Olive Garden’s Chicken Gnocchi soup is one of the most popular soup recipes. This Olive Garden copycat recipe is a rich soup with roasted tender chicken, soft pillowy gnocchi, shredded carrots, celery, and fresh spinach in a warm bowl of goodness. Hands down, this is one of my favorite Olive Garden copycat recipes. You can prepare this comforting soup for the whole family. If you love gnocchi, you will love this soup.
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Easy copycat Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi soup recipe
This is an Olive Garden favorite, but this soup is so good you will want to make a double batch every time you make it.
The Chicken and Gnocchi soup will taste like you spent hours at the stove, making your family a delightful chicken and potato gnocchi soup. You can make this soup in about 30 minutes.
Everyone Loves Chicken and Gnocchi soup
Why does everyone love this recipe? I think this is one of those chicken soup recipes everyone loves because it is made with tender gnocchi, juicy chicken, fresh carrots and celery, and a perfectly seasoned chicken broth. To accompany this soup, make salad and breadsticks with this classic Olive Garden dish.
Olive Garden Chicken and Gnocchi Soup Ingredients
I love this easy gnocchi soup, which uses simple ingredients. In no time at all, your entire family will fall in love with this soup that you made in the comfort of your own home. Go to the recipe card for the exact quantities and steps to make this recipe.
- Butter – you can use either salted butter or unsalted butter
- Olive oil – is used to saute the onions and celery
- White onion – I like the white onion for this recipe. It tends to be a bit sweeter and has less heat than yellow onion.
- Celery – fresh celery adds a beautiful earthy flavor
- Fresh garlic – to make the best soup, use fresh garlic so the flavor sings through
- All-purpose flour – this is used to make a roux, the base of your creamy soup.
- Half and half—I recommend using half and half instead of whole milk; it reheats better. If you want something completely decadent, swap the half-and-half for heavy cream.
- Low-sodium chicken broth – I would use it if you have homemade broth.
- Dried thyme – adds a beautiful earthy flavor
- Dried parsley flakes – add a lovely pop of color to your recipe
- Ground Nutmeg – enhances the flavor of your soup
- Shredded carrots – you can purchase carrot matchsticks to make this easy
- Cooked chicken breast – If you have leftover rotisserie chicken, I suggest this. The Olive Garden does not use this, but it is an opportunity to drive up the flavor. Also, this recipe can be made with cooked chicken thighs.
- Potato Gnocchi – My keto friends will swap out the gnocchi for cauliflower gnocchi. Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi is a favorite. If you can find it, some people love this with mini gnocchi.
- Spinach – regular spinach is fine, but I prefer fresh baby spinach.
Should you use store-bought or homemade gnocchi?
Store-bought gnocchi is perfect for this recipe. You can take the extra step in preparing homemade gnocchi, but premade potato gnocchi works well. Gnocchi can be found in a couple of different places in your supermarket, and you do have options to purchase them.
- Many local stores sell shelf-stable potato gnocchi in the pasta aisles. I have purchased this at Walmart and Kroger, and I have been told that some dollar stores carry gnocchi.
- I have seen fluffy gnocchi sold in the fresh sections of higher-end grocery stores, where you would pick up a prepared meal.
- I have even found it available in the grocery store’s frozen section.
Either type of gnocchi will work well. Your family will love this. Have a hard time finding gnocchi? Make your homemade potato gnocchi.
How to make Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi
It is straightforward to make this Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi soup recipe. You will find that all of the ingredients are very common in your average grocery store.
First, you will sauté the vegetables in butter over medium-high heat. Then, add some flour and cook that through. You will then add the half-and-half and chicken broth. Bring it to a low boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer.
Cooked chicken and gnocchi are added to your seasoned broth and vegetables. Adjust your seasoning, and you will be ready to serve this soup in less than an hour.
Can you use a Crockpot for this recipe?
Yes, you can. I like to saute the vegetables first before I prepare the soup. You don’t need to do that if you like.
Simply place all of the vegetables, except the kale, chicken, seasonings, and stock, into the crockpot. Cook on low for 4 hours. Shred the chicken, add the remaining ingredients, and cook for another hour.
If the soup is too thin, make a cornstarch slurry of 1 tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with two tablespoons of water. Stir the cornstarch slurry into the soup, turn the crockpot on high, and stir until the soup has thickened.
How to Store and Reheat Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- Refrigerate any leftover soup for up to 5 days in an airtight container.
- Reheat – this creamy soup is best reheated in a large pot on the stove over low heat. This way the creamy broth won’t break down.
Can you freeze copycat Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup?
Yes, you can freeze this soup. The soup stays well in the freezer for several months when stored in an airtight container. Thaw the soup in the refrigerator overnight.
More Olive Garden Recipes
- Asiago Tortelloni Alfredo with Grilled Chicken
- Chicken and Shrimp Carbonara
- Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce
- Olive Garden Chicken Alfredo
- Olive Garden Chicken Scampi
- Olive Garden Dressing
- Olive Garden Minestrone Soup
- Olive Garden Pasta Fagioli Soup
- Olive Garden Salad Recipe
- Zuppa Toscana
Popular Soup Recipes
Love soup? Check out these soup recipes and try one of my great dessert recipes to complete your meal.
Look at more of my copycat Olive Garden recipes to make your favorites at home.
Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons Butter
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup finely diced onion
- 1/2 cup finely diced celery
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 quart half-and-half
- 28 ounces chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (optional)
- 1 cup carrots finely shredded
- 1 cup spinach leaves coarsely chopped
- 1 cup chicken breast cooked, and diced
- 16 ounces package ready-to-use gnocchi
Instructions
- Melt the butter and olive oil in a large pot or a Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add the chopped onion, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally until the onion becomes translucent.
- Whisk in the flour and cook for about 1 minute. Whisk in the half-and-half. Simmer until thickened.
- Whisk in the chicken broth. Simmer until thickened again. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt, thyme, parsley, nutmeg (if using), shredded carrots, spinach, chicken, and gnocchi.
- Simmer until the soup is heated through. Before serving, season with additional salt, if necessary.
Video
Notes
- You can use leftover roitisserie chicken for extra flavor
- You may want to use less thyme than suggested
- Some gnocchi is very large, you can cut these pieces in half
- You may want to add additional salt to the final soup, this soup does not have a lot of salt in it, especially if you use low-sodium chicken broth
pay
Hello!
Bree
Followed the recipe but added pepper & a little more salt. It came out perfectly. Thank you so much for this!!!
Susan
I don’t eat chicken but this recipe looks so good I really want to try it. Think I could omit the chicken and it be ok? Or maybe add shrimp?
Nicole Hughes
You could totally omit the chicken and it would just be a creamy soup. I don’t eat food from the water so I can’t say anything about the shrimp.????
Andrea
Maybe try scallops…
Winter
We don’t do chicken either, we substitute it with 1 1/2 cups cooked cannellini beans (or 1 15 oz. can drained and rinsed), we also use vegetable stock instead of chicken.
Christy
Hello. I had some of this soup home made copying olive gardens. I loved it and wanted to make it so bad but my bfs sister isn’t someone that I could ask for recipe and I wasn’t going to ask her. Anyway I went and tried olive gardens but there’s was too creamy for me. I like more of a broth base. The one I ate at home was luke broth base , I couldn’t make out in had cream. I’m real sensitive to it too so I don’t think it did but I dunno. Do you have Any suggestions… I would like to guess to add less half and half more broth but I’m new to the cooking thing. Thanks
Christy
This came out wrong. Let me start over….
One night at my then boyf’s house his parents called for dinner and usually I don’t eat with them ( pre cooked garbage ) but this night he brought a bowl of soup and ask me to try it. I did and I loved it but as it turns out his sister made it. I would’ve ask but she’s not approachable in the least so I ask their momma for recipe but getting recipe wasn’t easy as they all walk on egg shells with this loud girl. But I got the info that it was inspired by olive Garden’s soup.
I do not like cream based foods and I have had a sensitively to it long as I remember. I just don’t do it. With that said , the soup I had at their house . It was def not a cream base. It may have been well mask and flavored with a good broth to cream ratio like .5 : 1.5 broth but STILL I noticed no cream and I always can taste the slightest amt ..Well anyway the soup has these little dumpling noodle things I had not seen prior to this, plain as pasta nothing else inside of them but tasted good and Ioved the texture, chicken breast pulled off style , had spinach and thin sliced carrots. Those are the ones I know but I’m fairly confident it had potatoes (diced/cut very small squares ) and slivers of celery. I’m not as confident on those two.
The broth like base was thin (some may say bland ) like chicken soup broth. I went to the Olive Garden to get some of theirs. The thing I noticed right away was the color of the soup. It looks thicker broth/base with the same ingredients. I did taste with an open mind but NOO it was not the same.. After a little searching I found yours looks closest. I would prefer not messing with ingredients on my own. I would like your opinion since you know what you’re doing and familiar with the soup. Sorry so long. I just wanted to be clear. Ps. Love your website
Jacqueline Mcgrath
Mine came out amazing and wasn’t too creamy. I like to eat healthier so I used chic pea flour instead of regular flour…also I used 1%milk but you can use cashew milk if cows milk irritates you. Here is my comment from above.
I wish I had the spinach but the stores are closed because of hurricane Irma. ????…so I actually made it a totally different way. I feel like the chicken broth would taste better fresh so I cooked the onion, celery, garlic and carrot in the pan with olive oil and a chicken thigh and browned it. Then poured in the water and let that simmer for about 20 mins. Seasoned that with thyme, salt, pepper and basil. In a separate pot, I made a rou with chic pea flour and butter and pored in milk Slowly because I had no half and half. Seasoned with salt and pepper and added parmigian cheese and made a creamy like sauce. I removed the chicken and let it sit then added the cream sauce to the pot of chicken broth. I then added the gnocchi and let that simmer a few minutes and then added the chicken. Was pretty good for my first time making it. CANt wait tonhave the spinach next time and half and half.
Laura
When I make it, I will be making it with Lactose free vitamin D milk. Probably the closest to half and half I will be able to make it. Both my daughter and I are lactose intolerant. Might try some of that milk if the normal stuff bothers you.
Brianna
I forgot to buy the spinach, do you think the soup will be fine without?
Stephanie
I think so.
Paula K.
How many servings does this make?
Jessica
My husband loves the chicken and gnocchi soup from Olive Garden. He had been bugging me to try to make it at home. After reviewing several copycat recipes online, I decided on yours based on the pic (it looked the best and most like the restaurant) and on all of the good comments. I am so happy that I did…the soup was DELICIOUS!!! Very rich, creamy, and flavorful. I followed your recipe almost exactly except substituted a few dried herbs/seasonings instead of fresh. I used a 10 oz can of premium chunk chicken breast but will make it with two cans next time as you mentioned in your comments. My husband was very satisfied with the soup as well and stated, “it tastes BETTER than Olive Garden’s.” He is very picky and hard to please so I am glad this was a hit. I definitely will be making this again and cannot wait. Thank you for this wonderful copycat recipe. Looking forward to trying others as well.
Stephanie
I am glad you liked the recipe!
Nikole
I actually make this once a month, I never add thyme and I only use homemade gnocchi as the packaged ones have a slight preservative taste In my picky opinion. Anyhow, it’s wonderful, enjoy!
Janae
Cooking your recipe for dinner tonight! Excited to try it! Would this soup be good to freeze and have later?
Nikole
I freeze mine all the time 🙂 I prefer to use foods saver bags because it separates a litter when thawed, so you can squish and mix everything back together when it’s in the bags 🙂 it would be fine either way, just mix it back up before you reheat.
Tudynanna
This is FANTASTIC!! Even my picky son and biggest critic loved it and that is saying a lot!! He now asks for it. I’ve shared it with others and they feel the same way. I’ve made it 3 times, first w left over rotisserie chicken and it seemed to take over the flavor of the soup. Next time I use cooked chicken breast and it was a bit dry in the soup. 3rd time I used can chicken breast and it was perfect. It tastes just like Olive Garden. Thank you!!!
Stephanie
I am glad you enjoy the recipe!
Lynda S.
Stephanie! What can I say but YUMMY!!!! This is my favorite soup at Olive Garden. My husband said “Don’t let it go to your head, but this soup was out of this world!”. So easy and very filling. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Chavella
Great Recipe! Now I’m feeling Fat & Sassy????
Linda Martinez
I’m glad I watched the video first. It shows the gnocchi being boiled first before putting it in the soup. Someone commented theirs was slightly raw. That’s probably why. Also the instructions don’t say put the spinach last but the video shows that.
Jessica
Funny you mention the video. I had issues with the gnocchi being a little raw too. I had to keep boiling the soup forever it seemed to get them to cook thoroughly. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to boil them separate before adding them in. It actually helped thicken the soup and made it creamier so that was a plus. I just watched the video after leaving a comment for Stephanie and saw she did boil them first. Then I read your comment haha.
Cynthia Willis
I just made this per recipe, with 1 can of chicken stock, even put in nutmeg- it’s a winner! You hit the nail on the head with this one, Stephanie.
Diane Stalnaker
I have tried this a couple of times. The last time I made it I used chicken thighs and legs instead of the breast and it was more flavorful. Also, I used half of the half and half and added a cup of sour cream with chives to thicken. It was yummy!
Jacqueline Mcgrath
Chicken with bones … always more flavorful ???????? Good idea
yvonne
instead of half and half can I use heavy whipping cream to make it a bit thicker?
Nikole
You can, I have, but I generally make a rous to make it thicker, it’s a lot cheaper, and not as fattening. Or you could use a potato that has been pulverized in the blender with the half and half 🙂 I’ve done it a lot of ways…I make this soup a lot for my family. I even make homemade gnocchi for it. It’s delicious!
Marissa
I plan to make this soup for a soup club. Will it be okay to make it on the stove, then put it on low in a crockpot the following day to warm it up?
Nikole
That shouldn’t be a problem. I would warm it a bit before putting it in the crock though, just to make sure it gets up to temp in time 🙂
Kris S
This was AMAZING!! My family loved it. Definitely will be making this again! Thank you!!
Trudy
When do you put the chicken in – in this recipe?
Cosette
I just had a bowl of the real Olive Garden Chicken & Gnocchi soup last week, but I apparently didn’t get my fill, so I tried out this recipe tonight. My husband and 2.5 yr old daughter loved it, so it’s definitely going in the recipe box! I think it tastes so similar to the restaurant version, too. Thanks!
Denise
I can’t believe anyone would have negative comments about this recipe! This has become a staple in my house. The first time I made it I had misread the recipe, but it came out so good that I just continue to make it that way. I use just a pint of half and half, and 4 cups of chicken broth.( Actually I use chicken base and water instead of broth ). I don’t like thyme so I leave that out. And didn’t have parsley the first time I made it, so I also leave that out too. I highly recommend using the rotisserie chicken. Not only is it super easy, the flavor it adds to the soup is amazing. The chicken base has plenty of sodium, so I never add salt. Thank you for sharing this recipe! I’ve made it dozens of times.
Cassie Sapien
Hi Stephanie! You did a great job with the recipe, my boyfriend loves it! He personally doesn’t like the thyme taste so we probably won’t throw that in later, but everything else was great. We didn’t cook the gnocchi before putting it into the soup (it was prepackaged) so it was still a bit raw.. our fault though! A couple of these comments are a little harsh and I think they just didn’t cook it correctly. Thanks again for this recipe! SO good! 🙂
Stephanie
Thank you! I don’t know why some people find thyme so offensive.
Bob
I can comment on that. I have a nose like a bloodhound, and so many herbs quickly overwhelm me. Add to that, my Mom was a very good PA Dutch cook, and I grew up without encountering too much more than onion garlic and black pepper. I use herbs in cooking now, but with extreme caution! hehe