Chicken Gnocchi Soup Olive Garden Copycat

Creamy Chicken and Gnocchi Soup Recipe

Does soup get any more comforting than this? This Creamy Chicken and Gnocchi Soup makes for the perfect dinner any day of the week and it’s definitely one of those recipes everyone can agree on. It’s the perfect ending to a long work day or busy day with the family and it’s one pot soup that comes together quickly. You’ll love that it’s hearty and filling and it has such a great flavor!

It’s Even Better Than Olive Garden’s!

Who doesn’t love Olive Garden’s soup, salad and breadsticks? So today I’ve finally finished off the last of the four copycat Olive Garden Soups with this recipe and of course the homemade version is even better and tastes so fresh! Try my other three after you finish off this one.

More Copycat Olive Garden Soups You’ll Love:

Minestrone Pasta e Fagioli Zuppa Toscana

Ingredients Needed for Chicken Gnocchi Soup

Veggies – onion, carrot, celery, garlic, spinach Fats – olive oil and butter Liquids – chicken broth, milk, and heavy cream Seasonings – rosemary, thyme, nutmeg, S&P Cooked rotisserie chicken or raw chicken breasts Gnocchi (I like to use mini gnocchi) Flour

How to Make Chicken and Gnocchi Soup:

Saute vegetables: Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot and celery and sauté 6 minutes, add garlic sauté 1- 2 minutes longer. Add broth and seasoning: Pour in broth, add rosemary, thyme, nutmeg and season with salt and pepper to taste. If using raw chicken breasts add them now (if using cooked rotisserie chicken add at the end): Add in chicken breasts and bring soup to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover and allow to simmer until chicken is cooked through (it should register 165 in center), about 8 – 12 minutes.

Make roux: Meanwhile, while chicken is cooking, melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add flour, cook and stir constantly 1 minute. Make béchamel sauce: While whisking vigorously pour in milk then continue to whisk vigorously to smooth any lumps. Season with salt and pepper to taste. While whisking constantly, cook until mixture thickens. Stir in cream, remove from heat. Shredded chicken: Once chicken in soup has cooked through remove chicken from soup and allow chicken to rest 5 minutes then dice or shred into pieces (if veggies aren’t nearly soft let that soup simmer a few minutes longer before adding gnocchi).

Cook gnocchi: Add gnocchi to broth mixture, cover and simmer for recommend time directed on package, about 5 minutes. Add white sauce to soup: Reduce soup mixture to low heat, stir milk mixture into broth mixture.

Stir in cooked chicken and spinach: Add in cooked chicken (rotisserie or shredded chicken breasts) and spinach. Cook until spinach wilts, about 1 minute. Finish with cheese if desired: Serve warm with Romano cheese if desired.

Can I Freeze Chicken Gnocchi Soup?

Unfortunately no, because of the dairy and gnocchi it won’t freeze well. The gnocchi will get soggy and the dairy mixture will separate.

Possible Variations:

Substitute diced fresh potatoes for gnocchi (they’ll need to cook longer). Sneak in an extra vegetable like peas, zucchini or asparagus. Use Italian sausage instead of chicken. Brown it at the beginning of preparing soup. Add extra cream to make it even richer. Substitute pasta (such as small shells or orzo) for gnocchi. Try it with cooked rice in place of gnocchi. There’s a lot of options here, but try it with gnocchi at least once, it’s delicious!

Tips for the Best Chicken Gnocchi Soup:

Dice veggies small so they’ll cook through in time. Use fresh spinach for best results, skip the frozen kind here. It will turn out mushy. Don’t let the béchamel sauce get to hot or it can separate and won’t have the same thickening. Use mini gnocchi if you can find them (or make them mini), they’re the perfect size for soup. If you are planning on lots of leftovers you can cook the gnocchi separately and add to individual servings.