Thick and hearty chicken gnocchi soup that’s perfect for those cold winter nights! Move over Olive Garden, this gnocchi soup features some healthier swaps so you can feel guilt-free about indulging in a bowl of this goodness!
I’m not gonna lie, I love me a good bowl of Olive Garden Gnocchi Soup. It’s DELISH but it’s also packed full of unnecessary ingredients that won’t make all the difference when it comes to flavor.
As a self-dubbed soup queen (we’re at over 50 soup recipes on The Healthy Maven!) I’ve taken it upon myself to test…and test again to make a healthier version of an Olive Garden classic. And if I may say so myself I’d call this Chicken Gnocchi Soup better than the original! So why make this soup? Let me tell you…
Why Make This Soup?
Healthier Swaps – Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup is typically full of butter, heavy cream and thickened with flour. This version is lightened up with less butter, option for dairy-free milk and a simple tapioca flour slurry to get things nice and thick. I also use double the spinach to add in a good dose of healthy greens!
One pot – everything can be made in one pot (besides the slurry) so that means minimal dishes and saving time for you.
Meal Prep Friendly – Make a batch of thick chicken gnocchi soup at the start of the week and enjoy it for dinners and lunches. It’s freezer-friendly too!
Ingredients in Gnocchi Soup
- Butter – for cooking chicken and veggies. Feel free to replace with olive oil, if desired.
- Chicken breasts – you can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs.
- Yellow onion – a white onion also works.
- Celery – chopped into bite-sized pieces.
- Carrot – Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup uses shredded carrot but feel free to chop your carrot instead if desired.
- Garlic cloves – ideally use fresh garlic cloves.
- Tapioca starch – + warm water to make a starch slurry. Cornstarch is a great substitute.
- Chicken broth – or preferred stock or broth.
- Whole Milk – traditionally heavy cream is used but I’ve lightened this recipe up with whole milk instead. You can also use a plant-based milk if desired.
- Fresh thyme – or sub in dried thyme (just use half the amount)
- Salt + Pepper – feel free to reduce to taste or sodium preferences.
- Spinach – or other preferred leafy green. Don’t use frozen spinach as it will break down too much in the soup.
- Potato gnocchi – ideally use the shelf-stable gnocchi you find in the pasta aisle. If not, fresh gnocchi can also be used but I’d cut down on cooking time.
How to Make Chicken Gnocchi Soup
STEP 1: BROWN CHICKEN
To a large stock pot or dutch oven add 1 tbsp of butter over medium heat. Add your chicken breasts and brown on both sides for roughly 3 minutes per side. Remove chicken from pot and set aside.
STEP 2: COOK VEGGIES
Add remaining tablespoon of butter and stir in onion, celery, carrot and garlic cloves. Saute in butter for 5 minutes.
STEP 3: MAKE SLURRY
In a small bowl combine tapioca starch and warm water. Stir until tapioca starch is fully dissolved in water. Pour tapioca starch slurry over your vegetables in the pot and stir to combine.
STEP 4: COOK + SHRED CHICKEN
Add chicken broth, whole milk, fresh thyme, salt and pepper to pot and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and add your chicken and any juices back into the pot. Simmer chicken for 15 minutes or until cooked all the way through. Using tongs remove chicken from pot and place on a cutting board. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before shredding using two forks. Add shredded chicken back into pot.
STEP 5: COOK GNOCCHI AND SIMMER SOUP
Stir in spinach and gnocchi and continue to simmer for an additional 10-15 minutes.
Easy Swaps & Substitutions
Swap the spinach – feel free to swap the spinach for another leafy green like baby kale, chard or green of choice.
Use rotisserie chicken – want to skip cooking the chicken? Use rotisserie chicken instead! It will speed up the cooking time and tastes equally delicious. Simply stir in at the end.
Use dairy-free milk – I like using whole milk for a more authentic flavor but if you want to sub in a dairy-free milk I’d recommend almond milk or cashew milk.
FAQS
I have tested this recipe with cauliflower gnocchi and found it gets verrrrrry mushy! That being said, if mushy gnocchi doesn’t bother you feel free to use it.
Shelf-stable potato gnocchi is my preferred type of gnocchi to use in this recipe. Especially because it holds up best for leftovers! That being said, you can definitely use fresh potato gnocchi too. But as I stated above I’d skip the cauliflower gnocchi because I find it breaks down in the cooking of the soup.
Generally my go-to answer is always some fresh, crusty bread! That being said this chicken gnocchi soup is perfect on its own or with a side salad.
For sure! See above for some suggestions but yes you can easily swap in different veggies.
I wouldn’t recommend it. I find that the Instant Pot makes the gnocchi very mushy and breaks it apart.
Yes, you can! It won’t save you much time since this chicken gnocchi soup is fairly quick to make (and all in one pot) but if you’re running out for the day and would rather throw it in the slow cooker you most definitely can. I still think a good browning of the chicken before you put it in the slow cooker is a good idea. I also would wait to put the spinach and gnocchi in at the end otherwise both will get very mushy.
Yes! Replace the butter with olive oil and use a dairy-free milk in place of whole milk.
Yes. Cornstarch can be used in place of tapioca starch in the same amounts.
Storage Instructions
Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat on stove top or in microwave.
Freezer: This chicken gnocchi soup freezes well (surprisingly!) if you use shelf-stable potato gnocchi. Freeze in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight on the fridge or for several hours on the counter top. Reheat on stove top or in microwave.
More Delicious Soup Recipes:
Chicken Gnocchi Soup
Thick and hearty chicken gnocchi soup that’s perfect for those cold winter nights! Move over Olive Garden, this gnocchi soup features some healthier swaps so you can feel guilt-free about indulging in a bowl of this goodness!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Cook
- Cuisine: Italian
- 2 tbsp butter, divided
- 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 3 celery ribs, chopped
- 1 large carrot, shredded
- 1 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp tapioca starch (or cornstarch)
- 3 tbsp warm water (to make starch slurry)
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup whole milk (or other dairy or non-dairy milk)
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 5 oz fresh baby spinach
- 16 oz potato gnocchi
- To a large stock pot or dutch oven add 1 tbsp of butter over medium heat.
- Add your chicken breasts and brown on both sides for roughly 3 minutes per side.
- Remove chicken from pot and set aside.
- Add remaining tablespoon of butter and stir in onion, celery, carrot and garlic cloves. Saute in butter for 5 minutes.
- In a small bowl combine tapioca starch and warm water. Stir until tapioca starch is fully dissolved in water.
- Pour tapioca starch slurry over your vegetables in the pot and stir to combine.
- Add chicken broth, whole milk, fresh thyme, salt and pepper to pot and bring to a boil.
- Lower heat to a simmer and add your chicken and any juices back into the pot.
- Simmer chicken for 15 minutes or until cooked all the way through.
- Using tongs remove chicken from pot and place on a cutting board. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before shredding using two forks.
- Add shredded chicken back into pot.
- Stir in spinach and gnocchi and continue to simmer for an additional 10-15 minutes.
- Serve immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. See instructions above for freezing soup.
