This copycat version of Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup is every bit as delicious as the real thing. The rich and creamy broth is filled with chicken, gnocchi, carrots, celery and spinach making it a satisfying meal any night of the week.
Jump to:
Copycat Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup
It’s hard to go wrong with this homey one-pot Italian version of chicken and dumpling soup. Even better than the original, this soup smells great, tastes great and is so simple to make. The whole family will love the juicy chicken, fluffy gnocchi and creamy chicken broth. Our kids don’t even complain that it’s packed full of veggies!
You would never guess by tasting, but we fully embrace a few shortcuts, like using cooked chicken and store bought gnocchi, so that this recipe can be prepped and cooked in about 30 minutes. Give it a try and let us know what you think!
Ingredients in Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup Recipe
- Olive Oil - this adds necessary flavor.
- Onion - you can use white or yellow onions for this recipe.
- Celery and Carrots - these should be diced small and roughly the same size.
- Garlic - fresh garlic tastes best.
- Thyme - we recommend using fresh thyme.
- Salt and Pepper
- Cornstarch and Water - this is used to make a slurry that helps thicken the broth.
- Chicken Broth - you can use store bought or homemade.
- Chicken - our favorite method here is to purchase and shred or dice a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store.
- Gnocchi - you will want to use fresh potato gnocchi, rather than frozen.
- Spinach - fresh spinach tastes way better in this soup than frozen, and has a great texture. Frozen spinach turns mushy.
- Half & Half - this adds creaminess to the broth. You can substitute heavy cream if you want your broth to be even creamier and thicker.
- Parmesan Cheese - this is an optional garnish.
What to Serve with Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup
This soup is begging to be served with fresh bread for dipping. If you want to truly recreate an Olive Garden dinner, you can make our Copy Cat Olive Garden Breadsticks. Otherwise, give this Garlic Herb Twist Bread or Rustic Cheddar Cheese Bread a try.
A rich and satisfying soup like this would also taste great with a fresh garden salad, such as Cucumber Tomato Avocado Salad, Broccoli Salad with Bacon, or even these Wedge Salad Wraps.
How to Make Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large dutch oven pot. Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook over medium high heat until the vegetables are soft, tender and the onions are transparent - about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the minced garlic and cook for 2-3 more minutes, or until garlic is soft and tender. Next, add the minced thyme, salt and pepper and cook until fragrant, or about 1-2 minutes.
- In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch with the cold water and stir together until smooth. Add the chicken broth to the pot and bring to a boil, then slowly stir in the cornstarch slurry, stirring until the soup thickens.
- Reduce heat to a simmer and add chopped or shredded chicken, gnocchi, spinach and half and half. Continue to simmer soup for 3 minutes to cook the gnocchi and warm the rest of the ingredients.
- Remove from the heat and ladle into bowls. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese if desired. Enjoy!
You absolutely can! We still suggest sautéing your vegetables before adding to the crockpot, along with the chicken broth and slurry. Also, if you go with the slow cooker method, you might as well cook fresh chicken breast in it, rather than using pre-cooked or rotisserie chicken.
Cook on low for about 4-5 hours, then add in your spinach, gnocchi and half & half and cook for another 20-30 minutes, or until the gnocchi is cooked.
Yes, you can freeze this soup. Make sure it has cooled completely before transferring into freezer bags or an airtight container. You can store frozen for up to 2 months.
To reheat, either thaw in the fridge overnight or transfer directly into a pot and warm over medium-low heat, stirring frequently. You may want to add a touch more half & half or cream if it starts to separate or looks a bit thick.
Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 2 med Onion diced
- 1 cup Celery diced
- 1 cup Carrot diced
- 1 Tablespoon Garlic minced
- 1 Tablespoon Thyme fresh, chopped fine
- 1 Tablespoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
- 3 Tablespoons Cornstarch
- 6 Tablespoons Cold Water
- 4 cups Chicken Broth
- 2 cups Chicken cooked and shredded or cubed
- 16 ounces Gnocchi fresh (not frozen)
- 5 ounces Spinach fresh, chopped
- 2 cups Half & Half can substitute heavy cream
- ½ cup Parmesan Cheese shredded for garnish
Instructions
- Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in the bottom of a large dutch oven pot. Add the onion, carrots and celery and cook over medium heat until the vegetables are soft, tender and the onions are transparent - about 5-7 minutes.
- Add the minced garlic and cook for 2-3 more minutes, or until garlic is soft and tender. Next, add the minced thyme, salt and pepper and cook until fragrant, or about 1-2 minutes.
- In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch with the cold water and stir together until smooth. Add the chicken broth to the pot and bring to a boil, then slowly stir in the cornstarch slurry, stirring until the soup thickens.
- Reduce heat to a simmer and add chopped or shredded chicken, gnocchi, spinach and half and half. Continue to simmer soup for 3 minutes to cook the gnocchi and warm the rest of the ingredients.
- Once the soup is thickened and warmed to your liking, remove from the heat and ladle into bowls. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese if desired. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Here are some other simple homemade soup recipes that we love!
- Easy Homestyle Chicken Noodle Soup
- Lasagna Soup
- Easy Taco Soup
- The Best Minestrone Soup
- Skinny Vegetable Soup
- Tuscan Soup
- White Chicken Chili
- More Soup Recipes
If you’ve tried this recipe, please rate it and leave a comment on this post. I love hearing feedback from you helps me and other readers too! If you love Pinterest, feel free to leave a comment and photo there too. Also, if you like to share, use the hashtag #thecarefreekitchen on Instagram and tag me @thecarefreekitchen so I can find you and give your post some love. You can also find me on Facebook at The Carefree Kitchen. Thank you!!
This homemade copycat Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup is every bit as delicious as the original. It's got a rich and creamy broth that we load with chicken, gnocchi, carrots, celery and spinach making it a satisfying one-pot meal any night of the week.
Leave a Reply