:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Simply-Recipes-Copycat-Olive-Garden-Chicken-Gnocchi-Soup-LEAD-7-696-95b117787b52475d9b0bc71514d981b8.jpg "Copycat Olive Garden Chicken & Gnocchi Soup Recipe")
An Olive Garden employee once revealed to PopSugar that “all of Olive Garden’s signature soups… are made by hand and from scratch every morning using fresh, whole ingredients.” No wonder they’re delicious!
Of all of Olive Garden’s classic soups, Chicken & Gnocchi, “a creamy soup made with roasted chicken, traditional Italian dumplings, and spinach” ranks as a favorite for OG fans. Here’s a copycat recipe you can make at home for a fraction of the cost and in under 30 minutes.
4 Smart Shortcuts for Making Copycat Olive Garden Chicken & Gnocchi Soup
Chicken: Olive Garden adds roast chicken to the soup. You can take their lead and pick up a roast chicken from the grocery store—that’s what I did to develop the recipe. Here are other quick and easy ways to cook the chicken: Instant Pot chicken, boiled chicken breast, and simple roast chicken.
Carrots: If you’ve got the knife skills to cut carrots into 1/8×1/8×2-inch matchsticks, go for it! Otherwise, check the produce section of your grocery store for packaged matchstick carrots.
Chicken Broth: Yes, homemade chicken broth tastes better. If you don’t have any on hand, store-bought is more than fine. I prefer low sodium so that I can adjust the salt to my taste.
Gnocchi: Store-bought gnocchi is firmer than homemade, so it’s ideal for soups. You can use shelf-stable, refrigerated (I prefer this), or frozen gnocchi. Simply take note of the cook time on the packaging to make sure it cooks through in the soup.
Simply Recipes / Photo by Jen Causey / Food Styling by Ruth Blackburn / Prop Styling by Hannah Greenwood