Description
This creamy chicken gnocchi soup has a rich, velvety broth loaded with tender chicken, pillowy potato gnocchi, shredded carrots, celery, and spinach. It’s a cozy Olive Garden copycat that comes together in about 30 minutes right on your stovetop.
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1/2 cup diced celery
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 1 to 2 cans (14 ounces each) chicken broth, depending on desired thickness
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- 1 cup fresh spinach leaves, chopped
- 1 cup diced cooked chicken breast (rotisserie or leftover)
- 1 package (16 ounces) potato gnocchi
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat the butter and olive oil over medium-high heat until the butter is melted. Add the onion and celery and sauté for 4–5 minutes, until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute to form a roux.
- Slowly whisk in the half-and-half, then add 1 can of chicken broth. Cook, stirring frequently, over medium heat until the soup begins to thicken slightly, 3–5 minutes.
- Stir in the thyme, shredded carrots, spinach, and diced cooked chicken. Bring the soup to a gentle simmer.
- Add the gnocchi and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the gnocchi are tender and floating at the top. Stir often to prevent sticking.
- If the soup is thicker than you like, gradually stir in more chicken broth until it reaches your preferred consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve hot, garnished with extra thyme or freshly cracked black pepper if desired.
Notes
- – For a lighter soup, use 1 cup half-and-half and 1 cup milk, or swap in unsweetened almond milk plus extra broth and a cornstarch slurry to thicken.
- – To make it gluten-free, replace the flour with a cornstarch slurry and use gluten-free gnocchi.
- – Cook the gnocchi separately if you plan to have lots of leftovers, and add to each bowl just before serving to keep them from getting too soft.
- – Rotisserie chicken is a great shortcut; use breast or mixed light and dark meat.
- – Adjust the thickness by adding more broth for a thinner soup or letting it simmer a bit longer to reduce and thicken.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian American