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My creamy chicken gnocchi soup has everything I love about the Olive Garden favorite. It has tender chicken, pillowy gnocchi, fresh vegetables, and a rich, creamy broth. Even better, it comes together in just 30 minutes!
Three Reasons You’ll Be Licking the Bowl
- Better Than Takeout: You get all the creamy, cozy flavor of Olive Garden’s chicken gnocchi soup right from your own kitchen.
- Ready in 30 Minutes: Rotisserie or leftover chicken makes this an easy dinner when you need something warm and filling fast.
- Loaded in Every Bite: Tender gnocchi, chicken, carrots, celery, and spinach make every bite hearty and satisfying.
Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup Ingredients
- Chicken: Using leftover cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken makes it easy!
- Potato Gnocchi: Find this in the pasta aisle of the grocery store. Cut larger gnocchi in half so they’re easier to eat.
- Chicken Broth: My recipe calls for 2 cups. Like a thinner soup? Add a little extra chicken broth.
- Pasta Variation: Swap the gnocchi for small pasta like shells, ditalini, or orzo. Cook it separately, then stir it in at the end.
- Dairy-Free: Use an unsweetened, plain non-dairy milk in place of the half and half. The soup may be a little less rich and creamy.
Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup Recipe
I seriously can’t get enough of this creamy chicken gnocchi soup! And I love creating a little Olive Garden night in at home! If you want a complete meal, make some breadsticks and salad. Oh, and don’t forget the Tiramisu for dessert!
- Sauté the Veggies: In a large pot, melt the butter with the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery, and garlic, then cook until tender.
- Make the Roux: Sprinkle in the flour and stir to coat the vegetables. Cook for about 1 minute to remove the raw flour taste.
- Make It Creamy: Slowly stir in the half-and-half and chicken broth. Cook until the soup starts to thicken.
- Add Everything Else: Stir in the thyme, carrots, spinach, cooked chicken, and potato gnocchi. Simmer for about 5 minutes, or until the gnocchi is tender and the soup has thickened. Season with salt and black pepper, then serve creamy chicken gnocchi soup warm.
Alyssa’s Pro Tips
- Don’t Overcook the Gnocchi: Add the gnocchi near the end and simmer just until tender. Cooking it too long can make it soft and gummy and thicken the soup more than you want.
- Keep It Creamy: Don’t let the soup get too hot, or the creamy broth can separate. Keep it at a gentle simmer and stir often so it stays smooth.
Must Have Kitchen Tools
- Large Pot: Plenty of room to sauté the veggies and simmer the soup.
- Sharp Knife: Makes cutting the onion, celery, and spinach quick and easy.
- Ladle: Makes serving the creamy soup simple.
Chicken Gnocchi Soup Slow Cooker Instructions
- Add the Base: Add the onion, celery, garlic, carrots, chicken broth, thyme, and cooked chicken to the slow cooker.
- Cook: Cover and cook on low for 4–5 hours or on high for 2–3 hours.
- Make It Creamy: About 30 minutes before serving, stir in the half-and-half and spinach.
- Add the Gnocchi: Stir in the gnocchi and cook for another 20–30 minutes, or until tender.
- Finish and Serve: Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add a splash of extra broth if you want a thinner soup.
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Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup
Creamy chicken gnocchi soup is an easy Olive Garden copycat ready in 30 minutes!
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- ½ cup diced celery
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 2 cups chicken broth more if needed
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup chopped spinach leaves
- 1 cup chopped cooked chicken breast I used rotisserie
- 1 (16-ounce) package potato gnocchi
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot, add 3 tablespoons unsalted butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Add 1 cup diced yellow onion, ½ cup diced celery, and 2 cloves minced garlic, and cook until tender. Add ¼ cup all-purpose flour to create a roux and cook for 1 minute.
- Stir in 2 cups half-and-half and 2 cups chicken broth and heat until it starts to thicken.
- Add 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, 1 cup shredded carrots, 1 cup chopped spinach leaves, 1 cup chopped cooked chicken breast, 1 (16-ounce) package potato gnocchi, and 1 tablespoon fresh thyme.
- Simmer for about 5 minutes or until the gnocchi is cooked and the soup thickens. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Leftover Instructions
- Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheat: Warm gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat, stirring often. Add a splash of chicken broth or half-and-half if it has thickened.
- Planning for Leftovers: If you know the soup will sit for a while, cook the gnocchi separately and add it to each bowl so it doesn’t get too soft.
- Freezer: I don’t recommend freezing it. The creamy broth can separate, and the gnocchi may get mushy after thawing.
Nutrition
Calories: 197kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 9gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 49mgSodium: 580mgPotassium: 267mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 3445IUVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 93mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried this recipe?Mention @alyssa_therecipecritic or tag #therecipecritic!
More Olive Garden Inspired Recipes
thanks for the recipe!! I made it last night (just as it is written). Was awesome!!
Hi I just had some soup from Olive garden and I tasted as little spice in it.
Have u tasted it and . what is it I am tasting.I am going to make this soup this afternoon. Thanku.
I just made it and it came out alright. I had to add a lot of seasoning like garlic, parsley, and such to really make it tasty. I used frozen gnocchi and after a few minutes they were as tender as fresh. Thanks
How do you cook your chicken for this recipe? I oven baked mine with a lightly seasoned with salt and pepper. It still turned out great but I wanted to see if you do it differently.
I used a rotisserie chicken. Made it really easy!
Just made this tonight for my wife and kids. The kids are very picky and wouldn’t even try it but my wife loved it. The only change i made was making my own gnocchi. It turned out great! thanks for posting this
I kept feeling like it was missing something, so I added the juice of one whole lemon. My husband loved it.
I usually try new dishes according to the recipe itself. I think this is a HOME RUN as written…creamy, rich and full of flavor!! Well done Alyssa!! Next time I make this (being I like to change things up a bit), maybe I’ll try fresh mushrooms, more chicken and I’d make my own gnocchi. The gnocchi I bought was not as al dente as I would have liked. Also, I’ll try whole milk instead of half & half and add a hint of Parmigiano-Reggiano before serving to help thicken and add a different layer of dimension. This would pair nicely with a hearty unoaked chardonnay!!
I made this tonight. The flavor is wonderful but none of had had gnocchi before and we didn’t like that part of it. I will make it again, but I will leave out the gnocchi and just add more chicken. I actually added 2x as much chicken anyway and it would have been perfect without the gnocchi. In response to Jayne above, 1 teaspoon of DRIED is perfect. the Tablespoon was if it was FRESH thyme.
Are you sure 1 TABLEspoon of thyme is correct? I made this exactly as written and the thyme overpowered the whole soup. Literally couldn’t taste anything else. I’ll try again because I think it would be good if we could taste it all, but will probably reduce to a teaspoon instead.
If you were using dried thyme you would need to cut the amount to about 1/3- or to 1 tsp. Fresh herbs, as instructed to use, are much more flavorful than dried.
Do you have the nutritional information for this? It’s a fantastic recipe, although for my taste I would have preferred half the gnocchi and 3+ times the chicken.. also, like another reviewer stated, if you don’t use fresh thyme, limit the thyme to 1/2 – 1 tsp.
My Fitness Pal is a great tool for finding nutritional information.
I made this recipe on Sunday but the fat, flour & liquid was out of proportion.1/4 cup of flour will not thicken even a quart of half & half let alone an additional 28 ounces of broth.. once that problem was corrected by making more roux to mix in & reducing the broth to 14 ounces (I used boullion & water instead of prepared broth (1 t. Or cube of boullion to 14 ounces water) it was great! The soup refrigerated & reheated with no problem. I omitted the salt & nutmeg also. Actually , I forgot to add the salt & didn’t have nutmeg on hand. I uses thyme leaves in the amount the recipe called for & won’t change it next time..
Was thinking of making ahead of time and placing in the crock pot on keep warm until dinner time. Would this be ok? Should I wait to add the gnocchi until about an hour before dinner time?
I just made this and it was amazing. However, I had to add over 2 cups of chicken broth and about 1/3 cup more half and half to thicken it and keep it rich. I also used frozen spinach instead of fresh. Theirs is paler and mine has an orange tinge from the carrots. Next time I might reduce the amount of carrots because theirs does not have that much. The other change I made was adding mini gnocchi, because it’s my favorite part and I wanted there to be more. All in all, it was a pretty easy and delicious recipe I’ll most definitely make again.
This recipe was really easy to make and super delicious! I substituted cheese tortellini for the gnocchi and it came out great. I think I’ll try fat free half and half instead of regular next time for a lighter taste.
I made this tonight and it is so good even without the onion (I am allergic). Now it bothers me a lot less that Olive Garden is not conveniently located near my house. Thank you so much!
Maria, I am also allergic/sensitive to onions. I can digest onion powder, so use that in place of onions. Maybe it will work for you as well.
Hi, would love to make this but 2 cups of half and half is way too fattening and creamy for me! What could I substitute with (besides whole milk)? Thanks!
For a less heavy soup, you can cut the dairy in half, substituting more chicken broth to make up the missing liquid. For lower fat, you can use canned evaporated milk (not sweetened condensed milk, that’s totally different) in place of cream in a typical soup or sauce recipe.
I always use fat free half and half in my recipes