Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup Recipe (Copycat)

Why This Version Works

The restaurant soup is thick, mild and creamy, a bit like chicken pot pie filling. A butter-and-flour roux gives that body, half-and-half keeps it rich without being heavy, and shelf-stable potato gnocchi cooks right in the soup, thickening it slightly as it simmers.

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp (55 g) butter
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 2 ribs celery, finely diced
• 1 medium carrot, finely shredded or diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ cup (30 g) all-purpose flour
• 4 cups (950 ml) chicken broth
• 2 cups (475 ml) half-and-half
• 2 cups cooked chicken, shredded (rotisserie is perfect)
• 1 lb (450 g) potato gnocchi
• 1 cup fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• Salt and black pepper

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Soften the vegetables. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, celery and carrot and cook until soft, 6–7 minutes. Add the garlic for 30 seconds.
2. Make the roux. Sprinkle in the flour and stir for 1–2 minutes so it loses its raw taste.
3. Add the liquid. Slowly whisk in the broth, then the half-and-half. Add the thyme and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring, until slightly thickened.
4. Cook the gnocchi. Add the chicken and gnocchi and simmer 4–5 minutes, until the gnocchi float and are tender.
5. Finish. Stir in the spinach until wilted, then season with salt and pepper.

Tips for Restaurant-Style Results

• Shred the carrot finely; that's how the restaurant soup gets its small orange flecks.
• If it gets too thick, loosen it with a splash of broth. Gnocchi keep absorbing liquid.
• Rotisserie chicken saves 30 minutes and adds flavor.

Crockpot Chicken Gnocchi Soup

1. Add raw chicken breasts, vegetables, garlic, thyme and broth to the slow cooker. Cook on Low 6 hours or High 3 hours.
2. Shred the chicken. Whisk the flour into the half-and-half and stir it in with the gnocchi.
3. Cook on High 20–30 minutes until thick and the gnocchi are tender, then stir in the spinach.

Homemade vs. the Restaurant Version

At Olive Garden, Chicken & Gnocchi Soup costs about $11.29 and has 230 calories per serving by the restaurant's published nutrition. Homemade, you can cut the sodium with low-sodium broth and add more chicken and vegetables per bowl.

Storing and Reheating

• Refrigerate up to 3 days. The gnocchi soften and thicken the soup as it sits.
• Reheat gently with extra broth.
• Freezing isn't ideal; gnocchi and cream turn grainy.

Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup: Questions People Ask