If there is one thing you need to know about me, it is that when Fall hits, I am a soup fanatic! It’s just one of those meals I never get sick of. It’s so warming & I love the endless possibilities of ingredients all put into one pot. Which is another reason why I love soup, one pot, less mess!
This soup was instantly deemed a new favorite! It’s creamy, & not that bad for you if you use fat free half & half. The flavors are simple, & comforting. I always add extra vegetables to any original soup’s recipe that I find because I prefer about a 60/40 ratio of chunks to broth. The creamy broth with the plump gnocchi dumplings makes this soup lovely & balanced.
If I can give you one more reason to make this soup is that my incredibly picky 4 year old ate this & asked for seconds. Normally he would be like, “Mom, what’s the green stuff? Mom, what’s the orange stuff? Mom, what’s the chunks? I don’t think I like this Mom.” all before he even takes one bite. But he actually looked at it, smelled it, & tasted it before breaking down everything in the bowl & asking what it was. So he actually ate vegetables without crying about it! This soup is a winner people!
And as far as Olive Garden goes, they know how to make soups, & it’s so much fun to re-create them at home! Just check out my Zuppa Toscana recipe as well. Enjoy!
Copycat Olive Garden Chicken & Gnocchi Soup
Ingredients
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 4 Tbsp butter
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 cup celery, diced
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 cup carrots, shredded
- 3 Tbsp flour
- 1 quart Fat Free Half & Half
- 1 (14oz) can low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup fresh spinach, chiffonade (finely sliced)
- 3/4 tsp dried thyme
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 (16oz) package Gnocchi
Instructions
- In a large stock pot heat olive oil & saute chicken breasts. Season with a little salt & pepper. Cook until mostly done (very little pink showing.)
- Add butter until melted & then add the onion, celery, garlic & shredded carrots. Cook until onion is translucent. Add flour to absorb the liquid from the butter which will form a roux. Stir well.
- Add the half & half and chicken broth. Stir until it comes to a boil. Allow to simmer while you cook the gnocchi in another pot of boiling water until dumplings float (3 minutes.) Drain & set aside. (*You could possibly just add the gnocchi to the pot of soup, but it might thicken the soup too much & be slightly starchy.)
- Add spinach, thyme & cooked gnocchi to the pot of soup. Taste & adjust seasoning with salt & pepper. Serve hot.
- *If the soup is not thick enough, add 1-2 Tbsp cornstarch mixed with just enough COLD water to stir it smooth. Add to the HOT soup & wait for it to boil to thicken up.
Recipe Notes
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Recipe altered from Pass the Sushi
I’ve never had gnocchi, but I think I would like it. Every time I see it at the grocery store I think “I should try that”. This recipe give me a good reason to because it looks DELICIOUS!!
Yvonne @ TriedandTasty.com
You should try it! So yummy!
Oh boy, I love soup too! This is going on my ‘recipes to try’ list for sure! Thank you.
Sounds good to me! Let me know how you like it 🙂
can I use skim milk in place of half and half to make this recipe?
yes, I’ve used whatever I have had on hand! Still taste amazing!
Awesome! We love this soup as well! Thanks Jill!
The copycat recipe is so much better than what I had at the restaurant! Thanks for sharing.
Homemade is always yummy!
I L-O-V-E the restaurant version so I’m very, super-duper, omg excited to try this recipe!!!!!
This looks so yummy thank you for the recipe I will be trying this out this fall and winter for sure.
Great! Hope you enjoy it!
I need to try this! We are soup people through and through!
We have soup seriously 9 months out of the year! So good!
Pinning! I’ve tried all of their soups, but this is my absolute favorite!
This is a good one. I have a soft spot for the Zuppa Toscana though!
This looks great. I can’t wait to try it. thanks!
Thanks! Enjoy!
Looks so good! Olive Garden soups are seriously my favorite! Pinning to try this later!
This sounds wonderful. It has been a while since I have had this soup at Olive Garden.
Oh yum, that looks delicious Amber! I love gnocchi, but I have never had it in soup before. What a treat!
Looks delicious, you are invited to share this with Show Your Stuff:
http://www.treasuresmadefromyarn.com/2013/09/show-your-stuff.html
This sounds really good! I made my own sweet potato gnocchi and froze some (uncooked, just the dough) because it made way too much. That was my first time making gnocchi & I don’t know if you can freeze it & what it will be like unthawed but do you by chance think it would work for me to use in this soup? Saw this at Inspiration Monday (ISBMTF)thanks for sharing! ~ Jill @ Mama Ging
For sure! I bet that would taste great! Hopefully you froze them on a sheet of parchment first & then transferred them into a baggie so they aren’t stuck together. Cook them frozen, but they will take longer probably 5-10 minutes to cook instead of 3 minutes. Let me know if you try it & thanks for stopping by!!!
oh good, thanks for your reply! Yes, I did freeze flat first before transferring to freezer bags. 🙂 I am trying this soup today so I will let you know! ~Mama Ging
I will eat anything with gnocchi. Any time, anywhere. Thanks for sharing! I found your blog on Six Sisters’ Stuff and will be stopping by again!
Welcome Kelly! Come back anytime, there’s plenty of recipes to explore 🙂
Amber, I LOVE all the soups you have been posting lately, and this one just takes the cake, er, soup! 😉 Your recipes always look so good, and your photography is lovely!
Thanks!!
Love, Joy
Yesterfood
Thanks Joy! That is so sweet of you to say! I do love soup too!
I am trying this recipe now so once i drain the gnocchi do i add it to the soup or add it when i place the soup in a bowl to serve?
Yep. Go ahead & add it after you drain it. I don’t know why I said to set it aside when you just add it in the next step anyway (step 4). Enjoy!!!
can I use skim mile in place of half and half when making this soup?
skim milk??
You definitely can, just know that it might not be as creamy as the picture shows.
Where in the grocery store do I find the Gnocchi? Never used it before but DEF. want to try thie recipe! I love OG Soup
Gnocchi is a potato dumpling that is found in the aisle by the dry pastas. It’s usually at the very top of the shelf at the store that I get mine at. Enjoy!
How well does this reheat in following days? It doesn’t break at all does it?
We haven’t had any problems with it not reheating well. Still looks and tastes like soup. The gnocchi might absorb some of the liquid, so it might be thicker, but it’s still smooth.
I have made this…and I think it was one of the best things I have ever made. I let it sit overnight, and it was so thick and creamy……Looking forward to doing it again, and again, and again :0)
Oh! You have no idea how excited I am when I hear that people love the recipes they try! THANK YOU for leaving your review!
The Chicken and Gnocchi soup is my favorite thing to order at Olive Garden, I’m very excited to have come across this recipe.
I hope you like it as much as we did!
Is it ok to use heavy whipping cream instead of half and half? My boyfriend was sent to the store to get half and half and returned with heavy whipping cream……men…..cant live with them cant live without them lol!
Yes, of course. You can even do half heavy cream and half milk. If it gets too thick, just add more milk. 🙂
Awesome! I’m also using pecorino gnocchi so I hope it turns out just as amazing! Thank you so much for the quick response! Cant wait to eat it tonight!!
Can this be done in a slow cooker??
I’m sure you could, although it will be kind of a high maintenance slow cooker soup. I would still sauté the onions, because I always have problems with them cooking thoroughly in the crockpot. I would also omit the flour and do 2 Tbsp of cornstarch instead. And I would also wait until 30 minutes before serving to add the gnocchi, half and half, and spinach. If it sounds like a lot of work, go ahead and throw everything in the slow cooker, but I’m not positive how it will turn out. I’d love to hear how it goes for you!
Can this recipe be done in a slow cooker?
Tried this tonight. Delicious! Made no adjustments, except for using rotisserie chicken instead of raw. I will make this again.
Gotta love using rotisserie chicken! Glad you liked it!
I made this soup last Friday night because it’s my favorite at Olive Garden. It is delicious! My fiancee said this is better than Olive Garden. I had to make it again tonight, love it!!
Wow! That’s so great! I’m so glad you all like it so much! Thanks for sharing your review!