Description
Olive Garden’s slow cooker chicken gnocchi soup delivers creamy comfort in a bowl. Rich with tender chicken, pillowy gnocchi, and hearty vegetables, you’ll savor each spoonful of this homemade Italian-inspired delight.
Ingredients
Scale
Protein:
- 1 lb (454 grams) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Vegetables:
- 1 cup (150 grams) diced carrots
- 1 cup (100 grams) chopped celery
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cups (60 grams) fresh spinach leaves, chopped
Seasonings and Liquids:
- 3 cups (720 milliliters) chicken broth
- 2 cups (480 milliliters) heavy cream
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 lb (454 grams) potato gnocchi
- 1/4 cup (25 grams) grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Combine chicken, aromatic vegetables, and seasonings in the slow cooker, creating a flavorful base for the soup.
- Allow the ingredients to simmer and meld together on low heat for 6-7 hours or high heat for 3-4 hours until chicken becomes exceptionally tender.
- Using two forks, carefully deconstruct the chicken directly within the cooking vessel, ensuring even distribution throughout the soup.
- Introduce creamy richness by stirring in heavy cream, pillowy gnocchi, and vibrant spinach leaves.
- Continue cooking on high temperature for an additional 20-30 minutes, allowing gnocchi to become perfectly soft and absorb the surrounding flavors.
- Finish the dish with a generous sprinkle of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, adding a final layer of savory complexity before serving.
Notes
- Customize the soup’s thickness by adjusting broth quantity, ensuring a perfect creamy consistency that coats the gnocchi beautifully.
- Swap chicken for rotisserie or leftover roasted chicken to reduce cooking time and add deeper flavor complexity.
- Make the recipe gluten-free by using potato gnocchi or cauliflower gnocchi, which provide similar texture without wheat flour.
- Enhance nutritional value by adding extra vegetables like zucchini, mushrooms, or kale to boost the soup’s vitamins and minerals.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 7 hours (on Low) or 4 hours (on High)
- Category: Lunch, Dinner, Appetizer
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6
- Calories: 420 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 1200 mg
- Fat: 28 g
- Saturated Fat: 16 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 23 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 32 g
- Cholesterol: 110 mg