Name: Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup (Copycat)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 16 cups
Ingredients: 2 tbsp . Butter; 1/2 c . Celery, washed and thinly sliced; 1/4 c . Grated Onion; 1/3 c . Grated Carrots; 1 tbsp . Garlic, minced (minced); 2 tbsp . All Purpose Flour; 6 Chicken Bouillon Cubes; 8 c . Water; 1/8 tsp . Ground Nutmeg; 1/2 tsp . Ground Thyme; 4 c . Fresh Baby Spinach, rinsed; 2 c . Cooked Chicken, small dice, roasted or grilled; 2 c . Heavy Cream; 16 oz . Gnocchi, frozen or fresh; Cornstarch, if needed to thicken; Cold Water, if needed to thicken

Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup (Copycat)

Carrie's Experimental Kitchen

Chicken, Copycat Recipes, Soup

September 10th, 2014

77 Comments

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Enjoy one or your favorite restaurant copycat soups at home with my version of Olive Garden’s Chicken Gnocchi Soup.

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Do you love Olive Garden’s Chicken Gnocchi Soup and wish you could eat it more often? Now you can with this homemade copycat version that tastes just like the original.

My youngest daughter and I got to spend a lot of quality time together over the summer as both my husband and older daughter were working during the day. She kept busy attending a few day camp sessions, volunteering for a township youth program, shopping, reading and completing her school summer assignments and every now and then we ventured out for lunch to some local restaurants.

One day while it was a little overcast and rainy, she decided she wanted to go to Olive Garden for soup and salad. It sounded like a good plan to me. She has been there several times before and really loves their Chicken Gnocchi Soup; which is a creamy, chicken based soup with fresh spinach and gnocchi.

I usually get their Pasta e Fagioli or Minestrone, but the Chicken Gnocchi Soup sounded good to me too so we both ordered the same thing for lunch. Besides, if I wanted to try to make it at home for her I just had to try it for myself!

About a week later, I bought ingredients to try to replicate this soup at home and of course she was thrilled. This soup recipe makes quite a bit; however, I like to make extra soup when the cold weather is coming so that I can freeze it. Besides, I need to stock pile some additional meals in the freezer for our oldest daughter who is away at college and cooking for herself.

This way she’ll have some homemade prepared meals for when she comes home to visit that she can take back with her.

We LOVED this Chicken Gnocchi Soup. It was delicious and tasted just like the restaurant version. The soup does thicken the longer it sits; however, if you want to eat it right away and it’s a bit too thin for your liking, simply combine equal parts of cornstarch and cold water and mix it in with the soup. To speed the preparation, I also used leftover grilled chicken and frozen gnocchi, but any type of leftover or store bought rotisserie chicken would work just as well. I’ll definitely be making this soup again. ~Enjoy

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4.78 from 22 votes

Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup (Copycat)

Prep Time

15 mins

Cook Time

35 mins

Total Time

50 mins

Enjoy one or your favorite restaurant copycat soups at home with my version of Olive Garden's Chicken Gnocchi Soup.

Course: Soup

Servings: 16 cups

Calories: 194 kcal

Author: Carrie's Experimental Kitchen

Ingredients

2 tbsp . Butter
1/2 c . Celery, washed and thinly sliced
1/4 c . Grated Onion
1/3 c . Grated Carrots
1 tbsp . Garlic, minced minced
2 tbsp . All Purpose Flour
6 Chicken Bouillon Cubes
8 c . Water
1/8 tsp . Ground Nutmeg
1/2 tsp . Ground Thyme
4 c . Fresh Baby Spinach, rinsed
2 c . Cooked Chicken, small dice, roasted or grilled
2 c . Heavy Cream
16 oz . Gnocchi, frozen or fresh
Cornstarch, if needed to thicken
Cold Water, if needed to thicken

Instructions

In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat; then add the celery, onions, carrots and garlic. Stir for 1-2 minutes until the celery starts to soften.
Whisk in the flour; then add the water and chicken bouillon cubes.
Next, add the chicken, nutmeg and thyme; stir well. Increase heat and bring to a boil; then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan; then add it to the soup along with the spinach and gnocchi.
Simmer for an additional 15-20 minutes or until gnocchi is cooked. If needed combine equal parts of cornstarch and cold water to thicken your soup as desired.

Recipe Notes

Nutrition Facts

Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup (Copycat)

Amount Per Serving (1 cup)

Calories 194 Calories from Fat 106

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 11.8g 18%

Cholesterol 58mg 19%

Sodium 455mg 19%

Total Carbohydrates 13.1g 4%

Dietary Fiber 0.3g 1%

Sugars 2.6g

Protein 8.4g 17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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77 Comments

50 + Soup Recipes to Warm You Up | Saved By Grace
November 5, 2014 at 6:14 am - Reply
Pinback: http://savedbygraceblog.com/50-soup-recipes-warm/
Gilly
November 13, 2014 at 12:21 am - Reply
Why use bouillon and water instead of chicken stock?
- carrieexpktchn@optonline.net
  November 13, 2014 at 6:43 am - Reply
  Hi Gilly, You can use chicken stock as a substitution; however, at the time I made this recipe I was out of chicken stock. If using chicken stock instead of bouillon, you may have to adjust your salt. The mixture of bouillon and water I used I didn’t need to add any additional salt, but when I use chicken stock, it’s either homemade or low sodium and may necessitate more sodium to get the taste like Olive Garden’s variety. I hope this helps. Thanks for stopping by!
  - Ishmael Hernandez
    February 26, 2016 at 12:38 am - Reply
    
    Wonderful…thank you so, so much. I made this today and it was very much enjoyed by all. A few weeks ago I tasted this at olive garden…w h en o found your recipe I was excited to try it… I used rotisserie chicken and I minced Spinach… it came out great.
    - Carrie's Experimental Kitchen
      February 26, 2016 at 7:42 am - Reply
      I’m so glad you enjoyed it Ishmael and thank you so much for stopping back to let me know. I’ve also used rotisserie chicken and it comes out even better.
- Sarah kastelic
  June 7, 2016 at 10:59 pm - Reply
  I am in diet class and would like to know calories and fats per cup we have to write it down i make this at least once a month and share with friends everyone loves it
  - Carrie's Experimental Kitchen
    June 8, 2016 at 11:53 am - Reply
    Hi Sarah, I’m so glad you enjoy this recipe, we do as well! I’ve added nutritional information to the recipe card though it may not be 100% accurate (based on brands I used), but it should be close enough. There are 194 calories and 11.8g of fat per cup of soup. I hope this helps!
    - Alice T
      January 13, 2018 at 6:22 pm - Reply
      I want to confirm the nutrition information is 194 calories per cup and not 194 calories for 1 g. I was confused by the gram shown as the quantity in the nutrition chart. 1 gram is a pretty tiny amount.
      - Carrie's Experimental Kitchen
        January 14, 2018 at 10:41 am
        Yes, it is per cup. Sorry about the confusion with the recipe card
Jennifer Ezernack
November 13, 2014 at 8:13 pm - Reply

I used a store bought rotisserie turkey breast instead of chicken and also chopped up my baby spinach and turned out sooooo good!! Great on a really COLD night!!!
- carrieexpktchn@optonline.net
  November 14, 2014 at 10:35 am - Reply
  Great idea and I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Thanks for stopping by!
Kristina
November 16, 2014 at 9:12 pm - Reply

Burnt my tongue a few times because it smells so good i couldn’t wait. got to use my new fancy soup bowl. such a good dinner on a cold night.
- carrieexpktchn@optonline.net
  November 17, 2014 at 5:34 am - Reply
  I’m sorry about your tongue, but I know what you mean..it’s so good! I’m glad you liked the recipe. Thanks for stopping by to let me know.
Jenny deArmas
December 5, 2014 at 3:02 pm - Reply
This was so good and tastes just like Olive Garden’s. My entire family loved it and they are so picky! Thank you so much for sharing!
- carrieexpktchn@optonline.net
  December 6, 2014 at 7:53 am - Reply
  I’m so glad you enjoyed it Jenny and thank you so much for stopping by to let me know!
Jen
January 2, 2015 at 12:45 pm - Reply
Someday I’d like to attempt making my own gnocchi, but until then, do you have any recommendations? I purchased some off the shelf once, it was terrible. I’ve heard frozen isn’t bad, but not sure what brand or where to start. There are a lot of options and I am a gnocchi newbie. Thanks!
- carrieexpktchn@optonline.net
  January 4, 2015 at 6:56 am - Reply
  For this recipe I used frozen gnocchi; however, I can’t remember the brand name as it’s not something I purchase often. It worked well in this soup. If you want to give homemade gnocchi a try, you can check out this post for Homemade Gnocchi http://goo.gl/hF9lgl where my then 11 year old daughter made some herself. It’s actually quite easy to make at home!
Sylvie
January 21, 2015 at 7:50 pm - Reply

Excellent recipe! Made a double batch and my family and my youngest who is two loved it!! Will definitely make again!
- carrieexpktchn@optonline.net
  January 22, 2015 at 6:06 am - Reply
  I’m so glad you and your family liked the recipe Sylvie. I think I’ll do the same next time I make it, my family devoured it too quickly. Thanks for stopping by to let me know!
Amanda
February 20, 2015 at 6:17 pm - Reply

Would cream of mushroom work in place of the heavy cream?
- carrieexpktchn@optonline.net
  February 21, 2015 at 9:02 am - Reply
  I don’t think it would work for this recipe. You could substitute regular/skim milk instead but you may have to thicken the sauce a bit with some flour/water or cornstarch/cold water.
Amy
February 23, 2015 at 1:49 pm - Reply
I love to make soup in the winter and am so glad I came across this recipe. This is bar far the best soup I’ve ever made. I wasn’t sure if my 12 year old son would like it (he’s not picky, but not a fan of soup) and he devoured it. Thanks so much for sharing!
- carrieexpktchn@optonline.net
  February 24, 2015 at 7:56 am - Reply
  Thanks so much for stopping by to let me know Amy. I know, kids eating habits can be a little quirky at times. I’m so glad you all enjoyed the recipe. 🙂
Kristin
May 9, 2015 at 6:33 pm - Reply
can i make this ahead and reheat in a crockpot w/out compromising flavor/textures?
- carrieexpktchn@optonline.net
  May 11, 2015 at 6:10 am - Reply
  Hi Kristin, Sorry for the delay in response. I’ve never tried it, but if you keep it on low or warm I’m sure it would be fine. If you plan on freezing it first; then reheating it in the crock pot, I wouldn’t add the gnocchi before freezing. Instead add them into the soup before you plan on eating it. It may be ok, but I’m not certain and wouldn’t want the gnocchi to become to “gummy”. Let me know how it comes out.
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September 11, 2015 at 6:57 pm - Reply
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Shannon
October 21, 2015 at 6:40 pm - Reply

This soup was delicious and easy! I will be making this soon and often.
- Carrie's Experimental Kitchen
  October 22, 2015 at 6:53 am - Reply
  It’s one of our favorites as well. Thanks for stopping by to let me know and I’m so glad you liked it!
- Sandi
  April 27, 2016 at 6:55 am - Reply
  Can o use cream of celery soup instead of flour
  - Carrie's Experimental Kitchen
    April 27, 2016 at 11:13 am - Reply
    The flour helps to thicken the soup, so I don’t believe the soup will do that.
Stephanie
October 25, 2015 at 3:52 pm - Reply
I couldn’t find frozen gnocchi, I found some in a box…hopefully it works just as good! I’ll be posting a follow up comment after dinner.
- Carrie's Experimental Kitchen
  October 25, 2015 at 4:40 pm - Reply
  They should work fine; though it may take a bit longer to cook the gnocchi. I hope you like it!
Hannah
November 24, 2015 at 1:09 pm - Reply

Made this last night and it was AMAZING! I substituted, celery seed and onion powder since we aren’t a fan of the crunch it gives. I also increased all the seasonings, and used fat free half/half to save some calories. So so so good! My palette was happy!
- Carrie's Experimental Kitchen
  November 24, 2015 at 1:48 pm - Reply
  Hi Hannah, I’m so glad you liked the soup and I bet you couldn’t even tell the difference in the taste with the added seasonings. Sometimes I’ll use regular milk to and make more of a roux to cut back on calories as well. Thanks for stopping by to let me know. 🙂
Lisa
November 26, 2015 at 2:09 pm - Reply

I’m currently living in Ireland and finding normal American ingredients that I’m use to cooking with, is surprisingly hard. I stumbled upon this recipe and OH MY GOD it’s delicious! It was so simple, easy to make and it tastes just like Olive Garden. The nutmeg really makes a difference. I also threw some mushrooms in there just because I had some on hand and didn’t want them to go bad-turned out great.
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I will definitely be making it again soon!
- Carrie's Experimental Kitchen
  November 29, 2015 at 5:16 pm - Reply
  I’m so glad you enjoyed it Lisa, thanks so much for stopping by to let me know! 🙂
Jennifer
December 4, 2015 at 10:01 am - Reply
I know this is probably silly to ask, but, do you cut up your chicken? Or shred it? It doesn’t say
- Carrie's Experimental Kitchen
  December 5, 2015 at 8:35 am - Reply
  I cut it up in small pieces and it’s not a silly question. 🙂
Kristi
December 15, 2015 at 7:12 pm - Reply
This is a fabulous recipe, I didn’t have celery and it tasted great without it! Love it!
- Carrie's Experimental Kitchen
  December 16, 2015 at 6:36 am - Reply
  Thank you I’m so glad you enjoyed it and stopped back to let me know.
jaclkiegene
December 22, 2015 at 9:32 pm - Reply

OH MY!!!! Thank you for this recipe, What flavor! Love it!!
- Carrie's Experimental Kitchen
  December 23, 2015 at 6:51 am - Reply
  You’re welcome, thanks for stopping by.
Sandra lopez
January 10, 2016 at 8:15 pm - Reply

I made the soup tonight for my daughter, being the first time i followed the instructions exactly but for some reason the soup was so good but very salty, i added the 6 boullions like you asked. What i did wrong, had somebody tell you that before.Thanks for sharing your recipe
- Carrie's Experimental Kitchen
  January 11, 2016 at 7:00 am - Reply
  Hi Sandra, I have not heard that before. Maybe it was the particular brand of bouillon cubes you used? I used Herb Ox brand and it was fine for us. I have also made this soup using College Inn Chicken Broth (low sodium/low fat) instead of the bouillon cubes if you would like to try that. The soup was still fantastic!
David
January 13, 2016 at 11:21 am - Reply
This looks really good. You said you it makes a lot with the recipe and you freeze it. In your experience what do you find is the best way to freeze soups? Ziploc bag or something else? Thanks.
- Carrie's Experimental Kitchen
  January 13, 2016 at 11:37 am - Reply
  Most of the time when I make this particular soup, my family winds up eating it within a couple of days so there generally isn’t much left to freeze. When I freeze other soup, I use Rubbermaid containers with secure lids and press out as much air as I can before sealing.
Caitlin
January 17, 2016 at 1:02 am - Reply
I have been waiting all week to make this recipe and it was amazing! This is my favorite soup at Olive Garden and to say I was excited is an understatement. I couldn’t believe how easy it was to make and my whole family loved it! Thank you!
- Carrie's Experimental Kitchen
  January 17, 2016 at 9:18 am - Reply
  I’m so glad it lived up to your expectations Caitlin and you’re right it’s so easy to make! My family requests this all the time now. Thank you for stopping by to let me know your thoughts, I really appreciate it!
Mal Bowlding
January 17, 2016 at 4:12 pm - Reply

I want to make this soup and use chicken stock or chicken broth that I have in the cupboard. How much should i use? 8 cups?
Thanks!
- Carrie's Experimental Kitchen
  January 18, 2016 at 8:14 am - Reply
  Yes, you can use 8 cups of chicken broth that will work just fine. Enjoy!
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January 17, 2016 at 8:40 pm - Reply
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deanne stauss
January 19, 2016 at 10:04 pm - Reply
question, I will be making this for our Monday crock pot soup day at work,so will be making it ahead on sunday, should I make it as directed,then just heat it up on low for a few hours before lunch? Any suggestions? Thanks!!
- Carrie's Experimental Kitchen
  January 20, 2016 at 7:23 am - Reply
  Yes. You can make it as prepared, refrigerate it; then heat it in the crock pot the next day. I personally think any soup tastes even better after it sits a while. Let me know how you and your co-workers like it!
White Magic Sauce – Real Life, Real Time
March 7, 2016 at 12:07 am - Reply
[…] Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup (Copycat) […]
Bridget
March 12, 2016 at 1:29 pm - Reply
Before I heated up the heavy cream, I put a cup of grated Parmesan in a sauce pan, along with two teaspoons of oil, and just enough cream to cover everything. Waited until it melted and then added in the rest of the cream to heat! The soup tastes EXACTLY like olive gardens, but better!
Thank you!
- Carrie's Experimental Kitchen
  March 13, 2016 at 4:03 pm - Reply
  I LOVE that idea of adding the extra cheese into the cream! I’m so glad you stopped by to let me know and that you enjoyed the soup Bridget.
Yvette
March 27, 2016 at 9:35 am - Reply

I just tried this recipe and it turned out fabulous. It will definitely be a staple at my house. Thank-you!
- Carrie's Experimental Kitchen
  March 28, 2016 at 7:22 am - Reply
  Thank you Yvette, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Lois Hannula
April 28, 2016 at 7:55 pm - Reply

OMG, I just made this soup, and it’s to die for!!! It’s my favorite soup at Olive Garden, and this version tastes just like O G’s. It’s the kind of soup I eat until I’m almost sick, but I still want more. I couldn’t find frozen gnocci in my area, but I used what I found in the pasta area, and it turned out wonderfully. Like someone else mentioned, I cut the gnocci in half, and used a rotisserie chicken. Thank you for a new favorite…..I’ll be making this often, and will probably double the recipe.
- Carrie's Experimental Kitchen
  April 29, 2016 at 5:52 am - Reply
  I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup Lois. I could eat this for days myself!!!
Paula
July 4, 2016 at 12:40 pm - Reply
Do you cover the soup while simmering? Or leave it uncovered and that’s what helps thicken it?
- Carrie's Experimental Kitchen
  July 5, 2016 at 7:22 am - Reply
  I leave the soup uncovered while it’s simmering. The roux (butter and flour) helps to thicken the soup. I hope you enjoy it!
Rida
September 6, 2016 at 4:47 pm - Reply
Hi,
This recipe sounds good and looks pretty easy to make. I do have one question with the bouillon cubes… instead of using them, can i substitute and use 8 cups of chicken broth? If so, I won’t have to add the 8 cups of water as the recipe calls right?
Thank you!
- Carrie's Experimental Kitchen
  September 7, 2016 at 9:03 am - Reply
  You sure can and yes, you can omit the water. Depending on how you prefer to season your food, you may need to adjust the salt and pepper. I hope you enjoy it!
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Elissa
January 23, 2017 at 7:40 pm - Reply
This is so good! I haven’t had the Olive Garden version, but it’s one of my daughter’s favorites and she requested it for dinner. Searched online for a copycat and settled on yours. So glad I did! I made it today (along with your homemade gnocchi recipe … also wonderful) and it is a keeper! She says it’s even better than the restaurant version. Thanks for creating and sharing this wonderful recipe!
- Carrie's Experimental Kitchen
  January 24, 2017 at 7:44 am - Reply
  It’s my daughters’ favorite soup as well and she begs me to make it all of the time. I’m so glad you all enjoyed it and tried the gnocchi as well!
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February 18, 2017 at 6:58 pm - Reply
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Yelena
June 8, 2017 at 11:30 am - Reply
This is the best version of the Olive Garden soup yet! We make this at least one or twice a month and then when we go to Olive Garden my husband says their soup doesn’t taste right! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I would dare say this soup is better than the one at Olive Garden.
- Carrie's Experimental Kitchen
  June 8, 2017 at 7:32 pm - Reply
  Thanks Yelena and my kids think this tastes better too! haha I’m so glad you enjoy it! 🙂
Gilbert
December 10, 2017 at 9:26 pm - Reply
I love Olive Garden chicken gnocchi soup, I tried your recipe it came out ok. Can you tell me why it came out kinda orangish not white Ilike the Olive Gardens followed the recipe to the tee can’t figure out what I did wrong thank you
Gilbert
December 10, 2017 at 9:42 pm - Reply
Found out why it turn orangish I grab the wrong bouillon I used chicken bouillon with tomato in it other that it still tastes good thank you
- Carrie's Experimental Kitchen
  December 11, 2017 at 10:24 am - Reply
  Ahhh…that would do it. 🙂 Glad you liked the recipe even though it was the wrong bouillon. It will be white next time if you used the regular chicken bouillon. Or you could just use chicken broth instead, that would work too.
Jennifer Manus
April 8, 2018 at 2:05 pm - Reply
Can you freeze this since it has cream in it and then add cooked gnocchi later?
- Carrie's Experimental Kitchen
  April 8, 2018 at 2:59 pm - Reply
  Yes, as long as you don’t thicken it with cornstarch it freezes well. Enjoy!