Recipe: Copycat Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup

Kelli Foster
Kelli FosterSenior Contributing Food Editor
Kelli is a Senior Contributing Food Editor for Kitchn. She's a graduate of the French Culinary Institute and author of the cookbooks, Plant-Based Buddha Bowls, The Probiotic Kitchen, Buddha Bowls, and Everyday Freekeh Meals. She lives in New Jersey.
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updated Apr 30, 2019
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Copycat Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup

This copycat Olive Garden chicken gnocchi soup has everything from the creamy broth to the pillowy gnocchi, chicken, and vegetables.

Serves6

Prep5 minutes to 10 minutes

Cook15 minutes

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(Image credit: Amanda Paa)

You might adore Olive Garden for the unlimited salad and breadsticks or the ultra-comforting pastas, but for me, it’s all about the luxuriously creamy chicken gnocchi soup. Just thinking about it, I can smell the herb and black pepper-flecked broth and feel the warm, satisfying comfort it brings to my belly. But there’s one thing better than the chain’s iconic soup, and that’s how surprisingly easy it is to whip up at home.

(Image credit: Amanda Paa)

Grocery Store Shortcuts Make Quick Work of Soup

Between the creamy broth, pillowy gnocchi, tender vegetables, and juicy chicken, this copycat recipe really does taste like the one at Olive Garden. But what really seals the deal is that the whole thing will be on your table in about 20 minutes.

A few smart grocery store shortcuts are the key to making this weeknight-friendly meal so easy to pull off. That means starting with a rotisserie chicken, a bag of pre-shredded carrots, and quick-cooking, fresh (not frozen) gnocchi from the refrigerator section. If you want, you can also make the shredded chicken ahead of time during meal prep, either on the stovetop, in the slow cooker, or the Instant Pot.

3 Easy Methods for Shredded Chicken

(Image credit: The Kitchn)
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(68)

Copycat Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup

This copycat Olive Garden chicken gnocchi soup has everything from the creamy broth to the pillowy gnocchi, chicken, and vegetables.

Prep time 5 minutes to 10 minutes

Cook time 15 minutes

Serves6

Nutritional Info

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons

    olive oil

  • 1

    large yellow onion, chopped

  • 1 cup

    shredded carrots

  • 2 stalks

    celery, diced

  • 4 cloves

    garlic, minced

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons

    kosher salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon

    freshly ground black pepper

  • 4 cups

    low-sodium chicken broth (32 ounces)

  • 2 cups

    cooked, shredded chicken

  • 1 tablespoon

    fresh thyme leaves

  • 1 pound

    refrigerated potato gnocchi (not frozen)

  • 1 (5-ounce) bag

    baby spinach

  • 1 1/2 cups

    half-and-half

Instructions

  1. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, salt, and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 5 minutes.

  2. Stir in the broth, chicken, and thyme, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the gnocchi, spinach, and half-and-half, and cook until the gnocchi is cooked through and the spinach is wilted, 2 to 3 minutes more. Serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container up for 4 days.

Filed in:
Chicken
dairy
dinner
easy
greens
herbs