This Chicken Gnocchi Soup is better than Olive Garden! Loaded with tender chicken, chunks of vegetables, pillowy gnocchi, and spinach in a creamy, flavorful broth, and ready in 30 minutes.
Love gnocchi? You might also like this Italian Sausage Gnocchi Soup, this Three Cheese Gnocchi Bake, and this Baked Gnocchi with Sausage!
This Chicken Gnocchi Soup is my at-home version of the restaurant favorite, and honestly, we like it even better! It’s creamy, hearty, and packed with tender chicken, veggies, pillowy gnocchi and spinach.
I love that I can swap in leftover roast chicken or shredded chicken if that’s what’s in the fridge, and the gnocchi makes it feel like a full meal without a lot of extra sides.
Finish it with a sprinkle of Parmesan, grab some homemade breadsticks for dunking, and you’ve got a cozy bowl of Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup without ever leaving the kitchen.
What people are saying
““Amazing, literally the best soup I’ve ever made. So simple and easy!!” Whitney
“I’m not a great cook but get compliments every time with this one! It’s my go to comfort meal and so easy, now checking out other recipes too 🙂” Jen”
Chicken Gnocchi Soup ingredients:
- Oil: Any neutral-flavored oil with a high smoke point will work.
- Onion, celery, and carrot: This trio forms a classic mirepoix, which is the base for many soup recipes, adding lots of flavor and nutrients! Matchstick carrots save chopping time, but finely chopped carrots work just as well!
- Parsley, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper: For the best flavor, mince your own garlic cloves before adding to the soup.
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts: I use chicken breasts because that’s what we prefer. However, boneless skinless chicken thighs also work perfectly! Instead of 2 breasts, use 4 thighs. If you have leftover Baked Chicken Breasts or Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken, this is a great time to use them!
- Low-sodium chicken broth: I prefer to add salt to our tastes rather than start with a salted broth. For that reason, I recommend tasting the soup before serving and adjusting the seasonings as you desire.
- Potato gnocchi: I use shelf-stable potato gnocchi found in the pasta aisle. Feel free to experiment with different types of gnocchi!
- Fresh spinach: I like using fresh spinach, but you can swap it with frozen spinach; make sure to thaw and dry it before adding to the soup.
How to make Chicken Gnocchi Soup:
This Chicken Gnocchi Soup cooks in one pot on the stove, which makes it a weeknight favorite! Scroll down to the recipe card for full ingredient amounts and step-by-step instructions.
- Sauté the vegetables and add seasonings.
- Add the chicken broth and chicken breasts.
- Remove the chicken to a cutting board and shred it.
- Stir in the shredded chicken, cream, spinach, and Parmesan.
How to store Chicken Gnocchi Soup:
Leftover Chicken Gnocchi Soup keeps well in the fridge for up to 4 days. Store it in an airtight container, then reheat gently on the stove over low to medium heat, stirring often.
The gnocchi will continue to soften as it sits, so I sometimes add a splash of broth or cream to loosen it up when reheating. If you prefer al dente gnocchi, cook it separately and add it to each serving.
To freeze, let the soup cool completely and transfer it to freezer-safe containers or freezer bags (I like to freeze bags flat so they thaw quickly).
Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or reheat from frozen over low heat, adding a bit of extra broth if needed!
Serving suggestions:
While I don’t actually need to serve anything alongside this hearty chicken soup, I sure do love to have some Homemade Dinner Rolls or a piece of Garlic Bread for dunking (bonus points if it’s Cheesy Garlic Bread!).
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.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Tag @thereciperebelVariations & Substitutions
- Frozen chicken option: Add frozen chicken breasts straight to the pot with the broth, simmer until they reach 165°F, then shred and continue as directed.
- Extra vegetables: Stir in peas, corn, or chopped zucchini near the end of the cook time, or add mushrooms with the onions if you want more veggies in each bowl.
- Rotisserie shortcut: Got leftover Crockpot Whole Chicken? You can simply stir it in and leave out the chicken breasts in this recipe. You’ll want about 2 cups of shredded chicken. You could also use rotisserie chicken!
- Different greens: Swap the spinach for kale (add it earlier so it softens) or use frozen spinach that has been thawed and squeezed dry.
Missy says
I just made this soup and was very pleased with the flavor and texture. I added some cauliflower and broccoli that I had in the fridge and used regular milk. This is a very versatile soup that I can see making whenever I have vegies that need to be used.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Missy!
Laura says
I am going to try it this week. And I was thinking the same thing, use regular milk & add broccoli/cauliflower. Glad to know it was still great.
TMC says
Was really great! Used canned carrots and it was still really good. Will make it again!
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so glad!
Lauri says
I bought local made gnocchi over the weekend and when looking for a way to prepare came across this recipe. OMG! It is so delicious! I’m a big fan of following a recipe exactly, the first time I make it and won’t change a thing the next hundred times I make it. 🙂
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Lauri! I’m thrilled that you loved it!
Esther says
What brand of gnocchi would you recommend buying? Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Ashley Fehr says
I use a PC brand usually but any type of dried gnocchi from the pasta aisle will do
Mary says
Can’t wait to try this? Is it possible to use something other than heavy cream to lower calories?
Trader Joe’s cauliflower gnocchi would work?
Thank you!
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Mary! You can use evaporated milk in place of cream. I haven’t tried using cauliflower gnocchi so I can’t say how it would work
Jill Marie Trollop says
Can you make this soup in an instant pot? How would I do it?
Ashley Fehr says
You could but I haven’t tried so I can’t give exact cook times. I would cook the gnocchi with the chicken and add the dairy and spinach for after pressure cooking.
Lesley Anne says
Our family’s favourite soup. Easy to make and delicious. It reheats great too.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Lesley!
Lisa says
Awesome soup! Thank you for the recipe
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Lisa!
debbie says
it is good but i am not a fan of gnocchi. i would likely put pasta in
with the soup
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Debbie 🙂 There are lots of chicken noodle soup recipes around if that is what you prefer.
Linda says
Great recipe, doesn’t take long to put together. Had a fresh loaf of French bread with it. Quick, easy, delicious dinner.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Linda!
Michele says
This soup is so good!
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Michele!
Valerie says
I made this soup according to the recipe and it turned out great! It was so yummy and is better than OG. This may be my favorite soup.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Valerie! We love it too!
Kelsey says
I’m very new to cooking and decided to give this recipe a shot tonight. I followed the instructions exactly other than omitting the spinach and it came out so thin and I can’t figure out what I did wrong.
I added a few extra tablespoons of cornstarch and extra Parmesan to try and thicken it up which helped a little bit not quite enough. Any suggestions?
Ashley Fehr says
Hi Kelsey! Like the Olive Garden version, the broth is creamy but not THICK. I don’t think you did anything wrong 🙂
Victoria R Varner says
How big is a serving size? Making for dinner but I’m counting calories and want to be as accurate as I can.
Darla says
Can this soup be frozen?
Ashley Fehr says
Yes, it can!
Katrina says
Oh my goodness. This soup is absolutely delicious! My daughter found the recipe and suggested we add it to our very eclectic Thanksgiving dinner. We made it exactly like the recipe instructed except for we omitted the onion and garlic just because of personal preference. The smell, texture, taste, and ease of making are just wonderful. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so glad you liked it!
Leah says
We’ve made 3 different varieties of this soup (normal, dairy free, pasta instead of gnocci) and they have all turned out delicious. I like this better than Olive Garden’s!
My favorite variety was the non-dairy with pasta. I used Ripple plant based half and half, Follow Your Heart vegan parmesan, and less than 1/4 of a box of rotini. You could probably use any pasta though. With the non dairy version, I highly recommend using salted chicken broth and 1/4 tsp of salt since vegan cheese isn’t salted as much as normal cheese. (If salt sensitive, just use salted broth and don’t add any additional salt.)
Yum! I will definitely make this again and again.
Leah says
I forgot to mention we just use one 12oz can of chicken.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Leah!
Victoria R Varner says
How big is a serving size? Making for dinner but I’m counting calories and want to be as accurate as I can.
Ashley Fehr says
1 serving is 1/6 of the recipe. Unfortunately I don’t know the volume, but this could be easily calculated.
Audrey says
Thank you for sharing your non-dairy version. Was scouring the comments in hopes to see this! My little guy can’t eat diary so I’m excited to try this alternate version. Thank you!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hope you enjoy it Audrey!
Jenean says
Anyone ever done this in An instant pot?
Ashley Fehr says
I haven’t yet, but will update the post with instructions if I do 🙂
Klara says
I just made it with breadsticks and loved it. My neighbor really liked it too (preferred it over OG :). I used chicken thighs for extra flavor added some sweet sherry when sautéing the veggies and a touch of lemon juice in the end.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Klara!
Justine says
I am making this recipe for my daughter’s family this week. In addition to the chicken version, would I be able to make a vegetarian version (for my one grandaughter)?
Ashley Fehr says
Yes, absolutely! I would just swap the chicken for extra veggies
Brandy says
Great if you want to sub potato for the gnocchi. My soup hating son loves this soup.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Brandy!
Lacey says
The last time I made Gnochi it was disgusting, but I love the Olive Garden Version; do you have a particular Gnochi that you recommend?
Ashley Fehr says
We don’t have a lot of options here so I use whatever is available. I use the shelf stable packages by the pasta, and not the frozen stuff.
Kathie says
I made this soup today and it was a huge hit! The flavor is so good. I will be trying more of your recipes, so keep them coming.
Ashley Fehr says
Thanks Kathie!
MardiWL says
OMG!!! This was FABULOUS!!!! I shared with a friend, who had it a day later, and they loved it. I’ve never made anything from you, nor had I even known about your page. I think FB had an advertisement.. I’m typically not much of a soup fan, but this was perfect for our rainy weekend in NC
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so glad it turned out well!
Paige says
I have some TJ’s cauliflower gnocchi in my freezer – do you think I could use this in place of regular gnocchi? Also, should I let it thaw before adding it? Thank you <3
Ashley Fehr says
You definitely could, but I’ve never used frozen gnocchi so I’m not sure how to go about adding it.
Paige says
I made this with the frozen cauliflower gnocchi and it turned out great! I made the soup a few days before we were planning on eating it and added the frozen cauliflower gnocchi after the soup was done cooking and was cooling, it actually helped it come to room temperature. The cauliflower gnocchi held its form and was very delicious in this soup!
Ashley Fehr says
That’s a great tip! Thanks Paige!
Danielle says
Hi was just thinking about trying this! So you added the frozen gnocchi to the hot soup and that’s all you did to cook it? Just trying to figure the best way to do it with the cauliflower gnocchi
Ashley Fehr says
The hot liquid should be enough to cook it!
Ampsitup says
This was amazing! I used canned chicken (it’s what I had) and didn’t use Parmesan at the end ( I ran out ). Will definitely make again!
Ashley Fehr says
I’m so glad!