Although warm weather is approaching, it’s never too late to make a good soup! Read along to learn how to make Chicken Gnocchi soup, exactly like Olive Garden’s soup!
For this recipe, you will need…
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup celery
1 cup carrots shredded or chopped
1 medium sweet onion finely chopped
4 garlic cloves minced
¼ cup flour
4 cups chicken broth
1 lb of cooked chicken breast
1 package potato gnocchi (most are 16-18 ounces)
2 cups heavy cream
3 cups spinach
Your favorite seasonings to taste!
To start off this recipe, it is important to prep by cooking your chicken. To keep the chicken nice and tender, I recommend baking it. While prepping, you should also chop up your celery, carrots, onion, garlic, and spinach. These vegetables can be cut to your preferred size, just remember to keep them consistent so that all of your ingredients cook evenly!
Once you’ve finished prep, start off by melting your butter in a large stockpot. Once it has melted down, add in your celery, carrots, onion, and garlic. These ingredients, called "mirepoix" are the key to any soup, so always keep them handy!
After these vegetables become tender and the onion looks golden brown, slowly add in your flour, mixing as you go. The combination of butter and flour will create a roux! This base roux will make your soup very rich and creamy.
Let the flour heat and fully combine for a few minutes before adding in your stock. Make sure to stir while you add the broth to prevent lumps in your soup. Once combined, add your chicken, cut to preferred size. Then, bring to a boil.
As the mixture reaches a boil, add in the gnocchi. Refer to the gnocchi packaging to determine how long to cook it. Feel free to taste a piece of gnocchi during the cooking process to check if it’s cooked through!
When the gnocchi has fully cooked, lower the heat and let the soup simmer. Add in the heavy cream slowly and continue to lower the heat as you combine. The heavy cream will thicken up your soup, so if you’d like your soup on the thinner side, don’t include the full 3 cups.
At this point the soup should be coming together! Add the finishing touches by mixing in your spinach and seasonings. Salt and pepper is always necessary! I highly recommend some cayenne for a creamy soup dish like this if you enjoy a bit of heat!
Let the soup cool before serving and enjoy!
Also, to reheat leftovers, I highly recommend heating in a saucepan instead of the microwave. This will prevent the soup from getting too thick and unevenly cooked.