Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup
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Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup copycat is every bit as creamy and delicious as the restaurant version, made in less than 30 minutes!
Love gnocchi? You’ll go crazy for my Gnocchi in Tomato Cream Sauce and Creamy Lemon Garlic Shrimp and Gnocchi! And don’t forget to serve them up with these easy homemade OLIVE GARDEN BREADSTICKS.
There’s a reason nearly everyone loves Olive Garden. Their food is good! And addictive! A quick search of Pinterest reveals hundreds of Olive Garden copycat recipes — from their Italian salad dressing to their toasted ravioli. I can think of a few reasons why seemingly everyone wants to recreate these dishes at home. First of all, it’s more budget-friendly to eat at home. Second, you can make as much as you want (leftovers!). Third, you don’t have to put on pants that don’t have an elastic waistband and drive to the restaurant when a craving hits. And, fourth, you don’t have to take your kids out to eat. I probably should have put that as my first reason, actually. Let’s face it, taking your kids out to eat is the ultimate gamble. And sometimes you’re just not in the mood to test your luck.
Let’s just say the perfect storm of all of these reasons came together for me one fateful Saturday. Not to be outdone, I decided to make my own Chicken Gnocchi Soup, darn it. And no one and no pants with a zipper and a button were going to stop me. Luckily, I had some gnocchi in the freezer and the rest of the ingredients on hand (it’s like I unknowingly prepared for this exact moment).
The rest, they say, is Olive Garden recipe history. The soup was delicious, no one had to go anywhere, and — most importantly — there were plenty of leftovers.
HOW DO YOU MAKE GNOCCHI?
Gnocchi is made from potatoes, flour, and eggs. I’m not sure what genius came up with this combination, but I am forever grateful. Making gnocchi is fun and rewarding, if you have the time and inclination. I’ve made it before but it’s been a while and now I just tend to use the store-bought varieties, as I find they work well in most recipes. If you want to try your hand at your own homemade gnocchi, allow me to refer you to this recipe. I hope you enjoy it and that it turns out perfectly.
WHAT KIND OF PRE-COOKED CHICKEN SHOULD I USE?
For this recipe, I suggest you use boneless, skinless chicken that’s already been cooked and diced because it makes this recipe come together more easily. To do this yourself, I recommend dicing the chicken before cooking it, as it will cook quicker that way. You can cook it in a little bit of olive oil until it’s just done. Add a little salt and pepper to it if you like.
Another option is to buy pre-shredded, cooked chicken at your grocery store. It tends to be more expensive, but can be worth it. The only drawbacks are that you’re going to have shredded chicken instead of nice, little, bite-size cubes in your soup and sometimes I think that this kind of chicken tends to have a little bit of a chewier texture than when it’s been more recently cooked.
CAN I MAKE THIS IN A SLOW COOKER?
Yes, yes, you can make this soup in a slow cooker. Here’s what I would change though, in this recipe. I would still definitely use cooked, diced chicken. So have that at the ready. Also, go ahead and saute the veggies and garlic. THEN put the chicken and veggies all together in the bottom of your slow cooker. Add the liquids and all the other ingredients except the gnocchi, half and half, and spinach. Cook on low for three to four hours, adding the gnocchi in for the last hour of cooking. Before serving, add the half and half and spinach and stir to combine. The spinach should wilt quickly. Serve. Enjoy. And try not to eat it all in one sitting.
What people are saying about this Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup
“Easy to make and delicious. It ended up like a whole dinner in a bowl. Next time I might try using a rotisserie chicken.” – Don
“This soup is so delicious! It’s so easy and flavorful. I love to top it off with some grated parmesan cheese.” – Erin
“I made this with my Thanksgiving turkey left overs and it turned out fantastic! Thank you so much for the recipe!” – Krystal
Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup
Ingredients
- 3-4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and diced
- 1 stalk of celery, chopped
- ½ white onion, diced
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- ½ cup shredded carrots
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 16 ounces potato gnocchi
- 2 cups half and half, see note
- 1 cup fresh spinach, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add celery, onions, garlic, and carrots and saute for 2-3 minutes until onions are translucent.
- Add chicken, chicken broth, salt, pepper, and thyme, bring to a boil, then gently stir in gnocchi. Boil for 3-4 minutes longer before reducing heat to a simmer and cooking for 10 minutes.
- Stir in half and half and spinach and cook another 1-2 minutes until spinach is tender. Taste, add salt and pepper if needed, and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I wanted to subscribe but couldn’t see where. I have all the ingredients, will be making this right now.
HI tiffany – do you think this would work without including chicken? also, do you think i would still need the chicken stock? thanks!
Hi Amy- I think it would turn out ok without the chicken if you needed to! You will still need to keep the chicken stock however!
I’m willong to bet you could substitute vegetable stock for the chicken stock if you are looking for a vegetarian option!
Hi Tiffany, how do you think the recipe would turn out without the chicken? also, would i still need the chicken stock?
It’s ok I used chicken bouillon cubes in water and not a lot of chicken and it turned out really good. Me and my 14 kids Ronny, kennedie, John, booth, Avery, lingenstien, tunic, machu, Carson, hoover, medical, tulip , bargley and ringalt all loved it so
Is gnocchi typicallybought frozen at the grocery stOre? Shoukd i thaw it before addIng it to the recipe or can it be thrown in frozen? Would this chAnge for the crockpot vs stove method?
Gnocchi is typically on the dry pasta isle at the store! Hopefully that helps you out!
This soup is so delicious! It’s so easy and flavorful. I love to top it off with some grated parmesan cheese.
Great thinking with the grated parmesan cheese! Thanks for your feedback, Erin! Glad that you love this recipe!
UnfortunatEly, while Delicous and easy- this soup doesnt taste like the olive garden version. I will probbaly make It again because we enjoyed it, but I’m pregnant and have been craving the OG version, so i just wanted to leave this review for anyone who is craving thE namesake.
Thanks for your feedback, Taylor! Good luck with the rest of your pregnancy!
Picky granddaughter loved this. She sayit is better than olive GARDEN. Winner when I can get her to eat. No leftovers for us. She ate two large bowls.
Picky granddaughter approved!! Alright! 😉
Can you use frozen spinach?
Yes- that’s easy to thaw, so I suggest thawing it first!
Thank you for posting the recipe. I used 2 chicken BREAST FOR THIS RECIPE AND IT TURNED OUT GREAT! ALSO I PUT OTHER SEASONINGS TO MY CHICKEN WHEN COOKING IT.
Thanks for your input! Glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe!
This looks so delicious! But I’m wonder 3-4 BONELESS CHICKEN BREasts…at my store, the package weights vary widely. Could you please estimate how much in weight (or cups)? Thanks ever so much!
Hi Nancy- I’d say about 1 lb of chicken total! Give or take.
Would this freeze well?
I am asking the same question. Has anyone had good results freezing this?
I have not frozen this soup recipe, yet! But I think that it would turn out. I would love to hear how it turns out for you!
I froze it just fine. Rewarded from frozen slowly. Added a touch of cream, a little more broth, tossed in some fresh gnocchi.
Hi Mary- I haven’t frozen this soup, yet. But I think it would work!! I would love to hear how it turns for you!
No,,I have tried it and the gnocchi goes mushy
No,,I have tried it and the gnocchi goes mushy when you freeze The soup
if you want to freeze it i would suggest freezing before adding the gnocchi or dairy. the gnocchi don’t freeze great in my experience they get very soggy/mushy when reheated. i USUALLY end up adding fresh ones for better texture.
Could you please recommend a brand of Gnocchi that is good to use in recipes? I have not been happy with the ones I have tried.
Hi Marcia- I typically use Gia Russa when cooking Gnocchi! It’s imported from Italy- so I know it’s the real deal!
Thank you. I shall try to find it.
Marcia, I live in a small town and do not have access to lots of ingredients. You can imagine my surprise at findinf gno at Everything’s a Dollar! With low expectations, i bought a package and was very pleased! It’ss Toothy and firm, so it doesnt come apart while COOKING as quickly as other brands. The flavor is nice too.
i use De Cecco mini gnocchi. they cook quick and are a good bite size.