If you’ve ever dined at Olive Garden, you know the power their bowls of soup can have over you! Among their most popular soups is the Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup recipe. This soup features juicy chicken, tender gnocchi, and a host of vegetables like carrots and spinach. The broth itself is a dream, made with creamy half-and-half.
Now, you can recreate the Olive Garden experience in your own kitchen by whipping up our Homemade Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup. This recipe is easy to prepare but tastes like you’ve been in the kitchen all day. It’s a great soup to warm you on cold winter nights or those days when you need something comforting. There’s no doubt about it: This recipe will have you coming back for seconds. It’s a good thing it makes a huge pot!
What is Gnocchi?
Macaroni, farfalle, ziti..there truly is a pasta for everyone! Gnocchi, however, has a special place in many hearts due to its pillowy texture that holds up well in sauce and broth. Gnocchi finds its roots in Ancient Rome, and it originally included seminola flour, a harsh difference from the fluffy gnocchi of modern times. Americans fell in love with gnocchi mainly because modern gnocchi uses potatoes, an ordinary, cheap ingredient.
Gnocchi means “knuckle” in Italian, possibly referring to the shape of the pasta or the way home chefs formed it. Gnocchi is among the most time-consuming pastas to make from scratch, requiring each small piece to be rolled on a fork or gnocchi tool to give it that classic ridged texture. The gnocchi used in this recipe is made of potatoes, but other countries make gnocchi with ricotta cheese and bread. Enjoy your gnocchi soup on a Thursday if you want to feel like a true Italian. Whether you’re smothering your gnocchi in pesto or enjoying it in a batch of Copycat Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup, you’re in for a filling meal.
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Cost to Make the Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup Recipe
If you were to go to Olive Garden, a bowl of soup with two breadsticks would cost you $8.29. In contrast, you can make an entire pot of our Copycat Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup for just $14.77. That’s 6-8 servings of soup for less than two bowls at Olive Garden!
Keep in mind that this amount may vary based on your location and ingredient availability. Here’s how that breaks down:
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts: $5.00
- Celery: $0.50
- Onion: $0.50
- Minced garlic: $0.20
- Shredded carrots: $0.50
- Olive oil: $0.30
- Chicken broth: $2.00
- Salt: $0.02
- Pepper: $0.05
- Sage: $0.10
- Thyme: $0.10
- Potato gnocchi: $3.00
- Half and half: $1.50
- Fresh spinach: $0.50
Grand Total: $14.77
For that cost, you can definitely make a side of our Copycat Olive Garden Breadsticks and add a side salad.
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How to Make Homemade Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup
Here’s how to make a warm, comforting pot of Homemade Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup.
Step One: Roast the Chicken
Preheat the oven to 400℉. Lightly spray a sheet pan with cooking spray and lay the thawed chicken over the top. Drizzle with olive oil, season the meat with salt and pepper, and bake for 25-30 minutes or until cooked through. Let cool and chop into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
Step Two: Saute the Veggies
Pour the tablespoon of olive oil into a large pot set over medium-low heat. Add the chopped celery, onion, garlic, and shredded carrots. Cook for 5 minutes or until the veggies are softened and the onion is translucent.
Step Three: Add Liquids
Add the chopped chicken, chicken broth, salt, pepper, sage, and thyme to the pot. Bring the soup to a rolling boil, then add the gnocchi. Let the pasta simmer for 4 minutes, then turn the heat to low and let simmer.
Stir in the half-and-half and spinach, and let the soup cook for 1-2 minutes, until the spinach is wilted. Adjust the seasoning as needed, and let cool before serving. Enjoy!
What to Serve With Copycat Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup
Our Copycat Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup would be great with our Copycat Olive Garden Breadsticks and a side salad. If you’re feeling extra fancy, add a glass of white or red wine!
RELATED: This Olive Garden Breadsticks Recipe is My Saving Grace
Storing Leftover Homemade Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup
You can store leftover Homemade Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze it for up to 5 months. Keep in mind that because this soup has dairy, the texture may not be exactly the same as if you’d made it from scratch.
Homemade Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup Recipe
Craving a bowl of Olive Garden’s Chicken Gnocchi Soup? If so, you’ll want to bookmark our copycat recipe, which is an exact dupe! This soup is hearty, filling, and satisfies Italian food cravings, especially when paired with a breadstick and side salad. The soup freezes well, so be sure to save leftovers for a rainy day!
- Baking Sheets
- Dutch Oven
Roasted Chicken
- 3-4 count boneless skinless chicken breasts (cooked and diced)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
Soup
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 count celery stalk (chopped)
- 1 count onion (diced)
- 2 teaspoons garlic (minced)
- ½ cup carrots (shredded)
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon sage
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 16 ounces potato gnocchi
- 2 cups half and half
- 1 cup fresh spinach
Preheat the oven to 400℉. Lightly spray a sheet pan with cooking spray, then lay the thawed chicken on top.
Drizzle with olive oil, season the meat with salt and pepper, and bake for 30 minutes or until cooked through. Let cool, then chop into bite-sized pieces. Set aside.
Pour the tablespoon of olive oil into a large pot placed over medium-low heat. Add the chopped celery, onion, garlic, and shredded carrots. Cook for 5 minutes or until the veggies are softened and the onion is translucent.
Add the chopped chicken, chicken broth, salt, pepper, sage, and thyme to the pot. Bring the soup to a rolling boil, then add the gnocchi. Let the pasta simmer for 4 minutes, then turn the heat to low and let simmer.
Stir in the half-and-half and spinach, and let the soup cook for 1-2 minutes, until the spinach is wilted. Adjust the seasoning as needed, and let cool before serving. Enjoy!