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.
Very good! I added diced sweet potatoes and a pinch of nutmeg. Will make again!
I’ve been making this recipe now for several years. It is excellent as written, but a few alterations I’ve tried over the years which makes all the difference is first swap the chicken breast out for a Costco rotisserie chicken, the seasonings on it just give this something extra. I also add a pat of butter along side the olive oil in the beginning and cook the vegetables for 6-8 minutes to soften them up more.
I am now post op bariatric surgery and this recipe has been on my soft foods rotation. Only thing I can’t eat is the chicken right now, but I can eat around it.
I made for dinner for the 1st time after enjoying some at OG about 1 week ago. It is definitely delicious. I used the half and half, heavy cream mixture and soup is creamy, but not overly thick. My husband loves it!!
I may have left a review before, I don’t remember.
I have been using this recipe for several years now, maybe 4 or so, and it never fails to disappoint. My husband isn’t a soup person, but he devours this lol he also says it’s better than the Olive Garden recipe, which I’ll concur with lol
This recipe is so great and I just keep coming back to it. Especially in winter. Keeps the kitchen warm, and it’s very warming when you eat it.
It DOES microwave well. I haven’t gotten around to freezing any even though I double or even triple the recipe…..we just eat it too fast to have any left to freeze. So I’m not sure how well it freezes. Generally creamy soups tend not to freeze well, but if I get a chance to freeze some, I’ll come back and report the outcome lol
I should be making it again soon. Our son will get to try it for the first time, since he’s finally old enough to. I’ll let you know how he likes it, too 😄
Then switch it up according to your tastes. Adding garlic powder is always a good one, in almost every recipe. Trying adding it either at the very beginning while sauteeing the vegetables or in the last 2-3 minutes. Add more salt, just don’t go overboard because the gnocchi are potatoes and will absorb it. Adding it during the first phase is helpful, and it helps the vegetables break down a little easier. Or, for more control over the taste, add it at the end. Add more vegetables, or a stronger chicken broth (using bouillon is a good way to do this). These are all examples of how you can switch things up to tailor it to your preferences.
As far as the consistency, let it sit for a little while after cooking, off the heat, maybe 15-20 minutes. This lets the starches from the gnocchi start to thicken the soup. I also recommend following the note in the recipe, swap some of the half and half with heavy cream instead.
I’ve made this soup so many times, and in greater quantities, and it always turns out great. A bit thicker than Olive Garden, but in the best way. I make small adjustments according to my and my family’s tastes. The original recipe isn’t bad, it just doesn’t line up with your particular tastes. So adjusting and tailoring it to your likes will make it perfect.
This kinda goes for every recipe. Not everybody will like it exactly as instructed. It might be helpful if you think of recipes as more of a blueprint, a guideline for where to start. Cooking is a science AND an art. Throw in some of your own personality, give it some flair.
watery and flavorless followed the recipe to a T
Anna, you must have done something wrong, my soup turned out fantastic! The recipe is good, it’s not the recipe.
LOVE IT!!! Tastes so good!
Whole Family Loves this recipe! makes frequent rotation! Totally follow your base recipe but do go off a bit such as I sprinkle chicken with Montreal chicken spice or other seasoning when sauteing. Often just use milk with butter to sub for half n half and just thawed frozen cut leaf spinach. Perfect meal with salad and easy to do gluten free with gf gnocchi. I usually up the veggies too. (Easier now that I found bagged shredded carrots too). Fast, quick, delicious and filling. Thank you!
Sounds delicious! So glad you all enjoy this dish 🙂
Excellent soup!!! Making for supper tonight with crusty bread!! Good and hearty on a cool fall day!! Thank you sir a great recipe!
Sounds delicious! Glad you enjoy this recipe 🙂
Incredible. My fav soup recipe. So fast and easy. Filling comfort food that’s not overly heavy.
My husband and I have used your recipe for gnocchi soup many times and love the way it turns out! It’s one of our go-to recipes for an easy dinner night. We usually pair it with Olive Garden breadsticks and an Italian salad. Pulled up your recipe this morning to make my grocery list and decided to let you know how much we appreciate your easy delicious recipe! 💖
This recipe does not call for cooked chicken to start with as one reviewer thought. Start with raw chicken and brown it then add other ingredients. There is nothing wrong with the instructions, you just have to pay attention when you read them.
I’m confused by your comment. While I have not had a problem with my chicken being overcooked, this recipe does indeed call for “cooked & diced” chicken.