If you’ve ever been to Olive Garden, you’ve more likely seen chicken gnocchi soup on the menu. Its a rich and creamy soup packed with chicken, potato gnocchi, and spinach.
- Are you an Olive Garden fan? Try this copycat chicken scampi recipe!
- If you love gnocchi try this mushroom gnocchi or gnocchi with prosciutto and peas
This recipe was originally posted on Apr 13, 2015, we’ve tweaked it a bit since then. This post has Amazon affiliate links for tools we used to make this recipe.
After trying it at the restaurant, I was on a mission to recreate it at home. And I must say, this chicken gnocchi soup copycat recipe has quickly become a staple in our home. I hope it becomes a staple in yours as well.
How to make Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- In a large pot, cook the minced garlic in olive oil and butter over medium-high heat.
- Then cook the chopped chicken breast in the same pot. Now add the chopped celery, carrot, and onion and cook until they become translucent.
- Now add the all-purpose flour and stir it for a few minutes.
- Then slowly pour in the chicken broth and add the dried thyme.
- Next you’ll add the cooked gnocchi, half & half, salt, pepper, and lastly add the spinach.
What is gnocchi?
Gnocchi, pronounced (nyoh-kee) is a small dough dumpling made of potato, semolina, all-purpose flour, egg, and sometimes cheese. The can be flavored in various ways and are typically served in a sauce or soup.
Is Gnocchi gluten-free?
Unfortunately, the store-bought gnocchi is not gluten-free, but you can make your own gluten-free gnocchi instead.
What to serve with chicken gnocchi soup?
Since the soup alone is quite filling, there isn’t much more you’ll want to serve with it is besides,
- Salad- like chopped Italian salad, or fresh tomato and feta salad
- Fresh bread- like focaccia bread, harvest bread or overnight rustic bread.
- small appetizers- like smoked salmon cucumber rolls, or eggplant Napoleon
What ingredients are there in chicken gnocchi soup:
- unsalted butter
- olive oil
- garlic
- chicken breast
- onion
- carrots
- celery
- all-purpose flour
- homemade chicken broth or store bought
- dried thyme
- half & half
- Salt
- black pepper
- 1potato gnocchi
- spinach
Chicken Gnocchi Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 1-1 1/2 lb chicken breast
- 1 onion
- 1 1/2 large carrots
- 2 sticks celery
- 8 tbsp flour
- 6 cups homemade chicken broth or store bought
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 2 cups half & half
- 1 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 lb package potato gnocchi
- 2 cups spinach
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat olive oil and butter over medium high heat. Add in the minced garlic and stir for about 10 seconds.
- Add the chopped chicken to the pot and stir until fully cooked, and most of the liquid has evaporated.
- Dice the celery, carrot, and onion and add it to the pot. Stir until the onion becomes translucent.
- Add flour to the sautéed chicken and vegetables and stir for a few minutes to get rid of the raw flour taste.
- Then slowly pour in the chicken stock while string to avoid getting clumps of flour.
- Add the dried thyme to the soup and let it come to a boil.Then simmer for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cut the potato gnocchi into halves and cook according to the package. Once it's cooked, pour the gnocchi into a colander and set aside.
- Pour the half and half into the soup and add the salt and pepper. If you're using my homemade broth recipe 1 1/2 tbsp salt should be enough. If you're using store bought broth, you made need to start off with 1/2 tbsp and add more according to your liking. Bring it to a boil again. I bring the soup to a boil almost every time I add an ingredient so that the flavors blend together better.
- Lastly, chop up some fresh spinach and add it to the soup. At this point you can add the gnocchi into the soup as well. Then bring the soup to a boil one last time.
Notes
- Salad- like chopped Italian salad, or fresh tomato and feta salad
- Fresh bread- like focaccia bread, harvest bread or overnight rustic bread.
- small appetizers- like smoked salmon cucumber rolls, or eggplant Napoleon
Nutrition
Ps: The original recipe for this olive garden chicken gnocchi soup copycat was posted April 13, 2015. We’ve updated it since.
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Ashley says
I absolutely love this recipe and want to make it for my husband’s family, but I’d need to double the recipe. I have a pot that should be big enough, would it still work do you think?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Ashley, I’m so glad you enjoyed this chicken gnocchi soup recipe! You can definitely double up the portion. I hope your husband’s family enjoys it as well! 🙂
Lola says
I made this soup for my family. My two toddlers liked it! And my husband and I, really enjoyed this soup. This is my new easy “go to” soup from now on.
Side note: I love celery in my soups, so I added a whole stalk of celery. I chopped it super fine so my kids wouldn’t notice.
Thanks for the recipe!
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you so much for the kind feedback Lola! I’m so happy to hear your family enjoyed the Chicken Gnocchi Soup! 🙂
Mary T says
This turned out so delicious!!! No one in my family likes the gnocchi so i replaced them with diced potatoes and it turned out yummy! Thank you!
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Mary, I am really happy to hear that your family enjoyed this recipe! Thank you so much for taking the time to write such an awesome review 🙂
kathy Carnegie says
hubby called me from work ( he is a Lieutenant for our local fire dept.) he asked me what was for dinner, I said I don’t know. He said how about some chkn gnocchi soup, and how about a big pot for the whole shift. I said ok.Went online, randomly picked your recipe. Needless to say it was a hit.
simplyhomecooked says
First off, props to you Kathy for Kindly making a big pot of soup for your husband and his coworkers. Thats so sweet of you! Thank you so much for your awesome feedback. I love hearing the stories behind the recipes people make from my blog! So glad it was a hit 🙂
Jhonnie says
I almost never comment on anything but I have to say this is absolutely terrific!! It is even better than Olive Garden’s! Followed the recipe exactly and was delicious! My hubby loved it! Thank you for figuring it out! I have always enjoyed Olive Garden’s, but now it will never stand up to this recipe! Thanks again Dina!
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you so much for leaving such amazing feedback! I’m so happy you both love this recipe!
MJ says
Some of my family doesn’t like the texture of onions – can onion powder be used instead? Thanks for the recipe!
simplyhomecooked says
Hello MJ, you can substitute with onion powder if you’d like to.
Ashley says
Do you have to cut the gnocchi in half or was just a preference of yours?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Ashely, you don’t have to cut the gnocchi in half. It’s just personal preference 🙂
Kasey says
This looks fantastic! Have you ever tried making it in a crockpot and if so, for how many hours?
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you Kasey! I’ve never tried making it in a crockpot. That’s a good idea though. I’ll have to try that.
Melissa says
Did this recipe work in the crockpot?
Thanks
Melissa
Roberta says
If substituting heavy cream for the half n half how much would you use, same amount or less/more. Thanks
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Roberta, sorry for the delayed response, I was out of the country on vacation. I would use the same amount of half & half. The soup will just be a little lighter.
Kristin says
This was incredible! I did substitute the gnocchi with cheese tortellini because my store only had frozen gnocchi and it was really expensive for a small bag. This was probably the best soup I’ve ever made at home and I love that it was made with fresh, real ingredients!
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you for leaving such a kind review Kristin 🙂 I’m glad you enjoyed the soup!
E says
Made this tonight and it just like the Olive Garden soup! Thanks for sharing recipe!
Question – how do you this would do if I froze leftovers?
E says
Oops – didn’t see the previous post????
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you! I’ve never frozen this soup before so I can’t really say much.
E says
I tried freezing – the gnocchi turned too mushy but the soup part still tasted good. I like my gnocchi a little on the firm side. So cooking lesson learned!????
simplyhomecooked says
Thanks for updating me on that. I’ll keep that in mind for the future.
Nicole Davis says
Can I freeze this soup? I didn’t see that question in the thread. Thanks! Excited to try this!
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Nicole, I’ve never frozen this soup but I don’t see why you can’t. I’ve frozen soups similar to it and they still tasted great later 🙂
Valentina says
Do you think chicken thighs might work better here? The chicken breast isn’t too dry?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Valentina, you can substitute the chicken breast for thighs. It’s personal preference 🙂
Julie says
Hi! I am a little confused on how much gnocchi to use… the ingredients list calls for a 1 pound bag, but then in the instructions it sounds like you only use half the bag. Is that correct? Thanks! I’m planning to make this tonight. Can’t wait!
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Julie, I’m sorry if that instructions confused you a bit. I meant to say to cut each gnocchi into halves (not the amount of gnocchi in half).
Amy says
I have some leftover buttermilk would I be able to use that instead of half and half?
simplyhomecooked says
Hi Amy, I don’t think buttermilk will serve as a very good substitute here. Do you have heavy cream?
Julie says
Where do you buy the gnocchi?
simplyhomecooked says
Hey Julie, I believe most grocery stores should carry potato gnocchi.
Chris says
This soup recipe is fantastic! I’ve made it several times now and every time I make it I get lots of compliments. 🙂 Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe.
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you Chris! Glad you came across this recipe 🙂 it’s one of my husband’s favorite soups.
Tiffany says
This soup was amazing!!! I added a 1/2 cup of shredded parmesan cheese during the last few minutes of cooking! 🙂
simplyhomecooked says
Yum to the Parmesan! 🙂 Glad it turned it well for you Tiffany!
Kat says
I also made this and along with the gnocchi I also added some cheese tortellini at the end before serving.
simplyhomecooked says
Yum, tortellini sounds good 🙂
Amanda says
This was such a great recipe! I had it for dinner and it’s even better for lunch today!
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you for the great feedback Amanda! Happy you enjoyed the soup!
Trudy says
I have this simmering on the stove….cannot wait to try it. It smells sooo good!
simplyhomecooked says
Yum! I’m excited for you to try it Trudy! ????
Anna says
Dina, I made this soup yesterday and it was really good! I had never heard of it before but I love creamy white soups. I did make a few mistakes in the process but oh well….it still turned out great. BTW, the kids’ reaction to gnocchi was an interesting one…some loved it, some asked for the soup without the gnocchi LOL
simplyhomecooked says
I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup Anna! The gnocchi does look pretty interesting, totally don’t blame for being a little weirded out lol.
Natalie says
I tried this soup at Olive Garden years ago and fell in love with it too! Trying this recipe today
simplyhomecooked says
Natasha, let me know how the soup turns out 🙂
Katy | Her Cup of Joy says
This soup is my favorite at OG, I get it almost every time I go. But their soups can’t compare to homemade, especially with the sodium content. I love how easy you made the instructions for us all 🙂
simplyhomecooked says
Thank you Katy, I tried my best 😉