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A creamy, cozy, and delicious copycat of Olive Garden’s Chicken Gnocchi Soup ready in under 30 minutes, made with cooked chicken, potato gnocchi, fresh vegetables, and half and half for richness.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 3–4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cooked and diced
  • 1 stalk celery, chopped
  • ½ white onion, diced
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • ½ cup shredded carrots
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 teaspoon thyme
  • 16 ounces potato gnocchi
  • 2 cups half and half
  • 1 cup fresh spinach, roughly chopped

Instructions

  1. Cook and dice chicken if not using pre-cooked (pan-sauté in olive oil with salt and pepper).
  2. Warm the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
  3. Add chopped celery, diced onion, minced garlic, and shredded carrots; sauté 2–3 minutes until onions are translucent and veggies soften.
  4. Add the cooked diced chicken, chicken broth, salt, pepper, and thyme; bring to a boil.
  5. Gently stir in the potato gnocchi and boil 3–4 minutes until the gnocchi begins to cook through.
  6. Reduce heat to low and simmer about 10 minutes to meld flavors.
  7. Pour in the half and half and stir in the chopped spinach; simmer 1–2 minutes until the spinach wilts and the soup is creamy.
  8. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.

Notes

Use low-sodium chicken broth to control saltiness., Cook and dice chicken ahead or use pre-cooked for quick and even heating., Avoid overcooking gnocchi to prevent it becoming mushy., Add half and half only after reducing heat from boiling to avoid curdling., Frozen gnocchi can be added directly but may need extra cooking time., For extra richness, substitute 1 cup of half and half with heavy cream., Substitute shredded rotisserie chicken or leftover turkey for convenience or variety., Use kale or Swiss chard instead of spinach, adding earlier due to longer cooking time., Add Italian sausage for a heartier version, either with or instead of chicken., Swap gnocchi for cheese tortellini for different texture and flavor., Use gluten-free gnocchi options for dietary needs and adjust cooking time accordingly., Store leftovers in airtight container in fridge for 3-4 days; freezing base without dairy and gnocchi recommended for best texture., Reheat gently, adding dairy and gnocchi last to maintain texture and creaminess.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://gingerbaking.com/olive-garden-chicken-gnocchi-soup/