Get ready to bring a little piece of Olive Garden right into your cozy kitchen with our down-home version of their classic creamy chicken gnocchi soup!
Best of all, it's all done with a
Table of Contents
- 🗝️ Key takeaways: why this recipe is your new favorite
- 🧾 Gather your ingredients: what you'll need
- 📖 Make it your own: yummy variations
- 🔪 Step-by-step guide: instructions for success
- 🍴Must have tools: essential equipment
- 🥫 Leftover love: how to store and reheat chicken gnocchi soup
- Marye's Tip o' the day
- 💭 Insider tips: things to know
- 👩🍳 Let's answer those questions: FAQs
- 📚 More Southern comfort: related recipes you'll love
- 🍽️ Perfect pairings: what to serve with
- 📞 Wrapping it up: the last word
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
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🗝️ Key takeaways: why this recipe is your new favorite
- Pillowy gnocchi, flavorful chicken, and tender veggies simmer in a creamy broth to create a delicious soup that rivals the restaurant version!
- This
slow cooker soup recipe is delicious year-round but is especially yummy during the chilly Fall and Winter months. - Don’t stir cornstarch directly into hot soup or it will clump up! You've gotta mix it with cream first to make a luscious, smooth soup.
This creamy chicken gnocchi soup recipe is one of my favorite Olive Garden copycat recipes. It's so easy to make and every bite is creamy and comforting.
Slow cooker on the fritz? No
🧾 Gather your ingredients: what you'll need
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
📖 Make it your own: yummy variations
- You can use skinless chicken thighs instead of skinless chicken breasts.
- This is a great recipe to use up leftover or rotisserie chicken! Just wait to add the shredded chicken 'til you’ve added the cornstarch slurry and gnocchi.
- I get store-bought gnocchi because it’s convenient, but you’re welcome to whip up homemade gnocchi from scratch!
- Kale is a great substitute for baby spinach. It will just need an extra 1-2 minutes of cooking time to soften and wilt in the soup.
- If you don’t have fresh garlic, substitute it with two teaspoons of garlic powder.
- For a lighter soup, swap out the regular half-and-half with fat-free half-and-half, evaporated milk, or whole milk.
- Or use heavy cream if you want an extra rich, creamy soup.
🔪 Step-by-step guide: instructions for success
This is an overview of the instructions. Full instructions are in the green recipe card at the bottom of the page. Click on the image to see it full size.
Cook chicken, carrots, celery, garlic, stock, and seasonings in a crock pot on low for 6-8 hours.
Mix two tablespoons cornstarch with light cream in a small bowl.
Remove the chicken from the
Add the potato gnocchi.
Shred the chicken and return it to the
Cover and cook on high heat until the soup thickens.
Stir in the fresh spinach.
Do a taste test and adjust the seasonings to your liking.
🤫 Marye's secret for zhuzhing it up -
Sprinkle the top of the soup with freshly grated parmesan cheese just before serving.
zhuzh: verb. To make something more interesting or attractive
🍴Must have tools: essential equipment
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🥫 Leftover love: how to store and reheat chicken gnocchi soup
Refrigerate leftover chicken gnocchi soup in an airtight container for up to four days. Leftover soup makes the best easy lunch or dinner the next day!
I don’t recommend freezing this recipe. Freezing and thawing can cause the creamy broth to separate and change the texture of the gnocchi.
Add a little bit of cream before reheating in the microwave or on the stovetop to thin out the soup. Simply heat 'til it's warm again, and enjoy!
Marye's Tip o' the day
Never add cornstarch directly to hot homemade soup—it will make your broth clumpy! Make sure you mix it into the cold half-and-half first before stirring it into the soup.
💭 Insider tips: things to know
- Spray the bottom of the
slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray before adding chicken so it doesn’t stick and burn. - You can add uncooked chicken directly to the
slow cooker or sear it on the stovetop over medium heat first. Searing the chicken first will improve the texture of the meat, but it isn’t a necessary step. - Check chicken with an instant-read thermometer to make sure that the internal temperature of the meat is 165F. This means it's fully cooked.
- The easiest way to shred cooked chicken is on a cutting board with two forks. Some people use a handheld mixer, but I don't think it's necessary.
- Add a diced onion or one teaspoon of onion powder, a teaspoon of poultry seasoning, or ¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg for more depth of flavor.
- You can make homemade Italian seasoning with dried basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, parsley, sage, savory, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and optional red pepper flakes.
👩🍳 Let's answer those questions: FAQs
Have other questions? Ask me in the comments!
You can, but you’ll need to thaw and drain the excess liquid first. For the best results, stick with fresh spinach.
I don’t recommend it. Creamy soups like this one tend to split after freezing and thawing. The texture of the potato gnocchi will change, too.
⏲️ Marye's time saving hacks -
Use rotisserie chicken and cook the soup on top of the stove. It'll be done in about 20 minutes!
📚 More Southern comfort: related recipes you'll love
- Creamy Chicken Gnocchi is an easy recipe (and a one-pot meal) made with six simple ingredients that’s on the dinner table in just 30 minutes!
- You can make Grilled Chicken Alfredo that beats Olive Garden's version with my easy, budget-friendly recipe—it's a staple in my house!
🍽️ Perfect pairings: what to serve with
Air Fryer Garlic Bread is buttery and crisp on the outside, soft and fluffy on the inside, and cooks in 5 minutes!
Italian Green Bean Salad features tomatoes, baby potatoes, and red onion marinated in a zesty Italian dressing—a refreshing side dish for this rich ‘n creamy soup!
The buttery crust, tangy lemon filling, and airy meringue of Old Fashioned Lemon Meringue Pie make it the perfect palate cleanser after a hearty meal.
📞 Wrapping it up: the last word
This is a breeze to make, thanks to your trusty
Y'all are gonna love it, I promise!
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.
If you love this recipe please comment below and give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Slow Cooker Chicken Gnocchi Soup
Print Pin Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 2 pounds chicken breast, skinless boneless. Or thighs
- 1 cups carrots, shredded
- 1 cup celery, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 5 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup half-and-half cream
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 pound potato gnocchi
- 1 cup fresh spinach, chopped
Instructions
- Spray 6-quart slow cooker with no-stick cooking spray.
- Place chicken breasts in the bottom.
- Add carrots, celery, garlic, Italian seasoning, bay leaf, pepper, and salt.
- Pour in the chicken stock, cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or until the chicken is tender and registers 165℉ with an instant-read thermometer.
- Remove the chicken from the crockpot.
- Mix the cornstarch and cream and stir it into the hot soup until completely mixed in.
- Add the gnocchi.
- Shred chicken with two forks and return to the slow cooker.
- Replace the cover.
- Turn the temperature to high and cook for 30 minutes, or until gnocchi is cooked through and soup has thickened slightly.
- Stir in the spinach.
- Taste, adjust seasonings, and serve.
Notes
- Never add cornstarch directly to hot homemade soup—it will make your broth clumpy! Make sure you mix it into the cold half-and-half first before stirring it into the soup.Spray the bottom of the slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray before adding chicken so it doesn’t stick and burn.
- Check chicken with an instant-read thermometer to make sure that the internal temperature of the meat is 165F.
- You can make homemade Italian seasoning with dried basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, parsley, sage, savory, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and optional red pepper flakes.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
First published February 16, 2024 . Last updated October 8, 2024 for more tips and an easier to read format.
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Chicken Gnocchi Soup
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Laurie L Kearnes says
This looks like it will be a favorite! What section of the grocery store do I find the gnocchi? Thanks!
Marye says
It's in the refrigerated section by the deli in my store.