Chicken gnocchi soup is the ultimate comfort food on a chilly day. Packed with pillowy potato gnocchi, tender chicken, and just the right amount of vegetables to make things feel balanced, this soup checks all the boxes! While you may have grown to love this soup at your local Olive Garden, you'll love this better-than-the-restaurant version even more!
If you are looking for other ways to warm up in the fall and winter, you've got to try our Boursin bisque, coconut pumpkin soup, chicken florentine orzo soup or broccoli cheddar soup! While this soup is hearty enough on its own, amp up the filling factor with any of my favorite soup sides! For another delicious restaurant copycat soup idea, give my southwest chicken soup a try, just like the Chili's favorite!
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Ingredients
- Prepared gnocchi
- Shredded rotisserie chicken breasts
- Onion
- Celery
- Garlic
- Shredded carrots
- Chicken broth
- Baby spinach
- Fresh thyme
- Mustard powder
- Garlic powder
- Black pepper
- Heavy cream
A full list of ingredients with measurements is located on the recipe card, below.
Instructions
START WITH...
Collecting all your ingredients - This will make cooking so much easier. Gather all the spices you will need, and keep them nearby.
Shred the chicken - Using two forks or your hands, shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Remove the skin if using skin-on chicken.
Chopping the vegetables - Finely dice your onion and celery, and mince the garlic. I recommend using pre-shredded carrots to save time!
Saute the onions, celery and garlic - In a large pot, saute the onions, garlic and celery in a tablespoon of olive oil or butter. Saute until the celery is tender, and the onions are translucent.
Add the flour - Add the flour to the pot, and stir well. The onions and celery will be coated with flour. Let the flour cook through for 2-3 minutes.
Add the broth - Add the broth in a steady stream, and stir well to combine the flour with the broth. Stir constantly to ensure that there are no large clumps of flour. Once the broth and flour are well mixed, add the shredded chicken, spices, cream, carrots and gnocchi. Simmer for 15 minutes.
Add the vegetables - Add the baby spinach to the soup. Simmer for another 2-3 minutes.
Expert Tip
Add the spinach at the end! You can let the soup simmer as long as you wish, but I strongly recommend adding the spinach at the end. Adding the spinach early on in the cooking process will change the flavour of the soup, and give it an overwhelming spinach flavour.
Substitutions
- Gnocchi - instead of potato gnocchi, you can also use store-bought cauliflower gnocchi, or even wild rice for a delicious chicken and wild rice soup.
- Rotisserie chicken - you may also use any leftover chicken you have on hand! Feel free to use dark meat instead, if you have it on hand.
- Vegetarian - use vegetable broth and omit the chicken, for a vegetarian version.
Equipment
This is what I used to make this recipe - Please be mindful that different equipment and cooking utensils may yield varying results. Most of my favourite equipment can be found on my storefront.
- Large pot
Storage
The soup will keep for 2-3 days in the fridge, in an airtight container. Because of the creamy base of the soup, I do not recommend freezing the soup. The cream may separate when you are defrosting and reheating.
To reheat the soup, either heat in the microwave, or on the stove in a sauce pan. If the soup has gotten too thick while in the fridge, loosen with some extra broth.
Recipe FAQs
It will not! Gnocchi is quite dense and can stand up to the thick, savoury broth. It will keep its texture.
The sprinkle of flour is the key to thickening the soup. In addition, the gnocchi is full of starch which contributes to that rich, thick texture you are looking for.
No need! The gnocchi will cook through completely while it simmers in the broth.
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Chicken Gnocchi Soup {Better Than Olive Garden!}
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Butter
- ½ Yellow onion finely diced
- 2 stalks Celery finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon All purpose flour
- 2 ¼ cups Chicken broth
- 2 Rotisserie chicken breasts skin-off, shredded
- ½ cup Heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon Mustard powder
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Black pepper
- 1 tablespoon Fresh thyme finely chopped
- 1 cup Shredded carrots
- 2 cups Prepared gnocchi
- 2 cups Baby spinach
- 2 teaspoon Sea salt
Equipment
Instructions
- Saute the onions, celery and garlic - In a large pot, saute the onions, garlic and celery in a tablespoon of olive oil or butter. Saute until the celery is tender, and the onions are translucent.½ Yellow onion, 2 stalks Celery, 1 tablespoon Butter
- Add the flour - Add the flour to the pot, and stir well. The onions and celery will be coated with flour. Let the flour cook through for 2-3 minutes.1 tablespoon All purpose flour
- Add the broth - Add the broth in a steady stream, and stir well to combine the flour with the broth. Stir constantly to ensure that there are no large clumps of flour. Once the broth and flour are well mixed, add the shredded chicken, spices, cream, carrots and gnocchi. Simmer for 15 minutes.2 ¼ cups Chicken broth, 2 Rotisserie chicken breasts, ½ cup Heavy cream, 1 teaspoon Mustard powder, 1 teaspoon Garlic powder, 1 teaspoon Black pepper, 1 tablespoon Fresh thyme, 1 cup Shredded carrots, 2 cups Prepared gnocchi
- Add the vegetables - Add the baby spinach to the soup. Simmer for another 2-3 minutes.2 cups Baby spinach
Jenna
Delicious recipe! We love the olive garden, so this was a hit in my house 🙂