Chicken Gnocchi Soup

This Copycat 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.

And if you’re in your soup era and looking for more of the best soup recipes, be sure to try our Lemon Orzo Chicken Soup, Coconut Curry Thai Soup and our Creamy Potato Broccoli Soup Recipe.

Copycat Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup

It’s hard to go wrong with this one-pot Italian version of our own Chicken Gnocchi Soup Olive Garden recipe.  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!  

Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup Ingredients

• 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.

How to Make Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Remove from the heat and ladle into bowls.  Serve with grated Parmesan cheese if desired.  Enjoy!

Frequently Asked Questions

Storing and Reheating

• Refrigerator:  store cool soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• Freezer:  you can store completely cooled soup in freezer bags or an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months.
• Reheating: if frozen, transfer to the fridge overnight to thaw.  Once you are ready to serve, reheat over medium-low heat on the stovetop in a pot, stirring occasionally. 

More 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

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.