Chicken Gnocchi Soup

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An Olive Garden copycat recipe, this Chicken Gnocchi Soup is creamy, flavorful and really easy to make. Flavorful carrots, chicken and gnocchi cooked together in a thick and creamy broth, this soup will become your new favorite! Delicious with homemade rolls or breadsticks.

Chicken Gnocchi Soup: An Olive Garden Favorite

I’m pretty sure once the Chicken Gnocchi Soup hit the menu over at Olive Garden, it sealed its fate for staying on the menu forevermore, right next to the Zuppa Toscana. It’s a creamy and thick soup filled with carrot, chicken and gnocchi. While no one can ever get the recipe directly from Olive Garden, this one certainly comes close! Give it a try tonight.

What is Gnocchi and is There a Good Substitute?

Gnocchi are Italian dumplings made of potato, eggs and semolina flour. While normally I would come up with a great substitution that would be equivalent to the original, there really ISN’T a great substitution for gnocchi. It’s in a league of its own. However, cheese tortellini can be used in its place. It will be a different “experience” when it comes to the finished product, but if you can’t for whatever reason find gnocchi, give cheese tortellini a try.

Lighten it Up

This is a pretty decadent and rich soup! That isn’t always a bad thing. I might argue that it’s a very very good thing. But if you are looking to cut calories, replacing the whole milk for a 1% or 2% would work perfectly. Also, replacing the heavy cream with fat free half & half would also add that creamy flavor without all the calories.

How to Make Chicken Gnocchi Soup

Soften Veggies

Place large dutch oven over medium heat. Add butter and sautee onion and carrot 4-5 minutes or until onion starts to turn translucent and softens. Add in garlic and cook another 1 minute until fragrant.

Add Broth and Milk

Sprinkle flour over the veggies, stir in and cook 1 minute. Whisk in chicken stock, bouillon paste, milk and salt & pepper. Reduce heat to low. Once you add the milk, you don’t want to boil the soup.

Finish with Gnocchi and Spinach

Stir in shredded chicken and cook on low until carrots are tender, 10 minutes. Add in gnocchi and cook another 3 minutes or until they are cooked. Right before serving, stir in heavy cream and chopped spinach. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed (will most likely need salt). Divide into bowls and serve.

Storage Directions

Any leftover chicken gnocchi soup can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat, microwave in 30-45 second increments, stirring occasionally until hot. It will be thicker the second time around, so feel free to splash in a little water or milk to get it to that perfect consistency.

Favorite Sides for Soup

While normally I’d pick out some lovely salads to go on this list, lets face it: we all know we want breadsticks or biscuits or rolls (or all three!) to go with our chicken gnocchi soup. Regardless of what I choose on this list, they ALWAYS go over well.

• Classic Dinner Rolls
• Crescent Rolls (no knead recipe!)
• Butter Drop Biscuits
• Craigo’s Breadsticks
• Focaccia

Love Chicken Gnocchi Soup? Try these:

• Chicken Pot Pie Soup
• Broccoli Cheese Soup
• Creamy Cauliflower Soup
• Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup
• Creamy Carrot Soup
• Loaded Baked Potato Soup

I hope you all love this recipe as much we did! It’s a great copycat recipe I’m sure you will add to your rotation. Be sure to share/save/bookmark/pin this gem…it’s a good one. Have a great day, friends!