Chicken and Gnocchi Soup (Olive Garden Copycat)
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Chicken and Gnocchi Soup is thick, creamy, and oh, so comforting — even better than the Olive Garden recipe!! Enjoy a bowl of this restaurant favorite for a delicious Italian dinner tonight!
Chicken and Gnocchi Soup
We love making copycat versions of our favorite restaurant recipes at home. It saves money — plus, homemade meals always taste the best!
Not only is this copycat Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup made entirely from fresh ingredients, but anyone can throw it together no matter how skilled they are in the kitchen.
My Zuppa Toscana is another delicious Olive Garden soup recipe that can be made on the stovetop or in an Instant Pot.
Or, try a tortellini alfredo soup that is just as hearty and creamy – perfect for a warm bowl of comfort food!
How to Make Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup
It’s incredibly easy to make a copycat chicken gnocchi soup Olive Garden recipe at home.
Start to finish, it’s ready in under an hour but tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen!
- Measure and prep ingredients. Chicken and gnocchi soup comes together quickly, so you’ll want everything ready when you need it.
- Cook the meat and veggies. Brown the chicken until it is cooked through, then transfer to a plate. Saute the veggies in the leftover oil and butter.
- Make the creamy base. Stir in the flour and seasoning, then the broth and milk, and simmer all together with the gnocchi until the tiny dumplings float to the top.
- Finish and serve. Chop up the chicken into bite sized pieces. Stir into the pot with the spinach and cream until heated through.
Chicken Gnocchi Soup Olive Garden Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Choose the right cookware. A Dutch oven is ideal for this Olive Garden chicken gnocchi soup recipe, but a large stockpot will get the job done as well.
Because this yields so many servings, I recommend a 4-quart capacity at minimum, but larger is better. - Adjust the consistency. I used two packages of the dumplings for a heartier bowl, but feel free to reduce the amount to one package so the chicken and gnocchi soup comes out thinner.
- Use pre-cooked chicken. You could easily throw in some leftovers or rotisserie meat to save some time.
Simply omit the olive oil and begin by cooking the onions in the 2 tablespoons of butter before proceeding with the recipe as instructed. - Play with spices. While Italian seasoning is quick and easy, you can use any combination of dried basil, oregano, rosemary, and/or thyme for better control over the flavor.
Serving Suggestions
You can’t go wrong with a big bowl of salad for the table — it tastes just like the Olive Garden recipe!
Otherwise, chicken and gnocchi soup is quite filling on its own and doesn’t need more than some crusty bread or breadsticks for mopping up every last drop.
Olive Garden Gnocchi Soup FAQ
That depends on who you ask! Some chefs recommend partially cooking the potato dumplings first, or cooking entirely and mixing them into finished soup before serving.
For this chicken gnocchi soup Olive Garden recipe, I toss them in straight from the package. Not only will they cook up just fine, but they take on extra delicious flavor!
It’s easy to sneak in other vegetables like celery, peas, or even zucchini. You could also replace the poultry with Italian sausage for a more savory flavor in Olive Garden gnocchi soup.
Also, small-cut pasta noodles like orzo, shells, and orecchiette are a great substitute if you can’t get your hands on the dumplings. Check the package instructions for cooking times and adjust accordingly.
Yes! Once cooled, transfer leftover Olive Garden gnocchi soup to a sealed container and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stove with additional milk or broth as needed.
I don’t recommend freezing, since cream based soups don’t tend to hold up well once frozen and thawed.
Enjoy!
With love, from our simple kitchen to yours.
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Other Easy Chicken Recipes
Chicken and Gnocchi Soup (Olive Garden Copycat)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound chicken breast , or chicken tenderloin
- 1 cup yellow onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups milk
- 32 ounces Gnocchi, (2 packages) or 1 package for a thinner soup
- 2 cups baby spinach leaves, rinsed and pat dry
- 1 cup grated carrots
- 1 cup heavy cream
- fresh parsley for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Add butter and olive oil to a large stockpot or Dutch oven and heat over medium heat. Add chicken and brown well on each side. Reduce heat and cook several minutes longer, if needed, to cook chicken all the way through (165°F internal temperature). Remove chicken from the pan and set aside.
- To the same pot, add onion and saute until onions are soft and translucent. Add additional olive oil if needed for cooking, but there will likely be enough leftover from cooking the chicken.
- Add carrots to the cooked onion and saute 2-3 minutes.
- Add the flour, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning to the onions and carrots and saute for 1-2 minutes to brown the flour.
- Slowly pour in chicken broth, stirring to combine the flour mixture evenly into the broth. Add milk and heat mixture, stirring frequently, until soup comes to a simmer and begins to thicken just slightly.
- Add gnocchi and simmer about 10 minutes longer until gnocchi is soft and floats to the top of the pot.
- Stir in spinach, chicken (cut into pieces), and heavy cream. Heat all of the ingredients through and serve.
- Garnish with chopped Italian parsley, if desired.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.
Originally published August 2021, updated and republished August 2023
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great recipe but maybe you could add a link for those of us who would like to make home made gnocchi dumplings?
Hi Tina,
Here is the recipe for our Italian Gnocchi https://www.theslowroasteditalian.com/gnocchi-recipe/ Enjoy!
TSRI Team Member,
Holli
This soup is fabulous !!
Is it 2 – 16oz packages of gnocchi?
Hi Nicole,
Yes it is 2 packages, sorry about that. Thank you for letting us know and have a great day!
TSRI Team Member,
Holli
What can be substituted for the heavy cream to cut down on the fat and calories?
I use evaporated milk to help cut calories when recipes call for heavy cream.
Loved it! I bumped up all of the seasonings a bit to our personal taste – but this was so good! We will definitely be making this again. Thank you!
Hi Katie,
We are happy to hear that! Have a great day!
TSRI Team Member,
Holli
WOW!! Was this a hit with the whole family! We just had this soup the Saturday after Thanksgiving. It was the very best online soup recipe I’ve tried in a very, very long time that I felt deserved a 5-star rating! Not only was it quick to make with leftover cooked turkey, it was easy and actually fun to make. We made a double batch and it was perfect for our group. I know my family all gave it high praises. Thank you! This one will go into the family favorite recipes.
Hi Denise,
Thank you! We are so happy you enjoyed it! Have a great day!
TSRI Team Member,
Holli
this took a little time to make, but it was sooooo worth it! I order chicken gnocchi at Olive Garden, all the time, tasted just like it..definitely making it again and again!
Is there an InstaPot version of this recipe? Can you omit the spinach from this recipe as well?
What type of gnocchi do you use? I’ve bought some packaged and didn’t care for them…so u use frozen or from the store shelf?