Copycat Olive Garden Chicken and Gnocchi Soup is the creamy restaurant favorite made at home: celery, carrots, onion and garlic softened in butter, a quick roux, chicken broth, chopped chicken and soft potato gnocchi, finished with heavy cream, fresh spinach and thyme. It makes 10 servings on the stovetop in about 40 minutes.
How to make it: Soften the vegetables and garlic in butter, stir in the flour, then slowly add the broth. Add the cooked chicken, bring it to a boil and cook the gnocchi about 5 minutes. Turn the heat to medium-low, stir in the cream until steaming, then add the spinach and thyme.
Why You’ll Love It
- Restaurant comfort at home: creamy broth, tender chicken and pillowy gnocchi in every spoonful.
- 40 minutes: one pot on the stovetop.
- A big pot: 10 servings, perfect for a family dinner with leftovers.
- Uses cooked chicken: rotisserie or leftover chicken keeps it quick.
Ingredient Notes
Vegetables: A cup each of celery and carrots (shredded or chopped), one medium sweet onion finely chopped, and 4 cloves of garlic.
Butter and flour: Four tablespoons of butter to soften the vegetables and 1/4 cup of flour to thicken the soup.
Chicken broth: Four cups. Low-sodium broth lets you season to taste at the end.
Chicken: One pound of chicken breast, already cooked and chopped. Store-bought cooked chicken works too.
Potato gnocchi: One 16-ounce package, straight into the pot.
Heavy cream: Two cups for a rich, creamy broth. Half-and-half makes a lighter soup.
Spinach and thyme: Three cups of fresh spinach and a tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves go in at the end.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup shredded or chopped carrots
- 1 medium sweet onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 pound chicken breast, cooked and chopped
- 16 ounces potato gnocchi (1 package)
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 3 cups spinach
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- Salt and pepper, to taste
How to Make Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup
1. Cook the vegetables. In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the celery, carrots, onion and garlic and cook until tender, about 8 minutes.
2. Add the flour. Stir in the flour and let it cook, stirring, about 2 minutes.
3. Add the broth and chicken. Slowly add the chicken broth while stirring to prevent lumps. Add the chicken and bring the soup to a boil.
4. Cook the gnocchi. Add the gnocchi and cook until done, about 5 minutes; check the package for the exact time.
5. Add the cream. Lower the heat to medium-low. Stir in the cream and heat until steaming, but not boiling.
6. Finish. Stir in the spinach, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste, and let the spinach wilt and the soup heat through before serving.
How to Keep the Gnocchi Pillowy and the Soup Creamy
Two things make this soup taste like the restaurant’s: soft, tender gnocchi and a smooth, creamy broth. Both come down to timing and heat.
Don’t overcook the gnocchi. Potato gnocchi cook fast, about 5 minutes. Check your package for the exact time and move on to the cream as soon as they’re tender; overcooked gnocchi turn soft and heavy.
Keep the cream below a boil. Turn the heat down to medium-low before the cream goes in, then heat it just until it steams. Boiling can make a cream soup separate.
Add the broth slowly. Pour the broth into the flour a little at a time while stirring, so the roux turns into a smooth base with no lumps.
Give the broth a head start. For deeper flavor, let the broth, vegetables and thyme simmer about 20 minutes before the dairy goes in.
| Step | Heat | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Vegetables in butter | Medium | About 8 minutes |
| Flour | Medium | About 2 minutes |
| Gnocchi | Boiling | About 5 minutes (check the package) |
| Cream | Medium-low | Until steaming, not boiling |
Tips for Success
What kind of gnocchi should I use?
Potato gnocchi, from a 16-ounce package. Both shelf-stable and fresh gnocchi work; follow the package time.
Can I make it in a slow cooker?
Yes. Sauté the vegetables and garlic first and use cooked chicken. For a full slow cooker recipe, see our slow cooker chicken gnocchi soup.
Can I use half-and-half?
Yes. Half-and-half makes a lighter soup; for something in between, use one cup of half-and-half and one of heavy cream.
Variations
- No-flour version: soften the onion, celery and carrot in 2 tablespoons of butter, add garlic, then 6 cups of low-sodium chicken broth and 3 sprigs of thyme and simmer 20 minutes. Stir in 2 cups of half-and-half, 2 cups of shredded cooked chicken and a 16-ounce package of gnocchi, simmer until the gnocchi are tender, and wilt in 2 cups of baby spinach.
- Richer: keep all heavy cream, or swap one cup of half-and-half for cream in a lighter version.
- Shredded chicken: shredded rotisserie chicken works in place of chopped chicken breast.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate soup within 2 hours, dividing a big pot into smaller, shallow containers so it cools quickly, and to eat it within 3 to 4 days. Reheat it on the stove, stirring, and bring it to a rolling boil, as FSIS advises for soups. FSIS lists cream sauces among the foods that don’t freeze well, so this soup is best enjoyed fresh rather than frozen.
What to Serve With It
Serve it with crusty bread or breadsticks and a green salad. For more creamy gnocchi, make creamy spinach and mushroom gnocchi or million dollar soup. Other cozy soups: creamy chicken noodle soup, slow cooker lemon chicken and rice soup, crack chicken soup and slow cooker lasagna soup.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is in chicken and gnocchi soup?
This copycat uses chicken, potato gnocchi, celery, carrots, onion, garlic, chicken broth, heavy cream, spinach and thyme, thickened with a little butter and flour.
What kind of gnocchi goes in the soup?
Potato gnocchi, one 16-ounce package.
How do I keep the gnocchi from getting mushy?
Cook them only until tender, about 5 minutes or the time on the package, then move straight on to the cream.
Can I freeze chicken gnocchi soup?
It’s best fresh: cream soups don’t freeze well and can separate. Refrigerate leftovers and eat them within 3 to 4 days.
Do I need to cook the chicken first?
Yes. The recipe uses 1 pound of cooked, chopped chicken breast; rotisserie chicken works well.
Final Notes
Have the spinach and thyme ready before the cream goes in so the soup comes off the heat the moment the spinach wilts. If you make it, tell me in the comments what you served with it.
Copycat Olive Garden Chicken and Gnocchi Soup
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Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup celery chopped
- 1 cup carrots shredded or chopped
- 1 medium sweet onion finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 pound chicken breast cooked and chopped
- 16 ounces potato gnocchi 1 package
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 3 cups spinach
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the celery, carrots, onion and garlic and cook until tender, about 8 minutes.
- Stir in the flour and let it cook, stirring, about 2 minutes.
- Slowly add the chicken broth while stirring to prevent lumps. Add the chicken and bring the soup to a boil.
- Add the gnocchi and cook until done, about 5 minutes; check the package for the exact time.
- Lower the heat to medium-low. Stir in the cream and heat until steaming, but not boiling.
- Stir in the spinach, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste, and let the spinach wilt and the soup heat through before serving.
