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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Table of Contents
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
Great recipe! I added much more salt and a hefty amount of chicken bouillon powder. I otherwise followed the recipe to a T. Watch the video it’s helpful. Before adding spinach, simmer everything for 20 mins and then spinach at the end. Tastes great and full of flavor ☺️
Absolutely delicious! Definitely will make again!
My first time and loved it!! Thank you!!
Absolutely amazing. I made this for New Years eve and made a replica of the breadsticks. Tasted very flavorful!
This soup is absolutely amazing! I used the rotisserie chicken from our market, and actually used 2 cups of meat! Also used 3 chicken bouillon cubes as I was sautéing the onion and broth and butter. Everyone loved this soup, and it is just as tasty the next day! Thanks for sharing! 😋
This is soooo delicious! My family and I will make this over and over!
I meant delicious!
The Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup is absolutely perfect. I couldn’t believe how good it was. I can’t believe how stupid I was in letting my friends know I was making it-now I have to share and there won’t be any left. I will make some more tomorrow. They will think I am a really great cook. The gnocchi I found had to be boiled for about 5 minutes, couldn’t find ready made, but I don’t care I will make this all year long. Your recipe is right on the mark. Thank you so much Stephanie.
Hi, Just signed up for newsletter after making the olive garden gnocchi chicken soup
it was great. I also live in Canada and could only get this when I went to Florida,’
omg better than the OG version thanks so much look forward to all your suggestions.
Thank Judy
I am glad you enjoyed the soup.
just an amazing soup..much better than the olive garden lunch promo…$$$$ of bout 40bucks
I don’t have half and half. I have Table Cream, 2% milk, and Mocha Mix. Will any of these work?
I would use table cream, and if the soup is too rich, I would add more chicken stock.
If you only have 8 servings then they would be about 1577 calories per serving based on calories of all ingredients for 8 servings. Not sure if the # of servings accurate as listed.
The nutritional information is calories per serving.
Yes, the nutritional info does give calories per serving; however it omits the amount per serving. Usually recipes will indicate how many servings and the amount per serving. So will I consume 1577 calories in one cup of soup or two?
I really appreciate your comment, and I need to discuss with the software author that it doesn’t allow me to write in the portion amount. So the pot of soup is say 10 servings. So that means the soup is 10 equal servings, and the calories divide out among the 10 servings. I am sorry this doesn’t give me a spot to put this in.
This is great soup, I make my own gnocchi, it’s really easy and takes hardly anytime. So, I would not buy the gnocchi. After the potatoes are boiled off, just smash them down, add flour and salt and pepper, roll them out and cut, I just throw them in with the already cooking soup, you do not have to boil them separately.
A FRIEND OF MINE USED A CROCK POT.CAN U USE A CROCK POT FOR THIS SOUP ?
I think you could but I would saute the vegetables first, I wouldn’t add the gnocchi until maybe an hour before serving it.
You are amazing . please can you. Make a SWISSROL CAKE. with no crack please. Please . nobody made it without crack and moist .
Well I think if you put the seam side down, the crack would not show on that Swiss roll. I will keep your suggestion in mind!
It is so easy to make gnocchi use potato flakes hungry jack make the potatoes only use less milk and eggs and seasonings and flour to make a dough that is not tacky roll into a rope and cut into little pillows and dent center if wanted use fork tines to make lines and throw into soup
That is downright brilliant. I will have to give that a try!
My son try this soup when traveling in USA, we don’t have Olive Garden in Toronto… so I try your recipe, we have repeated it a lot of times, always enjoyed . Made it in special ocasions when friends are coming …Wow! People were always so pleased. Thank you!
Do you use ground thyme or thyme leaves ??
I use thyme leaves.
I have use thyme leaves.
I didn’t precook the gnocchi and it made the soup too thick. The gnocchi sucked all the moisture out of the soup.
I love it excepy mine came out a little bland. Should I up the garlic or the salt? Please give suggestions!
I meant to say except.
Mine did as well! I’m not sure what to add but its definitely missing something to make it taste just like Olive Garden.
I found that if I amp up the flavor of the chicken it takes away that blandness. I used chicken bullion powder to add a kick to the chicken. I also recommend to ease up in the thyme. 1/2 tsp is super powerful.
Yes! Adding chicken bullion was exactly what it needed. I think my chicken broth wasn’t strong enough. Chicken stock would have been better, At first it was still too milky tasting and we added a little oregano and some garlic powder trying t fix that, but it was still missing something.Adding the chicken bullion was what really gave it the flavor it was missing!
My wife and I have made this soup many times. We do not use store brand stock. We make our own by boiling the chicken with onion, celery, onion and garlic powders etc…also we precook the gnocchi. That homemade chicken stock can really add alot of flavor.
I sauté the chicken cubes with pepper and Tony chacherie’s (heavy handed on both). I also use some dried Italian seasoning in the pot towards the end
Hi Stephanie, reading the comme ts I read that you should boil the Gnocchi before adding to the soup. Then I thought I read another comment that you don’t have to ptrcook the Gnocchi. Which one is it? Love your recipe. Thank you.
I don’t think you need to pre-cook the gnocchi per se. You can add it to the soup but you will need to cook the soup for long enough to cook the gnocchi.
I precook it. It makes for a thinner soup. Also you can add more stock if you don’t preccok the gnocchi to compensate, however I don’t know the amount you would need to add sorry.