The first time I tasted Olive Garden’s Chicken Gnocchi Soup, it was during a winter lunch with friends. As the steaming bowl arrived at our table, I was instantly captivated by the aroma of herbs and cream. That first spoonful of pillowy gnocchi and tender chicken swimming in rich, velvety broth was pure comfort in a bowl. I knew immediately I had to recreate this magic at home. You can enjoy the same taste that you can get from the Olive Garden with this easy copycat recipe.
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Why This Homemade Version Beats the Original
This copycat Olive Garden soup elevates the restaurant experience in several key ways:
- Gnocchi Perfection – Cook gnocchi to your ideal tenderness rather than the sometimes overcooked restaurant version
- Superior Chicken Quality – Use freshly roasted chicken instead of pre-processed meat for juicier, more flavorful results
- Customizable Consistency – Control the thickness of your soup for your perfect creamy texture
- Vegetable Freshness – Enjoy vibrant, just-cut vegetables with perfect al dente texture
- Herb Intensity – Adjust seasonings to amp up flavors beyond the sometimes subtle restaurant version
Everyone Loves Chicken and Gnocchi soup
Why does everyone love this recipe? 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. Make salad and breadsticks to so with this soup.
The Secret to Perfect Chicken Gnocchi Soup
The magic of this recipe lies in creating a silky, flavorful base and ensuring each ingredient maintains its distinct texture while melding harmoniously with the others.
Ingredients
- Butter – Creates a rich foundation and helps form the roux that thickens the soup
- Olive oil – Adds authentic Italian flavor while preventing the butter from burning during sautéing
- White onion – Provides a sweet, aromatic base that’s milder than yellow onions
- Celery – Contributes essential savory notes and subtle texture to the soup
- Fresh garlic – Delivers aromatic depth that’s essential for authentic Italian flavor
- All-purpose flour – Works with butter to create the roux that gives the soup its signature thickness
- Half and half – Creates the creamy, luxurious texture that makes this soup so comforting
- Low-sodium chicken broth – Forms the flavorful foundation while allowing you to control salt levels
- Dried thyme – Adds classic herbal notes that complement chicken perfectly
- Dried parsley flakes – Provide color and fresh flavor balance to the rich base
- Ground nutmeg – Enhances the creamy elements with subtle warmth and complexity
- Shredded carrots – Adds natural sweetness, color, and nutritional value
- Cooked chicken breast – Delivers tender protein chunks throughout the soup
- Potato gnocchi – Creates the signature pillowy texture that makes this soup unique
- Spinach – Contributes fresh color, nutrition, and a slight texture contrast
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 places in your supermarket, and you 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 fresh gnocchi sold in the fresh sections of higher-end grocery stores, where you would pick up a prepared meal. Fresh gnocchi has a better texture and is more desirable, but not every grocery store offers it.
- 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.
Preparation tips
- 🥄 PREP TIP: Fresh garlic makes a massive difference in flavor
- 🔥 COOKING TIP: Don’t boil after adding cream to prevent curdling
- ⏰ TIME TIP: “Prep vegetables while heating broth
How to make Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi
Making this Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi soup recipe is straightforward. You will find that all of the ingredients are very common in your average grocery store. We think it is easiest if you gather all of your ingredients before you start preparing the soup. This way, you will have everything on hand to get started.
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. Please 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.
Customizing this soup for you
Some people want a larger punch of flavor from their soup, so you can add some additional chicken soup base to dial up the flavor. I would add an extra teaspoon or two of chicken base to this to bring up the flavor. While I don’t find adding a soup base too close to the restaurant version, it can add something additional.
Want to add in a few more vegetables? We recommend adding some chopped zucchini; you could also add carrots or spinach.
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.
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 in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- ❄️Freezer – freeze for up to 3 months in an air-tight 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. The consistency of the soup will change a bit; if you can, I recommend freezing the soup without the gnocchi and adding gnocchi when you reheat it. The texture of the gnocchi will change after it is frozen. Thaw the soup in the refrigerator overnight.
What to serve with chicken gnocchi soup
There are so many things you can serve with this soup. You may want to serve the classic Olive Garden Salad; we have found a good old-fashioned Caesar salad that also hits the spot. But when it comes to bread options, you could serve some garlic bread, crusty bread like sourdough bread, or even our copycat Olive Garden bread sticks.
You may want to garnish this soup with cheese. To top the soup, you could use fresh grated Romano or grated Parmesan.
More Olive Garden Copycat 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.
Homemade 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
I made this last night for my family and they LOVED it! my oldest doesn’t like spinach but she gobbled it down! I also made my own gnocchi! Definitely a dish that I will add to my list! Thanks!!!
Wow, so you snook in spinach.
I made this soup tonight because my son and I love it at Olive Garden. I found the gnocchi at Trader Joe’s and thought why not try it at home. I have never been very successful at making at home restaurant recipes but gave it a shot. I used 2 cups half and half and 2 cups 2% milk only because I didn’t have enough half n half. OMG was I surprised!!!! It came out beyond delicious! Forgot to use olive oil, didn’t have nutmeg and it still came out fabulous. I would definitely use the rotisserie chicken for flavor and I let cook a little longer just to make spinach soft since my son likes it softer. THANK YOU for this easy tasty recipe.
Thank you for giving this recipe a try. I am happy you enjoyed it. I will give your version a try soon. I am buying 2% milk right now.
I halved this recipe and it was amazing, and i’m such a foodie!
I am glad you enjoyed this recipe.
Wow! I made this on Tuesday and holy man it tasted exactly like the Olive Garden! I was so skeptical ( I am not the best cook, I have messed up every pinterest recipe I have ever tried) but this recipe was simple, straightforward, and delicious. I am so happy. Thank you for sharing this.
Kelsey Ann, I am happy to hear you had great success with this recipe. I hope you get a chance to try other recipes.
I have been making this recipe regularly for the past year. My husband loves it and now that Im pregnant I crave it. super easy to make and its just like Olive Gardens 🙂 Im actually making it for lunch as we speak.
I am happy to hear you enjoy the soup. I hoped your pot of soup turned out well.
Gross! It was so bland. I followed this recipe step by step and it didn’t come out the way I had hoped. I had to add some grated Parmesan and Cheddar to add more flavor. I found that it tasted better the next day with more Parmesan added.
I am sorry you found the soup, gross and bland. I don’t know if I could wait to eat it the next day if it was both gross and bland. What would you recommend to change the recipe to make it delicious and tasty?
I’m so happy to find this recipe. I had the gnocchi soup at the Olive Garden for the first time a couple of days ago and it was so good I wanted to come home and make it. The only thing I didn’t like about the soup at Olive Garden was the chicken. I don’t know if it was white or dark, but I truly think it was the trimmings off the chicken used for other chicken dishes. There was very little of it, and it was thin and grisly. I wondered then what it would taste like with real pieces of chicken in it. The Olive Garden soup was also sparing on the gnocchi and I wished there was more of it, so this one sounds perfect.
I hope you enjoy this recipe. It is fairly easy to make and tastes great.
I hope you give it a try, I think this dish is the way it should be, it is filled with all of the goodies.
I made this soup because my husband LOVES the OG one and was craving it one night and it was amazing! We recently went to the Olive Garden, and if course my husband got his chicken and gnocchi soup, took a few bites, and then pushed it away and said “this has nothing on the one you make” and didn’t even finish it! Thank you so much for this incredible recipe!
Wow, that is a lovely story about your recipe experience. This is why I love to recreate restaurant recipes.
This is one of the best recipe compliments a person could receive. I am happy your husband enjoyed this one.
I made this soup tonight, and I am sure glad I did. What a hit it was! It turned out so delicious,my son & husband couldn’t stop raving about it. It really tastes like you were cooking all day when in reality it was very easy and quick to prepare. I used all the ingredients as listed including the nutmeg,I did feel like it needed more salt which I added, I also added 1tsp of rosemary for a great flavor. This is an awesome recipe and incredible soup which really fills you up, really its a meal in its self. Thank you so much for posting this recipe,I can’t wait to try another of yours,so glad I found this site………
I am so glad to hear this recipe turned out so well for you. Loved the Rosemary that you added to the recipe.
I am so glad you guys enjoyed the recipe. It always makes you feel good when you loved ones enjoy what you make for dinner.
Mine came out too soupy. How can I thicken it up?
Let is simmer for a bit, it will reduce the amount of liquid.
Made this tonight, it was very good. Used 4 chicken thighs that we grilled last night. I cut the gnocchi in halves, since I thought they were a bit big for a single bite. Thanks
Awesome! I don’t make soup but I love the Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi soup, so I went looking for the recipe. There are other recipes with fewer ingredient but I picked this one because I think the extras make it special.
I expect to have surgery in a month and I’m going to make a batch of this soup to have while I recover.
Thanks so much.
I just made this but I substituted 1% milk for half and half (and a Tbs or 2 more flour to help it thicken) and I didn’t have any nutmeg. I’m sure using milk changed the flavor, but I thought the thyme flavor was way too strong. I wished I had used less. Other than that, it was pretty good, but it didn’t taste like OG’s version to me.
Made this soup! The bomb people now I didn’t get time or olive oil mine may have been a little more “Mexican” style cuz I also made my own broth and used Mexican seasonings but in the end it was delicious so the recipe here is a great foundation but can become very diverse!
I picked up potato gnocchi is that the right kind?
Yes, that is the right kind.
My elderly neighbor lady had raved about OG’s chicken gnocchi soup for a long time, As her birthday was approaching, I began searching for a knock-off recipe. I found this one, and am I glad! Since I don’t use canned broth or bouillon cubes, I used 1-3/4 cups water + 2 tsp chicken base; did not use nutmeg; used store-roasted chicken; and homegrown kale (no spinach in the house). After assembling soup, I thought a bit of the chicken drippings would help to kick up the taste a bit. About 1/4 cup is all it took to make the flavor pop! Thank you so much for your hard work in creating this wonderful recipe copy. Now her daughter wants the recipe – a huge compliment to you!
I am happy to hear that worked out for you.
I make this at least once a month, even in the dead of summer. Everyone loves it and it sure tastes just like the restaurants version.
Can you use chicken stock if you dont have chicken broth?
A lil too much garlic for me and I think next time I’ll try heavy whipping cream and definitely boneless chicken thighs
Sounds great. Let me know how it goes.
Made it tonight with my Daughter, the only things we switched up were fat free half & half, margerine, rotissierre chicken, and we used some fresh oregano! It was FANTASTIC! Thanks soi much for the recipe my whole family loved it, even my 3 year old Son!!!
I am happy this recipe worked out for you!