This quick and easy Chicken Gnocchi Soup recipe is filled with plump potato dumplings, shredded chicken and veggies in a creamy soup base.
Now you can make this classic Olive Garden soup at home in under 45 minutes!
Whether it’s soup season or not, this cozy chicken soup needs to be on your menu.
Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup
We’re using shredded rotisserie chicken, store bought gnocchi and fresh veggies to make this hearty soup in a flash.
Ingredients Needed
Here’s the basic list of ingredients you’ll need to whip up this creamy gnocchi soup. As always, you can find the full list of ingredients located in the printable recipe card below.
- Gnocchi – you can find pre-made gnocchi near the dry pastas in most grocery stores, it’s also available on Amazon here. Or you can make your own homemade gnocchi using leftover mashed potatoes!
- Veggies – a classic mirepoix consisting of onion, celery and carrots gives this soup it’s base flavors. Adding in some chopped spinach at the end for extra nutrients and texture to the soup.
- Seasonings – keeping it basic with minced garlic, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper.
- Chicken – using shredded rotisserie chicken saves time on prep, while also keeping the chicken extra moist and tender. You can make your own slow cooker shredded chicken or add in diced baked chicken too.
- Liquids – a combination of low sodium chicken broth and heavy cream give this soup it’s creamy base.
How To Make Gnocchi Soup
Grab yourself a large soup pot, (this is my favorite pot to use for soups) and let’s make some creamy soup that your whole family will enjoy!
Toast the Gnocchi
Start by melting the butter in a large pot and adding in the gnocchi (pronounced: nyow·kee) which is a small round pasta made from potatoes, flour and egg.
Toast the little potato dumplings until they’re a nice golden brown all around. While they are toasting, the butter will become nutty, adding so much more flavor to the soup.
Once the gnocchi is toasted, use a slotted spoon to remove them from the pot and place them in a bowl, setting them aside for later.
Sauté The Veggies
With the remaining butter in the pan, toss in the onion, celery and carrots and cook them until they’re nice and tender – about 5 minutes.
I used chopped carrots for this soup, which can take a little longer to become tender, but I really like the texture they add to the soup. That being said, you can also use shredded carrots, which will cook much faster.
Thicken The Soup – Create a Roux
Once the veggies are tender, you’ll want to toss in the aromatics – garlic, Italian seasonings, salt and pepper and cook until they’re nice and fragrant.
Now, we’ll begin the process of thickening the soup by creating a roux (pronounced: rue). To the existing butter in the pan, sprinkle in the flour. Stir and cook for about 1 minute.
Next, you’ll gradually add in the chicken broth, stirring as you go, making sure the broth is free of little flour clumps.
Bring the whole soup to a simmer and stir in the heavy cream, the shredded chicken and toasted gnocchi.
Once the gnocchi starts floating to the top you’ll know they’re perfectly plump and tender.
Add In Spinach
All that’s left to do is stir in the spinach and let it wilt into the soup.
If you’re not a fan of the spinach, you can swap it with chopped kale, or just leave it out entirely.
The soup is thick and creamy with little bits of vegetables, chicken and potato dumplings in each bite. Serve with some shredded parmesan cheese on top and garlic breadsticks on the side!
Make Ahead and Storage
You can prepare this soup ahead of time by chopping the veggies and shredding the chicken then storing it in the fridge until you’re ready to make the soup.
The finished soup can be stored in fridge for up to 5 days, but the gnocchi might be more soft and tender after sitting in the liquid for longer periods of time. Freeze the soup for up to 3 months. The consistency of the gnocchi after freezing and reheating will not be the same as being prepared fresh.
Slow Cooker Option
I’ve been playing around with making this soup in the slow cooker – which makes it great for those busy weeknights. Here’s how you’ll do that…
Cook Chicken
Add 1 lb. of boneless skinless chicken breast to the slow cooker, season with the italian seasoning, garlic, salt and pepper. Cover with the diced onion, celery and carrots and pour in the chicken broth. Cook this mixture on LOW heat for 6 hours.
Add Gnocchi
Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and use two forks to shred, then place back into the slow cooker. Whisk together the heavy cream with the flour until there are no clumps. Pour this into the slow cooker along with the gnocchi. (you can toast the gnocchi in a pan before adding, if time allows). Continue cooking for an additional 30 minutes on LOW heat.
Add Spinach
Just before the soup is finished, stir in the spinach until it’s wilted into the soup.
Looking for more Olive Garden Copycat Soup recipes? You gotta try my Zuppa Toscano Soup, Pasta Fagioli with Sausage and Minestrone! They’re fantastic soups that I know you’re gonna love.
Chicken and Gnocchi Soup
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp butter
- 16 oz gnocchi, potato dumplings
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 1 cup celery, diced
- 2 cups carrots, diced
- 2 tsp garlic, minced
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 3 tbsp all purpose flour
- 6 cups chicken broth, low sodium
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 cups rotisserie chicken, cooked and shredded
- 3 cups spinach, chopped
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese, for garnish
Instructions
- Melt 4 tbsp butter in a large soup pot over medium-high heat. Add in the gnocchi and toast on all sides, stirring often (about 5 minutes), until lightly golden brown. Use a slotted spoon to remove the gnocchi to a plate and set aside.
- To the same pot (over medium-high), add in the diced onion, celery and carrots and sauté until the veggies are tender (about 5 minutes). Stir in the garlic, Italian seasonings, and and pepper, and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds). Sprinkle in the flour and cook for an additional minute, stirring thoroughly.
- Gradually stir in the chicken broth to the vegetable mixture, making sure to smooth out any clumps of flour that might occur. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer, until the veggies are tender to your liking.
- Stir in the gnocchi, heavy cream and rotisserie chicken and heat through. Once heated through add in the spinach and stir until the spinach breaks down and wilts into the soup. Season with more salt and pepper to taste if desired. Garnish with parmesan cheese when serving. Enjoy!
Can’t find a way to convert from metric
At the bottom of the ingredients list in the recipe card there is a button that says “US Customary – Metric” You can select that to your preference.
This recipe turned out great! I followed all the ingredients listened, but I did reduce the quantity of carrots to 1 cup. There were still plenty of carrots in the final product. I’ll make this recipe again!
How many servings does it make
Could this be made in the crock pot?
Yes! I share exactly how to do that in the blog post above! Thanks!
So when do you add in the gnocchi!
Oh my goodness! I can’t believe I left that step out. It’ll go in at the same time as the heavy cream. I’ve updated the recipe card too. Thanks!