Olive Garden Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

Living in the Pacific Northwest, I have to say that it is hard for me to order anything else besides a LARGE bowl of creamy clam chowder, topped with some creamed sherry. Yum! My second choice is definitely french onion.

Soup is one of my favorite meals…so Stephanie, of course I will try this soup. I often make a 6 qt crock pot full of soup to surprise my co-workers with. I think I will make this next along with some Parmesan bread sticks. Thanks for the recipe. It looks and sounds delicious.

Soup making is one of my favorites signature dishes. I’m not that good at Asian soups, so I can’t resist a good Won Ton soup, or Pho soups. Yummy! As for your Olive Garden Kopycat… if I could get the breadsticks to go with it and no fat grams, I’d eat it with relish. This looks amazing!

The secret to the Olive Garden’s Chicken and Gnocchi soup is the cardamom in the gnocchi. So make the gnocchi from scratch, and add cardamom if the recipe doesn’t call for it.

Gnocchi is my absolute favourite Italian dish – I usually make it with Gorgonzola sauce, but I may be tempted to try it in a soup! Delicious.

My husband is gonna LOVE ME when I make this for him!!! Thanks for sharing this recipe!

Beef barley. My hands down favorite.

I just made this tonight for dinner. My husband loved it! It was very easy to make. Thanks!

this is really good and really easy, The only thing I cna say is the thyme is strong and you can use less.. about a pinch or two would do

This is a great recipe the Thyme is way to strong however I used 1/4 teaspon and it was still to strong. But am making a second batch and will add less than a pinch and see how it comes out. Thanks for this recipe I can have this anytime at home how great is that I am going to make this for girls lunch see if anyone can tell i made it myself…:)

This one is my favorite! I just found your recipe and am going to try it tonight. I hope it satisfies my Olive Garden craving!

i did not think it was like olive garden

Not so bad, a little thick. I need to go and have Olive Garden’s one more time to provide a final outcome.

very good! I didn’t have half and half so I used canned fat free milk. I used frozen spinach, didn’t have fresh.

has any one every made this and is it any good?? becuase i was at olive garden and it was sooooo good.??

Well I made the soup, and it was pretty good ~Stephanie

Made the soup today. It taste great. A little thicker than Olive Garden, just use more broth. Other than that it was terrific. Now I just need their breadsticks to dip.

At dinner today, at Olive Garden, I had this soup. It was TO DIE FOR! Im looking forward to making this soup at my next dinner party. THANK YOU SO MUCH for posting this!

Made this tonight-with a few changes. I live alone and was afraid gnocchi would be too mushy if I stored it for a day or two-so used tortellini instead. I also don’t care for spinach-so did not use it. I did use 1 and 1/2 cup chicken instead of 1 cup. Smelled and tasted delicious!!! This was the first time I made soup, will definately make this again. Thanks for the recipe.

Wondering if the thyme and parsley are fresh or dried? I saw comments that the thyme is a little strong, if the recipe is for fresh herbs and you use dried herbs this would make a big difference. If you use dried (and recipe calls for fresh) you would only need about half.

When I create recipes I use dry spices, I generally keep fairly fresh spices, I am a major fan of Myspicesage.com, penzeys.com, thespicehouse.com, so it may have been a difference on the level of seasoning we prefer. I have also noticed that when recipes are prepared from scratch, they can vary when you go to the restaurant.~Stephanie

I wasn’t sure what to do with the 1 Tbsp olive oil and could not find a use for it, so I am leaving it out. I am cooking the gnocchi right now, so will let you know how I liked the soup after dinner
You add it in with the butter when you sautee the vegetables. Thanks for noting that it wasn’t clear. ~Stephanie

My wife and I just ate this soup at the Olive Garden in Vermont and it was just so delicious that we felt that we couldn’t stop eating it.

The one major flaw in this recipe is that there is not enough chicken stock in relation to half&half which causes the soup to be quite bland compared to Olive Garden’s version. I suggest adding at least 50% more chicken stock, if not twice as much. Also, I would add the celery in with the onion and garlic in the beginning because otherwise it is too crunchy in the finished soup.

Thanks for explaining why it was not like Olive Garden’s soup. Your comment was so helpful

This was good…I used 2 cans of chicken broth, and added some basil and fresh parsley to it. Also made homemade gnocchi. Used 2 cups half and half and 2 cups one percent milk. Topped with fresh grated cheese.

Made it tonight follow directions exactly, it was great. I bought store bought gnocchi from Trader Joes, I might make my own next time or just leave out, bacon might be a nice touch too. Very good will make again

I think made this my family loved it! We subbed milk for half and half because I forgot it and the thickness was perfect. Our grocery had prepared gnocchi, so I used those and half the amount of frozen spinich and it was great.

wow a great recipice finally the real recipice of olive garden i did the soup today exactly how they said but add 1 more can of broth and use perdu chicken breast short cut and rosted put more then a cup waited for the soup to thicken i was amazed by the taste and texture .i will eat this with garlic bread i can wait for my husband to come home and try it.i am going to copy this in my book recipice .tums up

I was wondering how many people this recipe will feed
I edited the recipe to show it will serve about 8 servings. ~Stephanie

Thanks so much for the quick reply. I’m making this tomorrow for my in-laws!

I’m making this recipe as I type this. The actual cooking instructions (time/temp/boil or simmer?) could be a lot more specific. But so far it tastes good!
I have made a few additions to the directions for the soup recipe, I hope this was/is helpful for you. ~stephanie

THIS RECIPE WAS AWESOME I PREPARED IT YESTERDAY AND FED 8 PEOPLE, SERVING PLENTY TO EVERYBODY. THANKS U SAVE MY LIFE!!!!!

This was a very easy recipe to follow. My family and I felt there was way too much thyme in this soup. It was a little bland so I ended up adding more chicken stock and a little salt. Once we got passed the thyme, the soup was very good. I will be making it again for a party this weekend, but will only put in a small pinch of thyme.

This recipe is perfect as-is. I made it for my family and they loved it and I will be making it for both sets of in-laws tomorrow night for dinner, because as my husband said “it’s impressive”. Thanks.

I just made this recipe, and eating it right now. I made it vegetarian though, with vegetable broth and no chicken. Even with those changes, this soup is still remarkably close to The Olive Garden’s. I imagine that with the chicken broth and chicken, it would be almost exact. Will be adding this recipe to my stash, and making it often! Thanks!

I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe for the Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi soup, it is one of my favorites too.

Thank you so much for this recipe. I am very preggos and have of course getting cravings, this soup hit the spot thank you so much!

[...] Source: CopyKat Recipes [...]

I thought this was really good!

is there a place with stats like carb content?? ty

I don’t provide nutritional info, I am not qualified dietician. I have software recommendations on my about page, if you want to run your own nutritional information.

This soup is AMAZING! We doubled the chicken and chicken broth and used only 1/4 tsp of thyme. We will definitely be making this again. THANK YOU.

[...] found this recipe online and it was pretty easy to throw together. It calls for basic ingredients. Though I [...]

This soup was awesome…..easy to make and perfect for this cold, gloomy November day!

Since I love this soup at Olive Garden, I had to try it. WOW, it was great. I think next time I will add another can of broth & see how it tastes, but I thought it was pretty much right on the money as is. Thanks for this recipe!

i ate 4 bowls of the chicken gnocchi soups for the first time it was amazing u guys sould be really proud of your selfs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I made this tonight for dinner and it was EXCELLENT. I used Gnocchi whole wheat pasta, as I could not find the potato Gnocchi, but you do not miss it. We had this soup at Olive Garden this past week and this recipe was just as delicious.

I made this soup today. It was good for the most part except I screwed up I think with the vegetables. The carrots and celery weren’t tender. I think I cut them up too big. It also needed some salt, but maybe that’s because I used reduced sodium chicken broth. I wasn’t sure when the soup was getting thick or not, I don’t think I did enough time for that either. I really flopped this recipe when cooking this soup.

Jessica, it definitely sounds like you know what to do next time to help make the soup a little better.

Has anyone tried to freeze this soup?? I have a concern about the gnocci noodles.

I personally would not try to freeze this soup, between the gnocchi and the dairy in here, I don’t think it would go well.

is heavy cream ok to use?

Personally, I think that would be better with heavy cream, just my opinion on that one.

Had this soup for the first time and fell in love,just bought a bag of Gnnochi and will be trying it in near future.
tks.

what is the number of servings you get from this recipe?
This recipe yields 8 servings.

Just made this tonight! I didn’t have half and half but I use evaporated milk and it turned out great!

Oh my… This is EXACTLY what I’m looking for. Your recipe here is nourishing the tummy of a very sick 3 year old baby girl and the soul of one worried Mama. Thank you

I made this soup for my husband & I. It turned out a little thick but with a little milk to thin… it was perfect!! My husband prefers mine to the restaurant Wasn’t complicated either.

Hey, I found this receipt to be very good! I cooked it few days ago to my girlfriend and she liked it too! Thanks for the share and have a happy new year!

This is the best recipe I have come across. Absolutely DELISH!!!! My kids loved it which is a big deal since I have a hard time getting them to eat their veggies and I think my Husband fell in love with me all over again. Lol. Very Good.

thanks so much for providing this loved the soup and want to make it at home and now i can

i was thrilled with how well this turned out! spot on to OG

My daughter has been asking me to make a chicken gnocchi soup, Olive Garden style. She will be thrilled that I found this recipe, can’t wait to try it next week! Thank you!.

made it tonight and everyone loved it!! used fat free half & half, low sodium chicken broth, forgot the garlic, and no thyme… still turned out awesome!

OK so I love the Olive Garden soup and this is way off. Very bland, tasted like milk and flour to me. I started looking at other recipes and found that the chicken broth to half & half ratio was way different. So I added some more chicken broth to mine. It looks to me like you should only be using a pint of half and half to 4 cups chicken broth. Once I did that I noticed a big difference. The original soup was really white in comparison to the new one.

[...] Chicken Gnocchi Soup – I love this soup so much and have actually started ordering it in place of a salad with my meals at Olive Garden. I love salad, too. So it’s difficult to choose. It’s also a little expensive to eat at Olive Garden these days, and I want to eat it all the time. I am hopeful this recipe from copykat.com will come close! [...]

LOVED the soup. Wondered how it would be with the vegies cooked up with about 4 chopped pieces of good bacon and it was VERY good. I also had some left overs the first time I cooked it as there are only two of us, so put it into the freezer, and it was fine once it was heated up. Doesn’t look as pretty, but still tastes great.

OMG….this is just like the resturant one!
I even made breadsticks and got the little andes mints and we had a “night out” right in our ouwn dining room!’
Thank you!

I would agree with the previous comment that the broth:cream ratio is off. I also put in 4 cups broth and 1 pint cream (mixed heavy and 2% since I didn’t have half and half). I also used white wine with my roux instead of adding the cream when it was ready and made my own gnocchi (just dumped it right in without cooking prior – which is another reason why you want more broth).

I think if your soup turns out floury/milky in taste, you need to cook the roux longer. Keep on medium heat and you won’t have to worry so much about it burning, but it does need to brown a little (like browning butter).

I love this soup recipe!!!! I used only half of the half and half and substituted the other half with 2% milk. I used a little less onion since the onion I was using was a bit strong in flavor. I doubled the parsley and omitted the thyme since this is a spice I don’t care for. Used extra chicken which I browned and extra carrots and spinach to make it heartier. I could not find potato gnocci but added a couple of diced potato when I added the carrots. Loved it so much. Thanks for sharing.

One of the best things about cooking at home is being able to modify recipes for your personal taste. I am glad to hear this recipe worked out well for you.

what is potato gnocchi and do you have a recipie for homemade

It is a potato dumpling, here is a recipe for your own potato gnocchi

I tried this recipe twice now and each time it had a sea food taste like clams. Which is sad because I don’t like clams; other then that I liked the recipe.

Is there anything in the ingredient list that would cause this taste to appear?

I have to say, I am stumped on this one. Are you using a porous type of cookware that may be leaching off flavors into the soup. There is nothing remotely seafood like about this soup. Maybe others have thoughts on why you may be getting this flavor.

Thanks for responding! I am using a metal sauce pan. I don’t think that is the problem.

If it is not the the recipe then I wonder if old garlic could cause that problem or if I grab the wrong type of onion, from the store.

Is there a way to do this in a crock pot?

You know this soup really doesn’t take long to prepare. You are using precooked chicken, so I don’t think you need to cook it for very long. If you are going to put this into a crock pot, I definitely wouldn’t add the spinach ahead of time.

It might be the old garlic. I made a pasta dish once and used what I thought was perfectly good garlic (FAR from it) and it came out with an odd taste.

Would love to have the recipe to make Ragazzi’s Sausage and Potato Soup as well as Carabba’s Sausage and Lentil Soup. Made the Olive Garden Chicken and Gnocchi Soup…this recipe ROCKED!!!

Thank you for your other suggestions!

Olive Oil can have an unpleasant taste and yes fishy. Olive Oil goes bad, gets old tasting easily.

Great Recipe…thanks for taking the time to draw this one up!

For those of you watching calories and fat I make this using Smart Balance spread instead of butter, lowfat Almond Milk instead of half and half, low sodium/low fat chicken broth and whole wheat gnocchi. It always comes out fantastic.

Thanks for those alternative suggestions!

[...] Seen on Fru­gal Antics of A Har­ried Home­maker from copykat.com [...]

[...] Seen on Fru­gal Antics of A Har­ried Home­maker from copykat.com [...]

I made this tonight on the stove but I am serving it tomorrow. I want to put it in the crock pot on warm since people will be in and out all day and eating at different times. I didn’t add the spinach yet. I’m going to add it tomorrow. Do you think it will be okay in the crock tomorrow on warm?

I think you stand a chance of the gnocchi turning into mush if you do leave this in a crock pot all day long.

Excellent Recipe especially when made with home made gnocchi and breadsticks from scratch! I would recommend buying gnocchi though if you are in a pinch for time.

I love this soup, both at Olive Garden and at home. Since my husband doesn’t care for the gnocchi, I have also made it with small bow ties. It would work as well with any small pasta. Please keep them coming and Thank You. Martha

[...] Seen on Frugal Antics of A Harried Homemaker from copykat.com [...]

I am posting a link tomorrow on my own blog to your delicious recipe. I made it last night. My post was more about homemade alternatives in general than this specific recipe, but I wanted to give you credit and say thanks!

Wonderful! I look forward to your post!

I agree, it is most likely old garlic. I never use garlic from the produce department anymore. I use the jar stuff and have never had a problem and come to find out, Bobby Flay uses it at his restaurants all the time! Who knew?

Excellent recipe. Easy to follow and delicious. I ended up not having gnocchi, and used cheese tortellini, it made the soup a bit thicker, but still came out very good. Thank you!

Thanks! here is a link: http://happyhippiehomemaker.blogspot.com/2011/03/copycat-recipes-rural-cheap-hippie.html

The soup at olive garden was much thinner so i added almost twice as much chicken broth and a lot of salt and it turned out much better than the first time i made it.

Sometimes I have found the soup varies in thickness, but I loved the way you handled that by adding more broth.

Excellent recipe, used diced potato instead of the gnocci since I could not find it at the grocery store. I also added extra spinach, carrots, celery, and chicken to make it heartier.

I’ve been looking for a Gnocchi soup recipe and when I saw this one from Olive Garden I was thrilled as I’ve had it there. I’m especially pleased at the different comments from people who have made it; and their feed back. I am going to make it tonight. wish me luck!

I hope your soup turned out well!

This soup did not taste anything like Olive Gardens. It was very bland. I couldn’t even eat it. I followed the recipe to a T. VERY DISAPPOINTED!!!!!!

I don’t know why your soup didn’t taste like the Olive Garden. I am so sorry you couldn’t eat it even though you followed the recipe to the T. This isn’t a spicy soup, I wouldn’t call this bland. Maybe if you could share with us what you did, we could help you diagnose what happened.

look in the frozen pasta section. Should be there…

I made this the other night; makes quite a bit. We loved it. I made it with lactose free milk instead of half & half as I am intolerant. still came out good just not as creamy. Also added cayenne pepper for some extra spice. I will definately make it again!

I’m glad I did make it; it was a great way to see if we would like gnocchi. My sister-in-law also wanted the recipe she liked it so much. I did use lactose free milk in mine and added a pinch of cayenne pepper. came out great!

loved this recipe! absolutely delicious! Thank you so much

Planning on making this tonight. In case something doesn’t go right, a couple of questions: One: what’s a roux? It sounds like sauce that I’m making with the sauteed butter and veggies–that’s what I intend to do. Second, it also sounds like I’m making all of this in a skillet which sounds weird. Anyway, here’s hoping it works.

Didn’t turn out so good; I blame it on being my first attempt. I’d have to say the amount of celery needs to be halved and get rid of the thyme entirely, maybe add basil instead.

I had the soup at Olive Garden and loved it and HAD to make it at home. Happen to find the gnocchi at Target of all places. It was enough for my whole family and even brought extra for lunch and shared with a coworker. She complimented me on it for a few days. I went back to Olive Garden to compare and I loved mine more. Of course, I had to tell the waitress. Anyway, THANKS!! I LOVED the receipe. I’m making it again this weekend!

Jeff, I don’t know what happened. Let me offer a suggestion or two, chop the celery smaller, or if you don’t like it, leave some of it out. There is no basil in their soup, so maybe you would like to cut the amount of thyme back?

[...] soup just like the Olive Garden. Tonight we are serving the Olive Garden Chicken and Gnocchi soup. Olive Garden Chicken and Gnocchi soup The Pasta House Co. Special [...]

I don’t think you have to use a skillet. I would recommend using a stock pot (probably 5 or 7 quart).

This was really good and so close to the real OG soup. I was wondering, mine was very thick – could I use more chicken broth to correct that?

I’m making my French host family this recipe tonight, for the second time. The first time was perfect; just like Olive Garden, very very delicious!! Thank you very much for your hard work!

I am glad you enjoyed the recipe!

How do you cook the chicken like they do???

My husband ate all my carrots! Substituted with snow peas…still delicious! Also, used both whole milk and half and half. Thank you for a great recipe!

You simply grill it with a little salt and pepper.

I completely agree! The thyme left a weird aftertaste that I had to add a bunch more chicken broth and some garlic powder to counteract. But after that, it was fantastic!

Teri,

I noticed it is very bland as well when you don’t had salt. They didn’t include salt in the recipe and I added about 2 tsp or so. This made a huge difference!

You can absolutely add little more chicken broth.

I adjusted this recipe by using what I had on hand. Instead of chicken, I used some browned hamburger. In the place of butter, I used margarine. Half and half was replaced with heavy whipping cream and milk. I also used canned spinach. I completely forgot the parsley. I had no gnocchi; so, I just threw a diced potato into the pot. Although I used a few substitutions and I didn’t measure (I just “eyeballed” the amounts), this soup came out wonderfully. Thank you ever so much.

Wow you did a lot of changes to that recipe! I am glad it still worked out well for you!

Could it go in crock pot overnight? (without spiniach yet)

I don’t think the gnocchi could go in there, I think it would turn into paste if left overnight in the crockpot.

what if i mixed everything up, but added the gnocchi and spiniach the next day?

how much does it make?

I think that you will need to add more liquid the next day I think this will get very thick.

Try Target beleive it or now. I have used the frozen stuff before and was very disappointed. The one at Target comes in a vacuum sealed package so you should just find it on the shelf. It’s a but pricey but oh so good! It really makes the soup!

That sounds yummy! I might have to try that once just for fun.

How funny! I thought the thyme was perfect. Actually I added a bit more of both the thyme and the parsley and a little salt and pepper and mine was perfect!

[...] Olive Garden Chicken and Gnocchi Soup | CopyKat Recipes | Restaurant Recipes – May 3, 2011 [...]

Making this on Saturday for a ladies Mother’s Day Luncheon along with some cucumber tea sandwiches. I think the whole meal will be lovely and delicious! Thanks for sharing this recipe!

Thank you for this recipe!! I have always loved this soup from Olive Garden. I made it tonight for my family and it was wonderful. The soup base was almost exactly like OG’s. The gnocchi was not as good as theirs, but I used store bought gnocchi instead of making it myself. I think the next time I make it I may add a splash of white wine as well. Wonderful recipe though!!

It was so good but i used ground thyme and it seemed that is all i could taste, and it was really thicker, so do i add more chicken broth….

It’s true! I hated the aftertaste of the thyme, but after adding the garlic powder and broth it tasted great! Oh… and I made mine with light cream instead of the half & half and it was awesome!!!

You just made my mother’s day. She loves this soup and I figured I’d look and see if you had it. Will let you know what she thinks!!

Let me know what you think of the soup.

I would recommend buying a Crock Pot timer from Rival so that you can limit your cook time to 3 hours on low. Add the cooked gnocchi and finely chopped leaf spinach last to prevent breakdown/loss of texture and color in the spinach. I use this technicque to cook chicken and dumplings.

The hot liquid should heat it through in about 15 min to half an hour, also allowing the flavors to meld together without getting mushy. Worth a try…

Thank you for your great suggestion.

Thank you very much for posting this recipe! My boyfriend has been asking me to try to make this for months! He has been out of town for the past 2 weeks, so I think I’ll make it for him when he gets home! =D

I hope you two have a fabulous evening when he comes home.

This soup is not even close to the soup served at Olive Garden! It calls for at least twice as much gnocchi, and the pasta soaks up all the liquid, so you end up with a dish that is mostly pasta, not at all soup. Bad deal, waste of time and money!

I just made this recipe, Its so easy to make !! Loved it !! Thanks !!

I am so glad you enjoyed the recipe!

This soup is amazing. I just had it at Olive Garden yesterday and made it at home today. I left out the celery (not a fan) and did not add any chicken (except the stock) as I just didn’t have any ready to use. Still wonderful. I imagine it would be a great vegetarian recipe if vegetable stock were used and the chicken left out. Awesome!!

i got the receipt tonightfrom a chef at OG, now unfortunately i didn’t get the amounts for each item but i can use stephanie’s as a guide. Oil, yellow onions, julienne carrots, celery, Chicken marinated in rosemary, cold water, half/half, flour, white sauce base, and pepper/salt. I personally didn’t like the gnocchi so i didn’t ask for that part of but know how to make it. Personally if i wanted the pasta in it, i probably would buy the mini ravioli and precook it before adding to the soup.l

oops i didnt mean pasta, i meant to say potato dumpling. I’m also thinking that substituting the chicken with crab meat would be delicious too.

I am going to guess that they do not make the gnocchi there.

Just finished making this dish and i must admit it is very close to the OG recipe. I used some corn strach and milk to ofset the amount of half&half. Forgot to bleed my carrots though so it came out a hue of orange but otherwise still very good.

Thanks for sharing how you changed your recipe. I have never had the problem with the soup turning orange. I don’t cook it too much after the cooked gnocchi are added.

hi i love this soup from OG and when i learned how 2 make Clam Chowder, i imagined that the similar ingredients are used in the chicken gnocchi soup and they are very similar. i will be trying this recipe myself. BTW I made the clam chowder from a Chef at my job and added crabmeat, mussels and a few shrimp and it was off the charts!!! So I’m sure substituting the chicken for crabmeat would be awesome!

this made me laugh

i love the soup i tried it at OG a week ago im making it tonight for dinner for my family and grandma. wish me luck:P

making this soup was fun, and easy! it tasted great, cant wait to make it again!(:

this soup is so good. I also add a 1/2 teaspoon rosemary to mine, and salt or garlic salt to taste at the end if it’s needed–I season my chicken with salt and pepper when I cook it, so I don’t add salt to the soup until the end to make sure it is not over-seasoned. and I’ve made it without the gnocchi before and it was still awesome. instead of chicken I picture this as scrumptious with scallops or lobster. yum. thank you so much for sharing. my kids LOVE it. I have to be careful not to make it too often though as it is wicked fattening and I will stay in it until it is gone, lol.

My daughter just had a tonsillectomy and is required to be on a soft diet….this recipe was perfect.thanks for sharing!

Shredded the chicken and cooled off to room temperature of course

it was good. I used 2% milk and I think it came out rich enough. I recommend using a food chopper on the onion, carrots, and celery. I did not and the veggies were still crunchy when the soup was done. However it was still lovely. I think homemade gnocchi would make a huge difference rather than the bland store bought.

I have a question. The chicken has to be cooked separately, or together with everything else?

Cook the chicken separately.

Cook the chicken first and dice it up. Separate that and then follow the directions for the veggies etc and you throw the chicken in towards the end. I made it two days ago and it was delicious!

OG’s soup has nutmeg in it too. Try a pinch and it will take this recipie over the top.

Thank you for the suggestion.

I made this soup yesterday and it is fabulous!!! In fact I plan on making another batch but was wondering have you tried freezing it? I’m just curious if it would taste ok.

I think it may have to do with the preparation of the chicken. If you used leftover rotisserie chicken, which has been seasoned, you would not need additional salt. Same goes for using any other leftover chicken that has already been cooked and seasoned. I cooked my chicken in the microwave, without any seasoning, and found the soup did need salt. When I cook this again (it was amazing, by the way), I will add salt to taste.

If it tastes like milk and flour, then you didn’t let the flour cook long enough when making the roux. After you add the flour and stir it in to soak up the butter/oil, it needs to cook for a minute or two and begin to brown – otherwise you end up with a floury taste. I had to learn that lesson years ago because every time I made a roux, my meal tasted like flour.
I don’t know about comparing the ratios, but I made the soup and it turned out fine. Not having the roux properly cooked will also make a big difference with the thickness of your soup.
As far as bland, I added salt because I didn’t season my chicken (and it may make a difference with how salty your broth is) – but I will agree that without adding the salt it was a bit bland. If you use a rotisserie chicken, or something from leftovers, you may not need to add more salt.
Someone mentioned their soup turned orange, if yours turned orange, the carrots were in too long. Mine didn’t turn out white, but it was a nice creamy color.

Brillant explanation! Thank you for explaining that so clearly.

I would personally am not a fan of freezing food. If I were to freeze it, I would do so before adding the gnocchi and the spinach. Maybe others have some thoughts on this. Again, I am not a freezer girl, unless its ice cream and raw meat

I just made this soup. Simply delicious!!! Great recipe thank you !!!

This soup is a good start. But it doesn’t have a lot of flavor, or at least not as much as OG’s has.

ok got the recipe to cook chicken and gnocchi soup … hope it comes out the same!!!! yum yum good .we will see . i will keep u posted thankyou copykat.com

I made this liast night and it was pretty good. Not exactly like OG but when I added garlic salt to taste it made it almost exact. Mmmmmm…..

[...] This is one of my favorite soups of all time. This is easy to make, and it tastes just like the restaurant. It’s so easy to do. I use prepared gnocchi that I purchase on the pasta isle for this recipe. I don’t think you need to make homemade gnocchi for this recipe. You can find the recipe for the Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup – here [...]

it actually has ginger also. makes a world of difference.

it actually has ginger also. makes a world of difference.

i make it like a chicken soup, don’t forget the ginger. then add cream last

Looks delicious! I might have to treat myself to this during the cold months when I can “afford” more calories. Yum!

This was really good! I addded nutmeg and ginger as someone suggested and servedf it in a bread bowl!! Thanks for sharing!!

The recipe calls for finely diced celery. The video shows celery that has been coursely chopped. This makes a difference in the final consistency of the soup, as finely diced celery will release more of its water and make the soup thinner, whereas coursely chopped celery will retain more of its water inside its cell walls, thus making the soup thicker. Just thought I’d share that. Great tasting soup, either way. Thank you for sharing your recipes!

made this soup yesterday it came out so good.8/30/11 wow; yum yum!!!!!!!!!

Fresh spinach or frozen?

Fresh spinach or frozen?

Going to try this recipe tonight! My husband loves OG’s Chicken Gnocci soup so hopefully it goes well. However, I love OG’s Zuppa Tuscana soup best and was wondering if you could attempt to copy theirs and post it. It would be wonderful if you could!!

Going to try this recipe tonight! My husband loves OG’s Chicken Gnocci soup so hopefully it goes well. However, I love OG’s Zuppa Tuscana soup best and was wondering if you could attempt to copy theirs and post it. It would be wonderful if you could!!

Sure thing, here you go. http://www.copykat.com/2009/03/29/olive-garden-zuppa-toscana/

Use fresh spinach

I LOVE chicken gnocchi soup, so I’m very excited for this recipe. gonna try it soon, I’m so excited )

Could this soup be made in the crockpot?

I used frozen chopped spinach. It was fine for this recipe

You can use Fat Free Half and Half

What are some common supermarkets with potato gnocchi? i went to walmart and they didn’t have it.

I think the gnocchi wouldn’t do well in the crockpot. You may want to add it just before serving.

I have found them at Kroger and HEB

I am glad you enjoyed the soup!

This soup was awsome my Fiance’ even said it was better then Olive Garden’s. Thank you sooooo much!!!!!

I found it @ Publics

I found mine at Kroger’s in the frozen section and like it much better than the dry.

Followed the recipe exactly, and it came out fairly bland and very thick. I didn’t have more chicken broth so I just added a little water. It worked fine to thin the soup. My husband and I added more salt and it was edible, but I think there was way too much gnocchi. Every single bite had gnocchi, so instead of it being a “treat” when you found one, we found ourselves picking around them. I’m excited to try this recipe again now that I know how we prefer it.

Trader Joe’s has two kinds of gnocchi. I’ve seen it at CVS and Raley’s. If you don’t see it, ask. It may be in an odd location.

Trader Joe’s has two kinds of gnocchi. I’ve seen it at CVS and Raley’s. If you don’t see it, ask. It may be in an odd location.

Trader Joe’s has two kinds of gnocchi. I’ve seen it at CVS and Raley’s. If you don’t see it, ask. It may be in an odd location.

WOW, I made this soup tonight . . . it was a cool evening and it sounded SO good. Great version and very similar to OG’s version (which I had last week for the first time.)

I used mini gnocchi which is a perfect size for eating with a spoon. I needed to add an additional cup of broth as it was a bit too thick. I also seasoned to tate with salt as it was too bland otherwise. I also added some nutmeg, as was suggested by someone – it really made a huge difference in developing a more full-body taste. Lastly, I added three cups of chopped fresh spinach as 1 cup just was not enough. Definitely a keeper. Thanks!!

WOW, I made this soup tonight . . . it was a cool evening and it sounded SO good. Great version and very similar to OG’s version (which I had last week for the first time.)

I used mini gnocchi which is a perfect size for eating with a spoon. I needed to add an additional cup of broth as it was a bit too thick. I also seasoned to tate with salt as it was too bland otherwise. I also added some nutmeg, as was suggested by someone – it really made a huge difference in developing a more full-body taste. Lastly, I added three cups of chopped fresh spinach as 1 cup just was not enough. Definitely a keeper. Thanks!!

Just bought them in WalMart last night. Also saw that Costco had them in 4 packs.

Has anyone tried this with chicken and an Italian sausage?

Did you try the refrigerated or frozen sections of the store? You don’t want dried ones if you can help it.

[...] Adapted from CopyKat recipes Share this:EmailPrintFacebookTwitterStumbleUponLike this:LikeBe the first to like this [...]

Thanks for the recipe! I made a few small changes: instead of a quart of half and half, I used a pint of fat free half & half, plus one 7-oz container of creme fraiche, and increased the chicken stock to 16 oz. I also added a pinch of nutmeg (as suggested in a previous comment) and about 1/4 tsp of salt. I also reduced the amount of gnocchi by about half. It turned out AMAZING! It’s close enough to Olive Garden’s to be instantly recognizable– yet, IMHO, wayyyy better!

Oh, the gnocchi I used– from the frozen section at Meijer–are delish.

I love going to Target. I did love the diced potato’s though. Made it a meal instead of just a starter soup. I will try looking for the gnocci at Target. Thanks Regina

Did you put this recipe up previously that did not have the half and half. I thought I made it before and it was not with half and half. Do not like it with half and half.

wegmans has gnocchi in the fruit and vegetables section

[...] Olive Garden style Chicken and gnocchi soup (this time I will sub out gnocchi with wild rice because that’s what I have) Italian bread [...]

I ordered my Gnocci from amazon. I got like 6 packages of it for 11 dollars. Much cheaper than the store price!

That’s a great idea, amazon makes so many things easy!

We have made this recipe twice and the second time froze half but before adding the gnocchi. It froze very well.

I make this soup all the time..best way to make it is to grab a few sourdough boules from your local bakery and ladelling the gnocci soup into ..absolutely delicious

I make this soup all the time..best way to make it is to grab a few sourdough boules from your local bakery and ladelling the gnocci soup into ..absolutely delicious

I bought my gnocchi from Wal Mart just last night. It was located in the pasta aisle on the top shelf.

followed recipe, but it is not thick. it is soupy! What did i do wrong?

Thanks for the recipe! My wife and I love going to Olive Garden, but the closest one is almost 2 hours away. We have made this recipe several times and love it!

This soup is amazing!! Maybe even better than Olive Garden!! Thank you so much for sharing!

I have lots of left over turkey from Thanksgiving, I will try to pass it with this recipe.

Oh yes, it is absolutely wonderful with heavy cream! Makes for a rich, creamy, flavorful soup….love it! Thanks again for the recipe, Stephanie!

No, I did not. Mine has always had half and half in it.

Emma, it wasn’t intentional for my video to show a misleading cut on the celery. I am certain I was a little careless. I haven’t quite gotten the knack of the massive prep that is needed for multiple video shoots. Hopefully one day I will have this down

How did it turn out?

Not sure what you mean by it was not thick but soupy. They key is setting up the soup is making the bechemel style sauce. This should have a stew like consistency. I hope this helps you. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SBI0oPZz7x4

Made this recipe without every trying the Olive Garden version (just sounded yummy and I LOVE gnocchi.) It was delicious…although mine didn’t seem thick enough so I added more flour, came back after eating and it was a little too thick (totally my error.) Then a few weeks later and went to Olive Garden and had this. My daughter swears mine was much better! Final review…the recipe rocks!!!!

Can make the Gnocchi by hand. Just use the smallest amount on a package of dried potato buds and add 1 large egg. Add about 1/2 cup all purpose four and mix well. Roll our onto a floured, ( like rolling snakes as a kid ) surface and cut into small thumb size bits. Place in low simmer water until they float to the top..Remove with a slotted spoon onto clean towel.
Place into soup mixture.

I found the recipe a little frustrating because the ingredients are not in order. I also added a bit of nutmeg, and even though I’m not a big fan of nutmeg it made a big difference. I also more tripled the spinach, and reduced the half and half and increased the stock, so not nearly as creamy but still very good. I will definitely make it again but next time will also increase the chicken by at least double, and add in some chili flakes.

I found the recipe a little frustrating because the ingredients are not in order. I also added a bit of nutmeg, and even though I’m not a big fan of nutmeg it made a big difference. I also more tripled the spinach, and reduced the half and half and increased the stock, so not nearly as creamy but still very good. I will definitely make it again but next time will also increase the chicken by at least double, and add in some chili flakes.

Thank you for the commentary on the ingredients, I will have to check the writing guideline on those, I thought you were to add in the order of quantity, but I am sure I failed to deliver on that one too.

Great suggestion Mary. I will have to give that one a try sometime.

I loved this recipe, but it needed more garlic (for me anyways) so I added some dehydrated garlic. To me the garlic makes or breaks the recipe, but it’s a matter of taste. I bought shredded carrots and diced them up. I wouldn’t hesitate to add another cup of carrots and spinach. Keeper recipe!!

I forgot to mention that I used a low fat half and half and it was great!

After adding the chicken broth and before adding the gnocchi and spinach I cover and simmer for about 45 min or however long it takes for the celery and carrots to soften. This also produces more liquid since the celery is finely chopped.

Looks amazing. I tried another recipe last night and it seperated somehow. The cream almost curdled. Not a pleasant outcome. I’m going to follow your video EXACTLY and hope for better results!

Olive Garden’s version, once frozen, then defrosted and heated, got very thick because the gnocci fell apart. But the flavor was still great!

I did not like it either. too thick. too bland. too white – though admittedly I’m not that deft with the roux technique. Will try and salvage the batch with the nutmeg suggestion and MORE GARLIC but I won’t make it again.

Check olive Garden website, they have there actual recipe listed there under the recipes section!

I followed this recipe exactly, it was a little bland I added in 2 tsp salt and 2 tsp of nutmeg and 1 tsp of celery seed. Made a huge difference!:)P

I forgot also a dash of garlic and onion powder!!

I actually found vacuum sealed gnocci at Dollar Tree! It was surprisingly good and one third the price of other stores.

The nutmeg adds an extra special kick to this soup. It is delicious.

I made this tonight and it is very good. I added the nutmeg like someone said and I did add more broth but it was to much and it was not thick like I wanted. I will change that next time. Otherwise this is so stinkin good!!! thank you for the recipe

No big deal.. Just appreciate you posting the recipe! I think sometimes people forget that these are other moms/wives, etc posting on here. It is not a PAID job for you! Thanks for all you do!!!

Oh my gosh! This is fantastic! I made a couple changes that I think turned out very well. I used 3 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp bacon grease, added a cup of mushrooms to saute with the onion, celery and garlic, doubled the (shredded) chicken, tripled the spinach and used 16 oz chicken broth. I also replaced half the thyme (1/4 tsp) with basil and added two pinches of nutmeg, one pinch of ginger, and one big pinch of ground red chili powder. It didn’t make as much as I thought it would, but it would be super easy to double the recipe. Wow, I think that about covers all the additions, haha! Thank you so much for posting this recipe!

Oh my gosh! This is fantastic! I made a couple changes that I think turned out very well. I used 3 tbsp butter and 1 tbsp bacon grease, added a cup of mushrooms to saute with the onion, celery and garlic, doubled the (shredded) chicken, tripled the spinach and used 16 oz chicken broth. I also replaced half the thyme (1/4 tsp) with basil and added two pinches of nutmeg, one pinch of ginger, and one big pinch of ground red chili powder. It didn’t make as much as I thought it would, but it would be super easy to double the recipe. Wow, I think that about covers all the additions, haha! Thank you so much for posting this recipe!

Just need a little bit of clarification because Lord knows I will mess this up if I don’t ask.

What exactly do you mean by “the smallest amount” when you’re referring to the dried potato buds?? Like a 1/4 cup? Teaspoons? I’m sorry, I just work better with measurements… If I make something with “a little bit of this and a little bit of that” it turns out horribly wrong…

Thank you for the recipe! I read through the comments and followed the recipe exactly EXCEPT I used: 8 cloves of crushed, minced garlic; 2 cups (2 breasts) of chopped/ cubed chicken; to the 1 quart of half and half I added water to the top of the carton and then poured it in to roux; a full 2 cups (16 oz) of chicken broth which I made with chicken flavor granules (2 tsp.); Nutmeg- 4 shakes from the container to the pot before serving. My kids loved this recipe! Thank you again for posting this recipe- I will be making this again and again.

Thank you for the recipe! I read through the comments and followed the recipe exactly EXCEPT I used: 8 cloves of crushed, minced garlic; 2 cups (2 breasts) of chopped/ cubed chicken; to the 1 quart of half and half I added water to the top of the carton and then poured it in to roux; a full 2 cups (16 oz) of chicken broth which I made with chicken flavor granules (2 tsp.); Nutmeg- 4 shakes from the container to the pot before serving. My kids loved this recipe! Thank you again for posting this recipe- I will be making this again and again.

Great start to good soup but I thik the addition of 2 tsp of salt and and extra 1/2-1 can of broth was needed to thin it out. I think cutting the carrots down to 1/2 cup made it better. I prefer chicken base to broth as it adds more flavor depth.

I agree. I find it easier to follow a recipe step-by-step when the ingredients are listed in the order added to the dish.
That is how I most often see it in cookbooks and magazines, etc.
Of course, I always like to read the recipe through before starting to know what I am in for anyway. That way I know if I need to have all the ingredients prepped ahead of time or if there is time in the cooking process for me to work on more prep.
This looks like something I probably will try.
If I do (and make modifications), I will let you know how it goes!
_____________________________
http://shecookstoo.blogspot.com/

This is awesome~~thanks so much for posting & showing us how each step of the way! YUM!

You sound like a snippy little know it all. I am sure your modifications will make a *perfect* soup.

I saw these at Big Lots the other day.

I think she means the smallest amount given on the box (for making instant mashed potatoes or whatever the box makes.)

I think she means the smallest amount given on the box (for making instant mashed potatoes or whatever the box makes.)

Nice! I’m gonna look for that!

Nice! I’m gonna look for that!

Nice! I’m gonna look for that!

Could you make this in a crock pot??

I haven’t tried it, the gnocchi may get mushy if you do, I would add in the gnocchi just before serving.

Just translated the recipe to portuguese in my page! I made the soup yesterday and it was amazing! Thanksss
http://www.sitedanathy.com you can seee the recipe if you translate the page.

I had the Olive Garden recipe and was truly disappointed. 1 stinking gnocchi! Hope this recipe is much better. I would not order this soup again.

I made it today and it was delicious… except for the fact that I had to add A LOT just to make it so. I followed the instructions and it came out so bland. I added a lot more seasonings and 2 boullion cubes. And I made my own gnocchi from scratch (which are much better than store bought)

I don’t know how you ended up with only 1 gnocchi, I promise you will have lots of gnocchi with this recipe.

So the lady that replaced everything with anything, it’s not longer chicken and gnocchi soup. It’s potato and hamburger soup. LOL I’m going to make this tomorrow. Can’t wait!

My mother and sisters and I love this soup, we always get it when we have a girl’s date at OG. I am looking forward to trying this recipe tomorrow and to see how it turns out. I was wondering since I will probably boil my chicken breast, if I made the gnocchi in the chicken water if that might give the gnocchi a richer taste. Does anyone know if gnocchi is like pasta in that you have to salt your cooking water or you never get a good salt taste?

Sams Wholesale Warehouse has them in a large box but it has 2 separate inner bags.

If you have ever read the nutrition info for this soup OG’s soup has about 1300 mg of sodium. But it’s sooooo good…. I tried this recipe and I thought it was bland as well. I didn’t think it was anything like OG. Sorry.. I’m really picky about Italian food. It is rear to find something as good as my grandma used to make. That was ***authentic*** Italian!!!

If you have ever read the nutrition info for this soup OG’s soup has about 1300 mg of sodium. But it’s sooooo good…. I tried this recipe and I thought it was bland as well. I didn’t think it was anything like OG. Sorry.. I’m really picky about Italian food. It is rear to find something as good as my grandma used to make. That was ***authentic*** Italian!!!

If you have ever read the nutrition info for this soup OG’s soup has about 1300 mg of sodium. But it’s sooooo good…. I tried this recipe and I thought it was bland as well. I didn’t think it was anything like OG. Sorry.. I’m really picky about Italian food. It is rear to find something as good as my grandma used to make. That was ***authentic*** Italian!!!

If you have ever read the nutrition info for this soup OG’s soup has about 1300 mg of sodium. But it’s sooooo good…. I tried this recipe and I thought it was bland as well. I didn’t think it was anything like OG. Sorry.. I’m really picky about Italian food. It is rear to find something as good as my grandma used to make. That was ***authentic*** Italian!!!

I appreciate we don’t have the same opinions. I don’t salt everything when I write up recipes where my personal preferences lie. Personally, I am a salt fiend. I always assume that most folks can salt the food to their preference level. It is rare when two people agree on the same level of salt for their food.

I just wanted to thank you, for this amazing recipe..I love Olive Garden and their soups and just NEEDED to find the recipe..I’ve made this soup a couple of times in these cold winter days and my family loves it..I’m making this soup for my sister’s baby shower tommorow as an appetizer an I’m sure it will please ..Thanks so much for taking the time to give us these wonderful recipes!! I’ll be sure to keep getting more!!

Thanks for your kind review. I am glad to hear that you and your family have enjoyed this recipe.

I always salt the water when making pasta or gnocchi, it seems like you can’t salt it properly if you try to do is after it is cooked.

taste exactly and i was done in 1/2 hour

I just made this soup. Wow! For anyone with a milk allergy, here’s my substitute for the half and half. 2 cups of raw cashews + 2 cups of water. Blend into a cream. Voila! Non-dairy half and half. Even if you’re not allergic to dairy, the cashew cream is an incredible substitute for a variety of reasons, just one being the yummy taste. No one would have a clue that the soup I made is non-dairy unless I told them.

Just found the gnocchi on the top shelf above all the other pasta products at Walmart. Stocker said it was a new product for them. I am making the soup now and as the others I have added a little salt because I used low sodium broth, and everything else was fresh so I felt like it was ok to add some.

my sister and I go to Olive Garden every other week and have soup ( Cnocchi ) and Salad. It is the best soup ever. My grand children have nana and pap take them there every other week to. they love the place

Definately needs salt and pepper. Tweeked it based on what I had in the kitchen! I used onion and garlic powder as well as celery salt since I didn’t have the fresh stuff. Spinach wouldn’t be an option with my boys so I added a few canned green peas for color. I also used canned carrots, left over turkey and milk since I didn’t have half/half. It was nice change of dinner menu for our family. Will make again!

dumb question but what kind of spinach? frozen?

[...] “Olive Garden” Gnocchi Soup ** [...]

I just thought you’d like to know that we ate at Olive Garden last night and remarked how much we loved the chicken and gnocchi soup. Then it hit us: “We could make this its own meal. But how?” We found your site and your YouTube video and made a meal out of the soup by adding a little bit more meat. We complemented it with French bread (which our 6-year-old son loved “painting” with butter before it went into the oven). We loved it so much that we just bought your book over on Amazon. Thank you for making dinner an international experience tonight for us. The house smells great! — The Dupont Family

Use fresh spinach.

Thank you for the glowing testimony! I am so glad your family could recreate your favorite meal in your home. There are lots more recipes available online, and new recipes are coming out on Youtube all of the time.

I am making it right now with leftover grilled chicken. Something tastes funky. I don’t know if I added too much thyme (which I don’t believe I did). I’ve added a ton more garlic, a little parmesean, salt. I have had to thin it quite a bit. I used a whole 15 oz jug of broth. I’m now adding water. It’s been so long since I’ve made my own cream-based soup…not sure what else I can do to “fix” it.

I am not sure what is going on there. There really isn’t a “funky” ingredient in there, you are describing a funky taste, but then trying to get it to taste differently by adding more liquid.

[...] am addicted to Olive Garden’s creamy chicken and gnocchi soup, so when I came across this copy cat recipe, I knew I had to try it. I ordered OG’s soup on Friday so that I could do a side-by-side [...]

I just wanted to let you know how wonderful this is! I am making it for the 2nd time tonight! Thank you so much for what you do!!

This is an easy and tasty recipe. I found other recipes that uses chicken broth that you might also like at http://www.chickenbrothrecipes.com.

I made this the other night and had some of the same problems other posters had. My gnocci was REALLY big (I know that’s not your fault at all) so it was kind of hard to eat. The kids hated that part. Mine ended up being a lot thicker and more bland then what I remember the soup tasting like at Olive Garden. My husband thought it was good but needed more seasoning. When I reheated the leftovers, I cut the gnocci in half, added broth to thin it out and a ton of pepper and some salt. It tasted so much better. Because my husband liked it, I might make it again with those changes. I might just add some shaped pasta instead of the gnocci next time for the kids. Thanks for posting this though. My husband loves it at OG and now I have a good base!