potatoes instead of gnocci, because that’s what I had on hand. Next time I will try the gnocci!! #WhatWEmade
Using potatoes is such a great idea! Love it!
I love sun-dried tomatoes and gnocchi so I was excited about this one. It was a pretty straight forward recipe although I’m not sure if my mine thickened enough. Overall there was great flavor and it was perfect fall supper with some crusty bread.
Thanks, Anne! The consistency of soup can definitely be a personal preference. I would start with less broth next time and add more at the end as needed. Cooking the gnocchi in the soup should also thicken it a bit.
Tons of flavor and comes together easily.
Thanks, Emiley!!
We made this recipe the other night for dinner and loved it! My 8 week old daughter has a dairy sensitivity so I’ve had to cut it out of my diet since I’m nursing. We made it dairy free with coconut milk and it was so good! Your recipes have been a life saver for me! It’s been great to find recipes that I can customize for dairy free that are unique and this recipe was no exception. #whatwemade
Thank you so much!!!
This was really yummy! I unfortunately picked to make it on a week that turned out being really warm for the season so I’m looking forward to making it again when it is cooler out. This is a great fall meal!
I tested this recipe several times when it was 90 degrees out so I totally feel you on that LOL! Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Soo good! Used GF gnocchi, may whole family loved it!! #whatwemade
Thanks so much!!
I saw this post and knew I needed to try this soup even though it has two of my husband’s least favorite ingredients, tomatoes and spinach. Lucky for me, my grown daughter was home for the weekend so I had another taste tester and we both loved it! The gnocchi were soft little pillows of zesty flavor. I did find the chicken breast to be slightly bland despite seasoning while cooking. I might try this with thighs next time for a little more flavor. Overall, this is a great fall recipe that I will make again.
Hello! Chicken thighs would be a great swap! Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
My husband loved this soup! He said, “I’ll marry you!” My daughter loved the gnocchi. I found it to be relatively tasty and easy! Barely any chopping!
#whatwemade
Love it!! Thanks, Nikki!
My husband loved this soup! He said, “I’ll marry you!” My daughter loved the gnocchi. I found it to be relatively tasty and easy! Barely any chopping!
Love it!
#whatwemade- this was excellent. My husband devoured it and said the broth was amazing. Thanks for the great new soup recipe to add to my rotation.
Thanks, Sue!!
#whatwemade This soup was so good! My husband raved about it 🙂 The broth was inch. I used potatoes to make it gluten free, but would like to find some gf gnocchi next time I make it.
Love that you used potatoes! Thanks, Rebecca!
Made this last night and it was a hit!! My husband had 2 bowls. It took me longer than 30 minutes to prepare but no biggie. I also was confused about the sun dried tomatoes so glad you made that change. Will definitely be making this again. Now I have to try the regular Marry Me Chicken!
Thanks Karen!
I’ve been in a cooking slump lately so when I got the email for the October What We Made Cooking Challenge, I went straight to the grocery store to pick up the ingredients. Made it last night for dinner and it was really, really good! The gnocchi were like little pillows in a zesty, slightly creamy broth and I just loved the chewy sun-dried tomatoes!
My only critique is that the recipe didn’t specify whether the sun-dried tomatoes should be drained before adding to the soup so I tried to scoop them out of the jar with as little oil as possible, but it still looked like way too much. I ended up sopping some of the excess with paper towels before adding the broth so I would recommend draining for a few minutes before adding.
I might try it with ground Italian sausage next time so there is some in every bite (like Zuppa Toscano), but I guess that would be Marry Me Sausage soup and just doesn’t have the same ring to it.
#whatwemade
Hey Lisa! Thanks for that feedback! I just updated the recipe to specify that they need to be drained. Since you’re using the entire jar, I just cook some of the chicken in the oil and then dump the jar over and cover most of the opening with the lid to drain the oil out but keep the tomatoes in. Then I dump all the sun dried tomatoes on a cutting board and roughly chop. Hope that helps!
Great tip! Thanks for the delicious recipe, Molly!
This was a great soup! My family always loves Marry Me Chicken pasta and they were very excited to try it in a soup. They raved about the flavor and told me to keep the recipe to make again.
I made the recipe exactly as indicated. This will become part of our soup rotation this fall and winter for sure.
Love that Julie! Thank you!!