Better Than Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup
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Featured Comment
Loved the soup……just like Olive Garden’s! ~Charlene
What I Love About My Copycat Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup
I’ve been making this soup for years, and it’s still the first one my family requests every fall, for a few good reasons:
- Restaurant technique, home kitchen. I use the same tricks I relied on in restaurant kitchens: a hard sear on the chicken, a base built on the browned bits in the pot, and a Parmesan rind simmering in the broth.
- Juicy chicken in every bite. Searing and dicing the chicken myself means every spoonful has tender, substantial pieces.
- You control the salt and creaminess. With low-sodium broth and your own seasoning, you decide exactly how salty and how rich your soup turns out.
- One pot, under an hour. Everything happens in a single Dutch oven, so cleanup is quick on a busy weeknight.
Table of Contents
Key Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Chicken – you can use boneless skinless chicken breasts or you can use boneless skinless chicken thigh meat. Thigh meat is more flavorful and juicy but does have a slightly higher fat content. Breast meat is leaner, but not as juicy or flavorful.
- To save some time, you can use leftover chicken or a rotisserie chicken shortcut. Just watch additional flavors.
- Veggies – you will need the classic base vegetables for the soup: carrots, onion, and celery. In French cuisine it’s called mirepoix, and in Italian, it’s soffritto. I like shredded carrot here, just like the restaurant version.
- Chicken Broth – homemade chicken stock is best for deeper, richer flavor, but if you need to, you can substitute homemade vegetable broth if needed.
- When using store-bought broths and stock, try to get “low sodium” or “no salt added” kind. Try to also get bone broth if available, it will have a richer flavor.
- Gnocchi – homemade potato gnocchi is wonderful in soup. I make a big batch so I can use some in this soup, sauté some in butter and Parmesan, and freeze the rest for easy weeknight dinners.
- Store-bought gnocchi saves a lot of time. You’ll find refrigerated gnocchi near the fresh pasta, shelf-stable gnocchi in the pasta aisle, and frozen gnocchi in the freezer section.
- Refrigerated is my favorite because it’s fresher with fewer preservatives. Frozen gnocchi works too, with no need to thaw.
- Look for mini gnocchi if your store carries it, or cut larger gnocchi in half for bite-size pieces closer to the restaurant soup.
- Gluten free: use gluten free gnocchi.
- Herbs – use a sprig of fresh thyme.
- If you don’t have access to fresh thyme, it’s completely okay to use dried. Just remember that dried herbs do tend to be more potent, so use half the amount listed in the recipe.
- Spinach – while it’s best to use fresh spinach, you can use frozen spinach if needed. Just make sure to thaw and drain off excess liquids first.
- Milk – use whole milk for rich and creamy soup.
- If you need to keep it lactose free, use lactose free milk. If you need to keep the soup dairy free, you can use almond milk or soy milk but note that it does taste quite different from milk.
- Heavy whipping cream – for the best rich and creamy texture, do use heavy whipping cream and nothing less.
- (If you need to keep it lactose free or dairy free, use lactose free half and half and some lactose free sour cream. There are some plant-based whipping cream options if needed, check your grocery stores.)
See recipe card for complete information on ingredients and quantities.
The Secret Ingredient!
- I’ve incorporated a secret ingredient – a Parmesan cheese rind – a staple of traditional Italian cooking that adds a unique depth of flavor and takes this copycat soup to a whole new level of deliciousness.
- Parmesan rind is very sturdy and stands up to cooking for a long time. It will be intact but incorporate a lot of flavor into the soup without changing the concistency.
- To get the rind, simply cut it off the block of parmesan cheese (it can also be Parmigiano-Reggiano rind). The rind is the darker, thicker part of the outer rim of the block. You will need a rind that’s about 2-3 inches in length and it’s about 1/4 inch thick.
- I also use the parmesan rind trick it in quite a few of my soup recipes such as Pasta E Fagioli Soup and Minestrone. It’s a great way to add a ton of flavor with something that is generally thrown out, but it’s definitely optional if you don’t have one on hand.
Secret Ingredient PRO TIP: Did you know that some stores with a dairy section will have parmesan rinds you can buy? Just ask them and they will show you or may have some in the back.
How to Make Copycat Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- Sear the chicken. Preheat the pot before adding the chicken so you get a nice golden sear. That browning is one of the best ways to build flavor in your soup, and it leaves flavorful fond on the bottom of the pot.
- Rest the chicken, soften the veggies. Once the chicken has a golden-brown crust, take it out to rest, leaving all that brown fond in the pot. Add a little more oil and cook the onion, celery, and carrot in the same pot until soft.
- Dice and return the chicken. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, dice it. Stir the garlic into the veggies until fragrant, then add the chicken back to the pot.
- Using rotisserie or leftover chicken? Skip the sear, soften the veggies in 2 tablespoons of oil, and stir in the diced chicken with the gnocchi in step 6 so it only heats through.
- When adding your milk and broth to the pot, make sure to scrape up all the browned goodness off the bottom of the pot and mix.
- Add Parmesan rind and seasoning to the soup. When the soup starts to heat, don’t let it come to a full, rolling boil to prevent curdling. A gentle simmer over medium-low heat is all you need. This prevents the dairy from curdling and keeps your soup perfectly creamy.
PRO TIP: Parmesan rind should be cooked with the soup but when the soup is done, make sure to find it and discard.
- (If using packaged gnocchi, check gnocchi package instructions for exact cooking time) Add gnocchi, spinach, grated parmesan cheese. Cook until gnocchi is done and pour in heavy whipping cream. (Best way to tell if gnocchi is done, is to wait until it floats up to the surface. This usually takes 3-5 minutes.)
- Once the gnocchi is done, discard the Parmesan rind.
Serving & Pairing Suggestions
Try to serve this comforting, filling soup along with some crusty bread. You’ll be glad you have the bread to soak up every last drop of the soup from your bowl!
- Bread – you can get a crusty baguette or make homemade garlic parmesan herb biscuits and dinner potato rolls.
- Salad – soup and salad is a classic combination and you can’t go with Caesar salad as a side. Of make a simple side salad with Italian dressing.
Easy Variations and Swaps For Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup
Once you’ve made it my way, this soup is easy to make your own:
- Italian sausage: swap the chicken for browned, crumbled mild or spicy Italian sausage. If you use spicy sausage, I’d cut the red pepper flakes per taste.
- Kale: use chopped kale in place of spinach. Kale is sturdier, so give it a couple of extra minutes to soften.
- Tortellini or small pasta: cheese tortellini, small shells, or orzo all work in place of gnocchi. Follow the package cook time, and expect thicker leftovers.
- Extra veggies: sliced mushrooms and diced zucchini go in with the onion, celery, and carrot. Stir in frozen peas during the last few minutes.
- Vegetarian: use vegetable broth, skip the chicken, and add a can of drained cannellini beans or diced potatoes to keep it hearty. Traditional Parmigiano-Reggiano contains animal rennet, so for strict vegetarians, skip the rind and use a vegetarian Parmesan-style cheese.
Storing Chicken and Gnocchi Soup From Olive Garden
- Store the leftover chicken and gnocchi soup right in the Dutch oven you cooked it in or in an airtight container, in the refrigerator. Make sure to COOL the soup to room temperature first and cover the pot with the lid if using the same pot.
- Stored properly, this soup should be good for about 3-4 days.
- You can reheat the individual portions in the microwave. If you need to reheat a lot at the same time, do it on stovetop in the Dutch oven over medium heat until warmed through.
Will gnocchi be okay stored in soup?
- Yes, store-bought gnocchi will be able to hold its shape while being store with soup for a couple of days. It will be softer though, but still be completely good to eat.
- Note that store-bought gnocchi will hold its integrity a little better than homemade. Homemade gnocchi are also fine to store in leftover soup but will be a little softer.
Freezing Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup
You can freeze this soup but only partially made. Freeze it without gnocchi, without cream, milk, or spinach. So essentially, you will be making the soup half way in order to freeze it.
- Don’t freeze leftovers since the cream and gnocchi will already be added.
- Freeze soup in an air-tight freezer container and don’t fill the container all the way so there is room for soup to expand as it freezes. You can also freeze it in zip-lock freezer bags.
- To finish the soup, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight and then heat it though in a pot over medium heat and lower the heat. Add milk, cream, gnocchi, Parmesan cheese, and spinach, and cook until gnocchi is cooked.
Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup Recipe FAQs
Yes. Make the soup base completely, then store it without the gnocchi. When ready to serve, bring it back to a gentle simmer and add the gnocchi fresh. They only take a few minutes and stay perfectly pillowy.
You can do either, but both require a little adaptation. For the slow cooker, sauté your aromatics on the stovetop first, then add everything except the cream and gnocchi to the slow cooker. Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or high for 3 to 4. Stir in the cream, spinach, parm, and gnocchi in the last 20 to 30 minutes.
For the Instant Pot, use the sauté function for the aromatics, pressure cook the soup on high for 8 minutes, then quick release. Switch back to sauté, stir in the cream, spinach, parm and gnocchi, cooking just until they float.
Yes. Add it right at the end since it’s more delicate and cooks faster than potato gnocchi. It also absorbs liquid quickly, so the soup may thicken faster. If you want to make your own, check out my homemade cauliflower gnocchi. If using Trader Joe’s frozen, thaw it before adding.
Heat. A full boil will cause cream to curdle, so keep it at a gentle simmer once the cream goes in.
If it does split, pull the pot off the heat, let it cool briefly, and whisk it back together.
Using heavy cream instead of half-and-half also helps prevent splitting.
The gnocchi naturally releases starch as it cooks, so the soup thickens on its own. For extra thickness, simmer uncovered a few more minutes or stir in a cornstarch slurry (only about 1.2-1 tsp).
To thin it, add warm chicken broth a splash at a time.
Olive Garden describes it as a creamy soup made with roasted chicken, traditional Italian dumplings (that’s the gnocchi), and spinach. The bowl also has shredded carrot, celery, and onion. I keep all of those in my copycat and simmer a Parmesan rind in the broth for extra depth.
Gnocchi are soft Italian dumplings, and the most common kind is made from potato, flour, and egg. I love them in soup because they cook in just a few minutes. If you want to try making your own, my homemade gnocchi recipe is linked in the ingredient notes above.
No. Add store-bought or homemade gnocchi straight to the simmering soup. They’re done when they float to the surface, usually in 3 to 5 minutes. You can add frozen gnocchi without thawing, just give it an extra minute or two.
Add the gnocchi near the end of cooking, cook just until they float, then take the pot off the heat. Overcooking makes gnocchi gummy. If you’re planning on leftovers or meal prep, follow my make-ahead method: store the soup base without the gnocchi and add them fresh when you reheat.
More Gnocchi Recipes To Try
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Copycat Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp avocado oil divided
- 1 1/4 lb boneless skinless chicken breast or chicken thigh meat
- 1 small yellow onion
- 2 celery ribs
- 1 medium carrot
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 sprig of fresh thyme 1/2 tsp dried
- salt
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/4 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
- 16 oz gnocchi*
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3 oz fresh spinach
- 1/3 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 parmesan rind about 2 inches long
Instructions
- Preheat a Dutch oven or another soup pot over medium heat and add about 2 tablespoons of canola oil.
- Sear and cook chicken meat until just done and take it out of the pot. Set chicken aside for it to cool down enough for you to handle it.
- While chicken is cooking, dice onion, celery, and shred the carrot.
- Add another teaspoon of oil into the same pot and add diced onions, celery, and carrots. Cook vegetables until softened.
- Dice chicken while vegetables are cooking.
- Stir in minced garlic and cook until it's fragrant.
- Add chicken back to the pot with vegetables, stir, and pour in chicken stock and milk. Lower the heat to medium low and stir well, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.
- Add seasoning and a sprig of thyme.
- Optional: Parmesan rind cooked in soup will add great flavor so if you have a whole wedge of parmesan cheese, cut off the rind, and add it to the soup. (You will discard it with the thyme sprig later.)
- Cook the soup until it comes to a simmer and then add gnocchi.
- Cook just until gnocchi floats or according to the time on package instructions.
- Stir in chopped spinach, grated Parmesan cheese, and heavy whipping cream. Cook for a few minutes, until spinach is wilted.
- Take off heat right away and discard the sprig of thyme and Parmesan rind.
Video
Notes
- Gluten free: to make this soup gluten free, use gluten free gnocchi. Many stores, especially health food stores, carry it. You can also make homemade gnocchi with 1:1 gluten free all-purpose flour.
- Rotisserie chicken shortcut: skip the sear, soften the veggies in 2 tablespoons of oil, and add the diced chicken with the gnocchi so it only heats through.
- Half-and-half: you can replace the milk and heavy cream with 3 cups of half-and-half. Keep the soup below a boil once you add it.
- Storing: refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container within 2 hours of cooking for 3 to 4 days.
- Reheating: reheat portions in the microwave, or larger amounts on the stovetop over medium-low heat. Stir in a splash of warm broth to thin thickened leftovers.
- Freezing: freeze the soup base without the gnocchi, milk, cream, or spinach for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge, then add those ingredients while reheating.
Nutrition
Originally published on Will Cook For Smiles in October 2020.
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SOOOO GOOOD!!!
My family and I Loved it and I look forward to making it again from the very understandable instructions(which was nice) to the delicious creamy, savory flavors and amazing texture. I would definitely recomend to friends
I love hearing that! Thank you so much for coming to tell me <3
Loved the soup……just like Olive Garden’s!
So glad you liked it, Charlene!