This is a creamy chicken gnocchi soup that's lightened up, with garlic, parmesan cheese, soft gnocchi, and packed with tender veggies. You can use canned chicken, raw chicken, or rotisserie chicken.
My favorite thing about this is that it's made without cream, so it's lighter but just as creamy and delicious as the restaurant version. Best of all, it can be made in a crock pot or slow cooker! We love to eat this with Garlic Cheese Drop Biscuits or Soft Fluffy French Bread, it goes PERFECTLY with this soup.
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As much as I love Olive Garden, it's so much more budget friendly to make copycat chicken gnocchi soup at home. This recipe is diet friendly and tastes amazing! I like to have healthier soup recipe options in the fall like Slow Cooker Vegetable Beef Stew, and this one is up at the top of our list of favorites along with Healthy Taco Soup.
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⭐️ What To Expect
- Ease: It's a super easy chicken gnocchi recipe, in six easy steps!
- Time: It's ready in just over 30 minutes, or even faster if you use pre-cooked shredded chicken or rotisserie chicken and frozen veggies!
- Taste: This tastes just like the Olive Garden chicken gnocchi soup, only lightened up with more veggies, just how we like it.
🛒 Key Ingredients
- Gnocchi - I use one pound of regular gnocchi, but whole wheat, gluten free, or a flavored variety such as spinach or pumpkin would be delicious as well.
- Veggies - Peas, carrots, and celery are the vegetables of choice here, substitutions are listed below. I chopped these carrots, but you can buy shredded carrots to make the prep even quicker! It's the same veggie mix I use in my Bone Broth Chicken Noodle Soup with Homemade Noodles.
- Chicken Broth - or chicken stock are interchangeable in this recipe. This is the base of the soup and helps to give the chicken and vegetables flavor as they cook.
- Milk - I use whole milk for this recipe, it is creamy enough for the soup but still lighter than heavy cream or half & half.
- Flour - I use all purpose flour as the thickener for this recipe, substitutions can be found below.
✏️ Substitutions & Variations
- Veggies - you could use seasonal veggies like zucchini, green beans, potatoes, broccoli, halved brussels sprouts, or even asparagus if you feel like it.
- If you don't like celery, skip it! If you want to add minced, onions, add them! This is a very forgiving recipe and it's so easy to adapt.
- Milk - you can use an unsweetened plant based milk if you wish and leave out the parmesan cheese to make a dairy friendly version.
- Flour - for a gluten friendly option, use 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch in place of the flour.
🧑🍳 Instructions
Note: If using rotisserie or pre-cooked and shredded chicken, skip Step 1 and Step 4, and add in the cooked chicken on Step 6.
Slow cooker chicken gnocchi instructions are in the Frequently Asked Questions section later in the post.
Step 1. In a large heavy bottomed pot heat olive oil over medium heat. Add chicken breasts to pot and season with salt and pepper. Sear on both sides about 3-4 minutes, until golden brown, adding lovely flavor.
Step 2. To the pot add in the celery, carrots, peas, all spices: garlic, onion powder, chicken bouillon, and chicken broth to the pot.
Simmer on low/medium heat with the chicken for 20 minutes.
Step 3. While the soup is simmering, make the thickener!
Whisk the milk and flour together (called a slurry) in a bowl or large glass measuring cup. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and there are no lumps of flour left.
Step 4. Remove the chicken breasts from the soup and place on a cutting board. Shred with 2 forks, then transfer back to the pot.
Step 5. Pour the milk and flour mixture (slurry) into the soup and mix well.
Step 6. Add in the gnocchi, and simmer the soup on medium heat, stirring until it thickens and comes to a low boil, about 4-5 minutes.
Add garnish like fresh grated parmesan, shredded basil, or minced green onions to serve. Enjoy!
📌 Top Tips & Hacks
- Make sure to cook the chicken for long enough before shredding. If it hasn't simmered for at least 20 minutes, it will be difficult to shred.
- Use rotisserie chicken and frozen mixed veggies for super quick cook time!
- Make sure you use whole milk for the creamiest soup and sauce, just like in my Lemon Chicken Gnocchi. Milk is used instead of cream for added protein but still helps the soup stay creamy!
❓Frequently Asked Questions
No, gnocchi only takes 2-3 minutes to cook and doesn't soak up a lot of liquid, so it's fine to add it towards the end so it doesn't become too soggy.
Yes!
1. Add all ingredients except the milk, flour, and gnocchi to a crock pot, and cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for 4-5 hours until the chicken is tender.
2. Shred it, return it to the pot.
3. Add in the milk, flour, and gnocchi and cook for another hour on high heat and stir occasionally until thickened.
Yes!
Refrigerate: For 4-5 days in an airtight container
Freeze: For up to 3 months in a freezer-safe container.
A combination of potatoes, (cooked and masked, flakes, or starch) flour, eggs, salt, and sometimes other types of flour or spices to flavor them.
It usually has a base of chicken broth and milk or cream, chicken, vegetables, and gnocchi.
🥣 More Easy & Delicious Soup Recipes
These are some of our favorite budget friendly soup recipes, perfect in the fall and winter! Ones like White Chicken Chili with Corn or Shrimp and Corn Chowder can be made on the stove top or in a slow cooker, which we LOVE.
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📝 Printable Recipe
Healthy Chicken Gnocchi Soup
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lb raw chicken about 2 medium-sized breasts
- ½ teaspoon salt add more to preferred taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground pepper
- 1 cup chopped celery 100g, 2-3 ribs
- 2 cups chopped or slivered carrots 265g
- 2 cups frozen peas 260g
- 1 Tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon
- 3 cups chicken broth
For the thickener:
- 4 cups whole milk
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 1 lb gnocchi
Optional toppings:
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
- green onions, shredded basil
Instructions
- In a large heavy bottomed pot heat olive oil over medium heat. Add chicken breasts to pot and season with salt and pepper. Sear on both sides about 3-4 minutes, until golden brown.
- To the pot add in the celery, carrots, peas, all spices: garlic, onion powder, chicken bouillon, and chicken broth to the pot. Simmer on low/medium heat with the chicken for 20 minutes.
- While the soup is simmering, whisk the milk and flour together in a bowl or large glass measuring cup. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and there are no lumps of flour left.
- Remove the chicken breasts from the soup and place on a cutting board. Shred with 2 forks, then transfer back to the pot.
- Pour the milk and flour mixture (slurry) into the soup and mix well.
- Add in the gnocchi, and simmer the soup on medium heat, stirring until it thickens, about 4-5 minutes.
- Serve with parmesan cheese or shredded basil or chopped green onions on top.
Notes
2. Shred it, return it to the pot.
3. Add in the milk, flour, and gnocchi and cook for another hour on high heat and stir occasionally until thickened. Refrigerate: 4-5 days Freeze: up to 3 months
Sara says
I wanted a healthier version of the Olive Garden chicken gnocchi soup and this is it! I like to put extra veggies in, it's a very forgiving recipe.