Olive Garden’s Chicken Gnocchi soup is one of the most popular soup recipes. This Olive Garden copycat recipe is a rich soup with roasted tender chicken, soft pillowy gnocchi, shredded carrots, celery, and fresh spinach in a warm bowl of goodness. Hands down, this is one of my favorite Olive Garden copycat recipes. You can prepare this comforting soup for the whole family. If you love gnocchi, you will love this soup.
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Easy copycat Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi soup recipe
This is an Olive Garden favorite, but this soup is so good you will want to make a double batch every time you make it.
The Chicken and Gnocchi soup will taste like you spent hours at the stove, making your family a delightful chicken and potato gnocchi soup. You can make this soup in about 30 minutes.
Everyone Loves Chicken and Gnocchi soup
Why does everyone love this recipe? I think this is one of those chicken soup recipes everyone loves because it is made with tender gnocchi, juicy chicken, fresh carrots and celery, and a perfectly seasoned chicken broth. To accompany this soup, make salad and breadsticks with this classic Olive Garden dish.
Olive Garden Chicken and Gnocchi Soup Ingredients
I love this easy gnocchi soup, which uses simple ingredients. In no time at all, your entire family will fall in love with this soup that you made in the comfort of your own home. Go to the recipe card for the exact quantities and steps to make this recipe.
- Butter – you can use either salted butter or unsalted butter
- Olive oil – is used to saute the onions and celery
- White onion – I like the white onion for this recipe. It tends to be a bit sweeter and has less heat than yellow onion.
- Celery – fresh celery adds a beautiful earthy flavor
- Fresh garlic – to make the best soup, use fresh garlic so the flavor sings through
- All-purpose flour – this is used to make a roux, the base of your creamy soup.
- Half and half—I recommend using half and half instead of whole milk; it reheats better. If you want something completely decadent, swap the half-and-half for heavy cream.
- Low-sodium chicken broth – I would use it if you have homemade broth.
- Dried thyme – adds a beautiful earthy flavor
- Dried parsley flakes – add a lovely pop of color to your recipe
- Ground Nutmeg – enhances the flavor of your soup
- Shredded carrots – you can purchase carrot matchsticks to make this easy
- Cooked chicken breast – If you have leftover rotisserie chicken, I suggest this. The Olive Garden does not use this, but it is an opportunity to drive up the flavor. Also, this recipe can be made with cooked chicken thighs.
- Potato Gnocchi – My keto friends will swap out the gnocchi for cauliflower gnocchi. Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi is a favorite. If you can find it, some people love this with mini gnocchi.
- Spinach – regular spinach is fine, but I prefer fresh baby spinach.
Should you use store-bought or homemade gnocchi?
Store-bought gnocchi is perfect for this recipe. You can take the extra step in preparing homemade gnocchi, but premade potato gnocchi works well. Gnocchi can be found in a couple of different places in your supermarket, and you do have options to purchase them.
- Many local stores sell shelf-stable potato gnocchi in the pasta aisles. I have purchased this at Walmart and Kroger, and I have been told that some dollar stores carry gnocchi.
- I have seen fluffy gnocchi sold in the fresh sections of higher-end grocery stores, where you would pick up a prepared meal.
- I have even found it available in the grocery store’s frozen section.
Either type of gnocchi will work well. Your family will love this. Have a hard time finding gnocchi? Make your homemade potato gnocchi.
How to make Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi
It is straightforward to make this Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi soup recipe. You will find that all of the ingredients are very common in your average grocery store.
First, you will sauté the vegetables in butter over medium-high heat. Then, add some flour and cook that through. You will then add the half-and-half and chicken broth. Bring it to a low boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.
Cooked chicken and gnocchi are added to your seasoned broth and vegetables. Adjust your seasoning, and you will be ready to serve this soup in less than an hour.
Can you use a Crockpot for this recipe?
Yes, you can. I like to saute the vegetables first before I prepare the soup. You don’t need to do that if you like.
Simply place all of the vegetables, except the kale, chicken, seasonings, and stock, into the crockpot. Cook on low for 4 hours. Shred the chicken, add the remaining ingredients, and cook for another hour.
If the soup is too thin, make a cornstarch slurry of 1 tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with two tablespoons of water. Stir the cornstarch slurry into the soup, turn the crockpot on high, and stir until the soup has thickened.
How to Store and Reheat Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- Refrigerate any leftover soup for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
- Reheat – this creamy soup is best reheated in a large pot on the stove over low heat. This way the creamy broth won’t break down.
Can you freeze copycat Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup?
Yes, you can freeze this soup. The soup stays well in the freezer for several months when stored in an airtight container. Thaw the soup in the refrigerator overnight.
More Olive Garden Recipes
- Asiago Tortelloni Alfredo with Grilled Chicken
- Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara
- Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce
- Olive Garden Chicken Alfredo
- Olive Garden Chicken Scampi
- Olive Garden Dressing
- Olive Garden Minestrone Soup
- Olive Garden Pasta Fagioli Soup
- Olive Garden Salad Recipe
- Zuppa Toscana
Popular Soup Recipes
Love soup? Check out these soup recipes and try one of my great dessert recipes to complete your meal.
Look at more of my copycat Olive Garden recipes to make your favorites at home.
Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons Butter
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup finely diced onion
- 1/2 cup finely diced celery
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 quart half-and-half
- 28 ounces chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
- 1 cup carrots finely shredded
- 1 cup spinach leaves coarsely chopped
- 1 cup chicken breast cooked, and diced
- 16 ounces package ready-to-use gnocchi
Instructions
- Melt the butter and olive oil in a large pot or a Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add the chopped onion, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally until the onion becomes translucent.
- Whisk in the flour and cook for about 1 minute. Whisk in the half-and-half. Simmer until thickened.
- Whisk in the chicken broth. Simmer until thickened again. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt, thyme, parsley, nutmeg (if using), shredded carrots, spinach, chicken, and gnocchi.
- Simmer until the soup is heated through. Before serving, season with additional salt, if necessary.
Video
Notes
- You can use leftover roitisserie chicken for extra flavor
- You may want to use less thyme than suggested
- Some gnocchi is very large, you can cut these pieces in half
- You may want to add additional salt to the final soup, this soup does not have a lot of salt in it, especially if you use low-sodium chicken broth
Toni Addington
Turned out perfect! I didn’t have a quart of half and half so I substituted 8 ounces of heavy whipping cream and 24 ounces of milk and it’s still yummy and thick
Liz
Reeeally easy to make! Usually never like more than 5 ingredients but this is sooo easy and sooo worth it. Delicious!! Am making again. I used 50% Halfnhalf with 50% whole milk last time but am going to try 100% whole milk this time. Plenty rich, wonderful soup. Thanks so much!
Denise Lange
I made this today, after being to Olive Garden last week. Even though I mixed up an order in steps, it turned out amazing!! My daughter taste tested for me, saying it looked creamy….she was skeptical. I got this raised eyebrow look, then she gave me a ten out of ten. Thank you!!
Marcy
Your Olive Garden gnocchi soup is the real deal
Since you replicated it so perfectly I’m challenging you to recreate a recipe that after watching YouTube how to’s, the chefs have still not gotten it right. Montreal’s Chalet BBQ and Cote St Luc BBQ have the exact same savory peppery, clovey BBQ sauce. It is outstanding. Next time you’re in Montreal, one of the great food cities in the world, could you try to replicate the recipe and post it?
Thank you
Stephanie Manley
I love a great challenge, but I have to say my skill set is simply this, I must be able to taste something before I know what to make it taste like. So if I can’t taste it, I can’t try to duplicate it.
Karen Dietrich
Can I make this and omit the chicken since I don’t eat it?
Stephanie Manley
I think you could, the soup may be bland if you do this.
Anira
RARELY does my husband enjoy soup. He’s taking the leftovers for lunch *gasp*. Thank you SO much for sharing!!!
Megan C.
If you make ahead of time, is it okay to add the gnocchi to it, or keep separate and add in when eating? Just curious if the gnocchi will be okay to sit in soup in fridge.
Stephanie Manley
The soup does not separate in the refrigerator. You can leave the gnocchi in the soup when you store it.
Polly
can this be frozen? I love having a variety of soups in my freezer in the colder months.
Karen
I loved this soup. Not hard to make.
Moni
Hi Stephanie!
I just made ur soup and it was hands down delicious
My questions is, is it 369 calories for each serving?
Thanks!
-Moni
Stephanie Manley
Yes, that is per serving.
Felicia M
Family really like it. Will try again
Donna
I followed the recipe exactly as written but used no sodium broth. I was lucky to find lactose free half and half so I was really able to enjoy it. I did have to add extra salt as you mentioned and it was fantastic!
Ruth
Made for a Church Dinner and everyone loved it, Makig it for a Christmas Dinner gathering next
Leigh McDowell
Does it reheat well? I’m always afraid that the cream will split from the chicken broth.
Stephanie Manley
It reheats fairly well, reheat it gently, and do not let it boil.
Connie
Can I keep warm in a crockpot
Stephanie Manley
Yes, you can.
Traci
Really amazing copycat recipe–actually better than the original! I was able to use half of the butter and milk for about half of the amount of half and half, and it was still so creamy and decadent! Really was even better than the Olive Garden’s, thank you so much for sharing this!
Jamie
This is my second tike making this recipe. I opted to not use thyme. My household loved it
Sharon
This soup is delicious. I order this so often at Olive Garden and your recipe tastes better.