Enjoy one or your favorite restaurant copycat soups at home with my version of Olive Garden's Chicken Gnocchi Soup made with boneless cooked chicken, vegetables and gnocchi in a creamy chicken broth.
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. However, 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; so I like to make extra soup to freeze for later.
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.
Ingredients Needed
For this recipe you'll need:
- butter
- celery
- onions
- carrots
- garlic
- all purpose flour
- ground nutmeg
- ground thyme
- fresh baby spinach
- cooked chicken
- heavy cream
- chicken broth
- gnocchi
How do you make Olive Garden's Chicken Gnocchi Soup recipe?
Start by melting the butter over medium heat; then add celery, onions, carrots and garlic. Stir for 1-2 minutes until the celery starts to soften; then whisk in the flour and add the chicken broth.
Next, add diced cooked chicken, nutmeg and thyme; then increase the heat and bring to a boil. 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.
You want to heat it a bit to temper it so that the cream doesn't curdle when you put it in the hot soup. Simmer for an additional 15-20 minutes or until gnocchi is cooked.
My family loves this Chicken Gnocchi Soup. It was delicious and tasted just like the restaurant version. The soup does thicken the longer it sits and even tastes better as leftovers.In fact, my family sometimes prefers this version to the restaurant one; especially when they get to the end of the pot and only get one or two gnocchi in their bowl.
To speed the preparation, I used leftover grilled chicken and frozen gnocchi, but any type of chicken would work just as well. If you'd like, you can make homemade gnocchi, but I opted to save some time.
What are they saying?
Not only has this soup become one of our favorite recipes, it's one of the most popular searched for and made recipes here at Carrie's Experimental Kitchen. Here are a few comments:
- "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!!!"
- "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!"
- "Excellent recipe! Made a double batch and my family and my youngest who is two loved it!! Will definitely make again!"
- "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!
- "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. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I will definitely be making it again soon!"
~Enjoy!
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Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup (Copycat)
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp. Butter
- ½ c. Celery, washed and thinly sliced
- ¼ c. Grated Onion
- ⅓ c. Grated Carrots
- 1 tbsp. Garlic, minced
- ¼ c. All Purpose Flour
- 8 c. Chicken Broth
- ⅛ tsp. Ground Nutmeg
- ½ 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
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 chicken broth.
- 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.
Notes
Nutrition
Lorie says
absolutely awesome!! My husband had 2 bowls and is taking for lunch!!
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
I just made some more last week and it never lasts long around here either. 🙂 I'm so glad you enjoyed the recipe Lorie!
Jennifer Manus says
Can you freeze this since it has cream in it and then add cooked gnocchi later?
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
Yes, as long as you don't thicken it with cornstarch it freezes well. Enjoy!
Gilbert says
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 says
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.
Gilbert says
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
Yelena says
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 says
Thanks Yelena and my kids think this tastes better too! haha I'm so glad you enjoy it! 🙂
Elissa says
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 says
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!
Rida says
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 says
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!
Paula says
Do you cover the soup while simmering? Or leave it uncovered and that's what helps thicken it?
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
I leave the soup uncovered while it's simmering. The roux (butter and flour) helps to thicken the soup. I hope you enjoy it!
Lois Hannula says
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 says
I'm so glad you enjoyed the soup Lois. I could eat this for days myself!!!
Yvette says
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 says
Thank you Yvette, I'm so glad you enjoyed it!
Bridget says
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 says
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.
deanne stauss says
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 says
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!
Mal Bowlding says
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 says
Yes, you can use 8 cups of chicken broth that will work just fine. Enjoy!
Caitlin says
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 says
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!
David says
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 says
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.
Sandra lopez says
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 says
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!