Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup Copycat boasts tender chicken and pillowy gnocchi blended with vegetables, spices, and creamy broth to make the best soup you have ever had. In fact, it may turn out to be your favorite recipe once you taste it.
For another famous Olive Garden copycat recipe that your whole family will love, try our copycat Zuppa Toscana Soup. If you are looking for a main dish of pasta and chicken, our Chicken Carbonara with parmesan cheese, cream, and lemon is delicious.
The juicy chicken and creamy soup with potato dumplings is even better than the restaurant version because it can be altered to your own preferences. If you do not like spinach, leave it out.
The same goes for the carrots. However, some of the ingredients are important like the cream and garlic. Soup recipes are usually known to be time-consuming, but this gnocchi recipe is done in under 30 minutes.
This meal is like a warm blanket during cold winter nights. We also like to make a large batch and freeze leftovers for later. It
Another one of our popular recipes is this Instant Pot Italian Meatball Soup made with marinara sauce, beef broth, and tomato paste.
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Ingredients needed:
Scroll down to our handy recipe card for the detailed steps and measurements but here are the simple ingredients you will need for this homemade gnocchi soup:
- Boneless and skinless chicken breast: Cooked and chopped into small pieces.
- Olive oil: For sauteing.
- Heavy cream: This is an important ingredient you should not substitute unless absolutely necessary.
- Celery: Freshly chopped
- White onion: Peeled and diced.
- Garlic cloves: Minced.
- Fresh spinach: Roughly chopped.
- Carrot: Shredded.
- Chicken broth: We used low sodium for this recipe.
- Potato gnocchi: Store-bought or make your own with our recipe for homemade gnocchi.
- Spices: We used thyme, basil, salt, and black pepper.
How do you make Olive Garden chicken gnocchi soup copycat recipe?
- Sauté: To start, heat the olive oil in a pot or Dutch oven and sauté the carrots, garlic, onion, and celery over medium-high heat until the onions are translucent just a few minutes.
- Add: Next, add broth, chicken, and seasonings and bring to a boil before adding the gnocchi. Let it boil for three or four minutes before reducing it to simmer for 10 minutes.
- Creamy broth: Lastly, add the cream and spinach before cooking for two more minutes until the spinach is tender.
- Serve: Finally, add salt and pepper to taste and serve.
Recipe variations:
- Make it lighter: For a lighter version, use evaporated milk instead of cream.
- Butter: Alternatively, try using butter instead of oil. Just melt butter and sauté as usual.
- Stock: Another alternative is to use chicken stock instead of broth.
- Another flavor: Similarly, try vegetable or beef broth for a different flavor.
- Different chicken: You could also make this dish with chicken thighs.
- Other veggies: Feel free to use yellow onion instead of white and to use other veggies like peas, corn, and broccoli.
How to serve:
Next time you are craving some of Olive Garden’s chicken gnocchi soup, you do not have to buy it. Just make it yourself and have it on the table in under 30 minutes. Try one of our serving suggestions or one of your own.
- This famous soup goes great with a crispy and light pear salad or mozzarella arugula salad.
- Add a touch of Italian seasoning to this soup for a new flavor twist.
- Chicken soup also pairs well with our cheesy olive bread or savory beer bread.
- This Olive Garden soup would go great with a beer or one of our strawberry margaritas.
- For the non-drinkers, you may enjoy this with homemade lemonade or cranberry mocktail.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is gnocchi?
Gnocchi is often thought of as a pasta, but it is actually made of potato, which is why it is sometimes referred to as potato gnocchi. It is more of a potato dumpling than a pasta product and is made by using mashed potatoes mixed with a bit of flour and eggs.
You can often find these delicious dumplings in the pasta aisle, fresh sections, or even in the freezer at your local grocery store.
Can I make this in an instant pot?
Because this creamy chicken gnocchi soup only takes about 15 minutes on the stove top, most people do not use their instant pot. However, it makes a great one-pot meal because you can sauté and cook the soup in the instant pot.
After sautéing, pour in the chicken broth and pressure cook on high for 15 minutes, and after that do a 10-minute natural pressure release. Finally, release manually the remaining pressure, stir and serve!
Why is my soup runny?
Typically, the starches from the gnocchi will thicken up this soup as it cooks and even more as it cools down to room temperature.
This easy recipe for Olive Garden’s chicken gnocchi is usually very thick after it cools but if not, you can thicken it with a bit of all-purpose flour or cornstarch.
How to store leftovers:
- Store: You can store your leftover soup in an airtight container for up to five days in the refrigerator.
- Freeze: If you cannot eat it all within a few days, go ahead and put it in a freezer-safe container, or freezer bags, and it will stay fresh for up to 90 days.
- Thaw: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before serving.
- Reheat: Transfer the soup to a large pot and cook it over medium heat until it is heated through, which takes just a few minutes.
More copycat recipes:
Cooking tips:
- This recipe is a great way to use up any leftover chicken you have.
- Alternatively, you could also use store-bought rotisserie chicken.
- For best results, use fresh spinach because frozen spinach will turn mushy.
- Similarly, it is best to use real heavy cream for this recipe, but you can use half-and-half or milk if that is all you have.
- If you use low-sodium broth, you may have to use additional salt for the best flavor.
- This could also be a slow cooker soup. Just toss it all in the crockpot and let it cook for four hours on low or two hours on high.
Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup Copycat
Ingredients
- 3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs - cooked and diced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small white onion finely diced
- 1 stalk of celery chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 medium carrot shredded
- 5 cups chicken broth low sodium
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 16 ounces potato gnocchi
- 2 cups cream or half and half
- 2 cups fresh spinach roughly chopped
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FollowInstructions
- Place a large soup pot over medium heat and add the olive oil.
- Add onion, celery, garlic, and shredded carrot, saute for 2-3 minutes until onions are translucent.
- Add chicken, chicken broth, salt, pepper, basil, and thyme, bring mixture to a boil, then gently stir in the gnocchi.
- Boil for 3-5 minutes before reducing heat to a simmer and cook for 10-15 minutes.
- Stir in cream and after that the spinach and cook another 2 minutes until spinach is wilted.
- Taste, and adjust for salt and pepper.
- Serve with warm bread on the side.
Nutrition Facts
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