This Chicken Gnocchi Soup is better than Olive Garden! Loaded with tender chicken, chunks of vegetables, and spinach in a creamy, flavorful broth, it’s made in 30 minutes!
See the step by step recipe video down in the recipe card.
Table of Contents
Love gnocchi as much as we do? Try this Italian Sausage Gnocchi Skillet or this Gnocchi with Sausage, Spinach and Tomatoes — both are made in one pot!
Everyone loves Olive Garden, right?
There is just something so comforting about rich, creamy pastas, fresh-from-the-oven breadsticks and a cozy bowl of soup!
Now, I love them all: the Zuppa Toscana (see my Slow Cooker Zuppa Toscana here), the Minestrone (see my Minestrone soup here), the Pasta e Fagioli — but a good chunky, creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup will always have my heart.
The thing is, the last couple times I’ve been there I’ve just been so disappointed in what Olive Garden is calling “Chicken Gnocchi Soup” these days — I feel like a more accurate name would be “Thin Creamy Broth with One Carrot, One Piece of Spinach and Two Gnocchi’.
It doesn’t have the same ring, does it?
Love gnocchi? You might also like this Italian Sausage Gnocchi Soup and this Baked Gnocchi with Sausage!
Why this Chicken Gnocchi Soup is better than Olive Garden:
Instead of the thin, disappointing Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup, in this soup you’ll get plenty of:
- flavor! All those veggies add a ton of it
- tender shredded chicken — that cooks right in the soup, making it tender and lending more flavor to the broth! (If you’ve got some of this Crockpot Shredded Chicken or Instant Pot Shredded Chicken kicking around, feel free to use that instead!)
- pillowy soft gnocchi
- and enough creamy broth to soak up with our favorite breadsticks 😉
Plus, you get the added benefit of making your house smell amazing in the meantime 😉
How to make Chicken Gnocchi Soup:
This soup is so simple to make, and I’ve got a few tricks up my sleeve to make it even easier:
- Saute your onion, celery and carrots in a great big dutch oven or soup pot
- Add your spices and seasonings — cooking them first in the dry pot wakes up their flavor!
- Add your broth, raw chicken breasts or thighs (you read that right!), and other vegetables — I use a bag of matchstick carrots to make this even easier.
- Cook it until the chicken and vegetables are tender, then remove the chicken to shread and stir in some cream, gnocchi, spinach and a big sprinkling of Parmesan — let it cook just until the gnocchi is tender.
- Serve it up! Don’t forget the bread 😉
How to make Crockpot Chicken and Gnocchi Soup:
This Chicken Gnocchi Soup is also easy to make in the slow cooker if you need to plan ahead!
Simply saute your onion, celery and spices as the recipe originally calls for (if you’re really in a time crunch or hate dishes, you can skip this part, but you’ll get the best results this way).
Add the chicken and other vegetables to the crockpot with the broth, and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
Shred the chicken and add in the gnocchi, cream, spinach and Parmesan and cook another 20-30 minutes.
How to store soup:
One of the great things about this soup is it makes great leftovers! The flavor continues to develop as it sits so it’s perfect for making ahead.
In the refrigerator:
You can store this soup in the refrigerator up to 4 days in an airtight container.
In the freezer:
You can freeze this soup in freezer safe containers (I prefer to freeze mine in large freezer bags, frozen flat, so that it thaws quickly!), leaving an inch or two of space in the container at the top.
Freeze up to 3 months.
To serve, thaw in the refrigerator overnight or in a pot on the stovetop on low.
More hearty soup recipes you’ll love!
- Cheeseburger Soup
- Crockpot Potato Soup
- Beef and Barley Soup
- Chicken Rice Soup: Stove Top or Slow Cooker
Chicken Gnocchi Soup
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil
- ½ medium onion finely chopped
- 2 ribs celery finely chopped
- 1 cup carrot matchsticks (or finely chopped carrots)
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 4 cups low sodium chicken broth
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 3 cups small gnocchi (500g)
- 1 ½ cups fresh spinach roughly chopped
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven or soup pot, add oil and cook onion, celery and carrots over medium-high heat until slightly softened.
- Add parsley, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper and stir.
- Add broth and chicken breasts and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and simmer until vegetables are tender and chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 12-15 minutes.
- Remove chicken breasts to a cutting board to shred. Whisk together cream and corn starch and stir into the soup with the gnocchi. Let simmer for 4-5 minutes until gnocchi is tender and soup is slightly thickened.
- Stir in shredded chicken, spinach and Parmesan. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve.
Nutrition Information
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Mirsa says
I saw this recipe on Instagram and decided to make it this week as my lunch. I didn’t want to mess with cooking everyday (Thanksgiving week) and it’s gotten colder. This has been PERFECT! It’s delicious! Like a delicious bowl of comfort 🙂
The Recipe Rebel says
Yay! Great to hear!
Gg says
Can I sub collard greens for spinach? That’s all I have. Tia
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Gg! You probably could, I just haven’t tested it out myself! If you decide to experiment, I’d love to know how it turns out!
Jeanine says
I just want to put this out there: this soup is extra delicious made with Trader Joe’s Gnocchi in Gorgonzola Sauce!
The Recipe Rebel says
That sounds tasty! Thanks Jeanine!
Rebecca says
One of my absolute favorites! I make this soup once a month & eat it for the whole week. So so good. I sometimes use the Trader Joe’s frozen cauliflower gnocchi & it works just as well. Thanks so much for sharing!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Rebecca! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review and feedback on the cauliflower gnocchi!
Lisa says
Absolutely delicious! A warm, comforting hug! This would be amazing to take to a new mom or a friend under the weather!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Lisa! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Whitney Hester says
Amazing, literally the best soup I’ve ever made. So simple and easy!!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Whitney! So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for this review!
Lily says
Making this today. About how many ounces or pounds of chicken breast?
Lelia says
Absolutely delicious!!! Great recipe – it was easy and super yummy!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Lelia! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this review!
DazzlingDoodlez says
I finally made this recipe on a cold, overcast, expecting rain kind of a day. Your soup recipe was delicious!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this review!
Marla says
Have you tried this with gluten free gnocchi? Do you think it would be ok to use gluten free gnocchi?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Maria! I haven’t but if you decide to experiment, let me know how it goes!
Susan M Mikoff says
Excellent soup followed the recipe and I could not have been happier with the results.