Olive Garden Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

Name: Olive Garden Chicken and Gnocchi Soup
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 8 serving(s)
Ingredients: 1 cup chicken breast, cooked and diced (preferably from a rotisserie chicken); 4 tablespoons butter; 4 tablespoons flour; 1 quart half-and-half; 1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth; 1/2 cup celery, finely diced; 2 minced garlic cloves; 1 cup carrot, finely shredded; 1 cup onion, finely diced; 1 cup fresh spinach, coarsely chopped; 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil; 1/2 teaspoon thyme; 1/2 teaspoon parsley; freshly grated parmesan cheese, to taste; 1 lb potato gnocchi (you can buy this in the gourmet section of many supermarkets)

Submitted by Member 610488

"This is a copycat of the Olive Garden Chicken and Gnocchi Soup."

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Ready In:: 35mins
Ingredients:: 15
Serves:: 8

ingredients

1 cup chicken breast, cooked and diced (preferably from a rotisserie chicken)
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 quart half-and-half
1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth
¹⁄₂ cup celery, finely diced
2 minced garlic cloves
1 cup carrot, finely shredded
1 cup onion, finely diced
1 cup fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
¹⁄₂ teaspoon thyme
¹⁄₂ teaspoon parsley
freshly grated parmesan cheese, to taste
1 lb potato gnocchi (you can buy this in the gourmet section of many supermarkets)

directions

Saute the onion, celery, and garlic in the butter and olive oil over medium heat until the onion becomes translucent. Add the flour and make a roux. Let the butter and flour mixture cook for about a minute before adding 1 quart of half and half.
Cook gnocchi according to package directions.
Into the roux, add in the carrots and chicken. Once the mixture becomes thick, add the chicken broth. Once the mixture thickens again, add the cooked gnocchi, spinach, and seasoning;, simmer until soup is heated through.

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Reviews

I've been using a different copycat recipe for a while now and was never 100% satisfied with it. This recipe is so much better and I love it. The only change I make is heavy cream instead of half n half because I like to live on the unhealthy side of life =]

xwhitexravenx
I do not think this tastes like olive garden at all. The thyme gives an overwhelming taste. I would recommend not adding the thyme until trying it without it. Overall not bad it just doesn't taste like olive garden if that's what you're expecting.

Muffin11
I am giving this recipe two stars, on the basis that this does not turn out tasting like Olive Garden's soup. It is not that the recipe is bad but I think that Olive Garden's soup is so flavorful because of the seasonings they add. This is initially very bland and I agree with the other reviewer that thyme is not the herb for this. I did not add the thyme at all because I am very familiar with the taste it brings. <br/><br/>When my soup was done, it was very good and my fiance and I both agree that it more similarly tasted like Olive Garden's than the original recipe. I used 3 chicken breasts for the recipe coated them with a little butter, generous salt and pepper, cayenne pepper, and a little oregano and basil. I cooked it in the oven until it was cooked through. I used 3 1/2 cups of half-and-half and a 1/2 cup of heavy cream, which made it a little more creamy. What I did throughout making the soup was season everything more generously than I normally would. When cooking the celery, onion, and garlic, I added nutmeg, salt, pepper, and parsley. When I added in the half-and-half and cream, I added those same seasonings again. Another thing that is important to this recipe is letting it simmer for a little longer than it's called for. It really helps the flavors of the chicken and vegetables blend to make the soup so flavorful. The last thing that I added was some parmesan cheese.

MarcyMae