If you’re a fan of Olive Garden’s Chicken Gnocchi Soup then you are going to love my homemade version. It’s full of pillowy gnocchi, tender chicken, fresh veggies like the classic but my version is even more flavorful and I love that you can make it from scratch and control the ingredients. It’s such a cozy and comforting soup but the addition of fresh lemon keeps it from being too heavy. I return to this recipe every soup season and it never disappoints.
Perfect Cozy and Deliciously Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup
I am a BIG fan of creamy soups, ok?! I love a broth based soup but there’s something about a soup on the creamier side that will always have my heart.
This delicious and creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup is packed with plenty of tender chicken, perfectly cooked pillowy gnocchi, and veggies for good measure. It comes together quickly and is the perfect comfort food.
Just in case you need it, I’ve included instructions on how to make this soup dairy-free or gluten-free (or both!) if you need it. There are also notes on how to make the recipe plant-based, add in extra veggies, as well as instructions on how to use leftover chicken or turkey. I know you’ll love this one!
Healthier Chicken Gnocchi Soup Ingredients
Onion, Carrots, Celery, Garlic: this blend of veggies and aromatics all form the flavorful base of the soup. If you can, use freshly minced garlic for the best flavor.
Chicken Breast: quick cooking boneless, skinless chicken breast is the protein of choice in this recipe. You could also use a blend of chicken breast and thighs if you prefer.
Herbs: fresh thyme, dried bay leaves, chives, and parsley all help to add some delicious flavor to the soup.
Gnocchi: these little tender Italian dumplings are usually made from a combination of potatoes and semolina or flour.
Half and Half: to give the soup that delicious creaminess, this recipe uses a little half and half. Not a fan of half and half? I’ve included some other options for you in the recipe card.
Arrowroot Starch: this grain free starch is used to thicken the soup.
Fresh Baby Spinach: this gets stirred in right at the end of cooking for an extra punch of fresh veggies.
Fresh Lemon Juice: this helps to brighten up the soup just a bit and really helps the flavors sing!
How to Make Homemade Chicken Gnocchi Soup
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Sauté the onion, garlic, carrot, and celery on the stovetop in a little olive oil.
- Add the sautéed veggies, chicken breast, bay leaves, thyme, and chicken broth to the slow cooker. Cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 6-8 hours.
- During the last hour of cooking, remove the chicken breast from the slow cooker and shred with two forks. Add the chicken back to the slow cooker along with the gnocchi, and the mixture of arrowroot and half and half. Stir until well combined.
- Let the soup continue to cook for roughly an hour until it has thickened and the gnocchi is tender.
- Lastly, stir in the baby spinach and fresh lemon juice. Give the soup a taste, adjust the seasoning, if needed, and then serve!
How to Use Leftover Roasted Chicken or Turkey
After the soup has simmered for around ten minutes, stir in your leftover shredded chicken or turkey. Let the soup simmer for another five minutes or so and then add in your gnocchi and continue to follow the recipe as directed.
Ashlea’s Tips and Tricks
- Use freshly minced garlic if you can, it really does make a huge difference in the overall flavor of the soup.
- Feel free to leave out the half and half altogether for a more broth-based gnocchi soup.
- I included a range for the amount of gnocchi to use in the recipe card to suit your needs. If you want a soup that’s a filled with plenty of gnocchi then use the full 20 ounces amount. If you want the gnocchi on the lighter side, you can go with 16 ounces.
- I recommend using fresh baby spinach, not frozen, in this recipe. Frozen spinach will release a lot of water which can change the consistency of the soup.
- Want a thinner soup? Feel free to skip the addition of the arrowroot starch.
I hope you give this Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup a try! It’s warm, cozy, and absolutely delicious. If you do give this recipe a try, I want to know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo & tag @allthehealthythings on INSTAGRAM. Your reviews help support All the Healthy Things and make it possible for me to continue to create the recipes you know and love.
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Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 1x
- Category: Lunch & Dinner
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
If you’re a fan of Olive Garden’s Chicken Gnocchi Soup then you are going to love my homemade version. It’s full of pillowy gnocchi, tender chicken, fresh veggies like the classic but my version is even more flavorful and I love that you can make it from scratch and control the ingredients. It’s such a cozy and comforting soup but the addition of fresh lemon keeps it from being too heavy. I return to this recipe every soup season and it never disappoints.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 large carrots, diced
- 3 ribs celery, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 16–20 oz potato gnocchi (I used this kind)
- 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch
- juice of half a lemon
- 1 cup half and half
- 2 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
- chopped chives, for serving
- chopped parsley, for serving
- fresh cracked black pepper, for serving
Instructions
- Heat a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the olive oil, diced onion, diced carrot, diced celery, and minced garlic. Sauté the veggies for 4-5 minutes until the onion is becomes translucent and everything is fragrant. Season with 1 teaspoon of salt and a bit of black pepper.
- Next, add the chicken broth, boneless skinless chicken breast, bay leaves, and fresh thyme. Bring the soup to a boil and then cover and reduce the heat to a simmer. Let the soup simmer for 10-15 minutes until the chicken is completely cooked through and no longer pink. Remove the chicken from the soup and shred the meat with two forks.
- Bring the soup back to a simmer and then add the potato gnocchi to the soup. Cover and let the gnocchi cook in the simmering soup for 2-3 minutes.
- While the gnocchi are simmering, whisk together half and half and arrowroot starch.
- Reduce the soup heat to low and add the shredded chicken and spinach to the soup. Then pour in the arrowroot half and half slurry and stir until everything is well combined. The soup should thicken as it continues to heat.
- Finish the soup by stirring in the fresh lemon juice. Serve the soup with chopped chives, parsley, and fresh black pepper.
Notes
Ingredients Swaps and Substitutions
Half and Half – feel free to swap the half and half for full-fat coconut milk to keep this soup dairy free. You could also use whole milk instead of half and half if you prefer. You could also leave this out if you like a more bothy soup.
Gnocchi – If you need to make this recipe gluten free, just swap the regular gnocchi for a gluten free variety. Cauliflower gnocchi will likely work in this recipe as well. You could also leave the gnocchi out completely and add in another cooked pasta of your choice.
Chicken Broth – you can easily use veggie broth instead of chicken if needed.
Veggies – try adding in chopped mushrooms if you enjoy them or swapping the baby spinach for chopped tuscan kale!
Arrowroot – if you don’t have arrowroot starch, feel free to use cornstarch instead to thicken the soup.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
Fridge: to keep the soup fresh, store in an air-tight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can easily reheat this soup on the stovetop or in the microwave. Feel free to add in a little extra broth if the soup is thicker than you like when reheating.
Freezer: I don’t recommend freezing this soup. Because of the dairy and gnocchi it won’t reheat the best so I prefer to make it fresh.
Recipe by: Ashlea Carver / All the Healthy Things | Photography by: THE MINDFUL HAPA
This soup was amazing! Really simple ingredients and SO much flavor. will definitely make again!
Love a good quick soup. We’ll be having this one again!
I followed the recipe precisely. AMAZING. I was planning on this for meal prep for the next few days, but I stood over the pot and ate half the batch before it even thickened. Will definitely put this one on repeat for the winter. Thank you!
I’m so glad you loved this, Nica! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
Loved it. Great one dish meal. I used an entire 5 ounce bag of baby spinach and it was not too much. We love spinach. Otherwise followed the recipe.
I’m so glad you were able to make this one work for you, Carlin! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
Fantastic recipe! Part of my first date with my non-American husband was taking him to Olive Garden for the All-American experience. We live in his country now and this recipe takes me back home and us back to our very first date.
Yum! Simple yet tastes like it took all day. I skipped the dairy for my preference and still nutritious and delicious !
So tasty and comforting! Reminds me of chicken and dumplings!
The recipe is delicious! I ended up adding a bit of extra half and half as well as some more garlic salt to taste.