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Creamy Chicken and Gnocchi Soup (Olive Garden Copycat) – Easy Comfort Food Favorite

Creamy Chicken and Gnocchi Soup
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Chicken and Gnocchi Soup is the coziest way to warm up this season! This creamy Olive Garden copycat is loaded with pillowy potato gnocchi, tender chicken, fresh spinach, and carrots, all in a rich and flavorful broth.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 1/4 cups finely chopped yellow onion
  • 1 cup small diced carrot
  • 1 cup small diced celery
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced (1 Tbsp)
  • 2 (14.5 oz) cans low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1/2 tsp dried rosemary or 1 1/2 tsp minced fresh
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme or 1 1/2 tsp minced fresh
  • 1/8 tsp nutmeg
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, pounded to 1/2-inch thickness, or 2 1/2 cups cooked shredded rotisserie chicken
  • 1 (16 oz) package potato gnocchi or homemade gnocchi (mini preferred)
  • 5 Tbsp butter
  • 6 Tbsp all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups milk, plus more to thin if needed
  • 1/3 cup heavy cream
  • 2 cups (2 oz) packed fresh spinach, roughly chopped
  • Shredded Romano or parmesan cheese, optional, for serving

Instructions

1. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, and celery and sauté for 6 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 1–2 minutes longer.

2. Pour in chicken broth. Add rosemary, thyme, nutmeg, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Add chicken breasts (if using rotisserie chicken, wait to add at the end). Bring soup to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until chicken is cooked through (165°F in center), about 8–12 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, in a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.

5. While whisking vigorously, pour in milk. Continue whisking to smooth out any lumps. Season with salt and pepper.

6. Cook the milk mixture until it thickens and lightly boils, stirring constantly. Stir in cream and remove from heat.

7. Once chicken is cooked, remove from soup and let rest 5 minutes. Then dice or shred. If vegetables aren’t soft yet, continue simmering the soup for a few more minutes.

8. Add gnocchi to the soup and simmer, covered, according to package instructions (about 5 minutes). Reduce heat to low.

9. Stir in the milk mixture, then return the shredded chicken and add chopped spinach. Cook for 1 more minute until spinach wilts.

10. Serve warm, topped with Romano cheese if desired.

Notes

Use fresh spinach for the best texture—frozen spinach may become mushy.

You can substitute the gnocchi with pasta or cooked rice if preferred.

Cooked Italian sausage makes a tasty alternative to chicken.

This recipe makes approximately 9 cups of soup, perfect for a hearty family meal or leftovers.

Find it online: https://cookingwithramsay.com/creamy-chicken-and-gnocchi-soup/