This Olive Garden favorite is made using the Instant Pot. The familiar flavors of this favorite dish are duplicated in this Instant Pot Chicken and Gnocchi Soup.
This famous restaurant favorite is easy to make at home and makes enough for the family!
Olive Garden Copycat
Every time I go to Olive Garden the Chicken and Gnocchi Soup is my ultimate choice. In fact, I could just order this soup and skip the entree because I think it's that good!
This recipe has all of the familiar flavors of the original recipe and it makes about 6 servings!
Related: Instant Pot Creamy Tuscan Chicken
Rotisserie Chicken Makes the Difference
Using juicy and flavorful rotisserie chicken really makes this soup stand out. A helpful tip I have is to make sure to use a rotisserie chicken that is packed full of flavor and has well-balanced spices.
It really makes all the difference in how this soup comes out.
Related: Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings
Instant Pot Chicken and Gnocchi Soup
Prepping all of these ingredients ahead of time will save time and frustration when making this recipe. The Instant Pot heats up fast on the saute setting so it's really ideal to have everything ready to go.
This recipe uses two settings: Saute and Soup settings. It really is that easy! This recipe takes only about 30 minutes and your family will have an Olive Garden favorite made with love and served at home.
Ingredients in Chicken and Gnocchi Soup
- Olive oil
- Garlic cloves
- Butter
- White onion
- Celery
- Carrot
- Chicken Broth
- Gnocchi - you can use gluten free gnocchi as well
- Flour - you can substitute with cornstarch to make this soup gluten free
- Half & half
- Spinach
- Rotisserie chicken
- Thyme
- Salt & Pepper
How to Make Instant Pot Chicken & Gnocchi Soup
Prepare the veggies- Dice, chop, and julienne all ingredients ahead of time.
Saute- Add the olive oil and the butter. Stir in the chopped garlic, carrot, onion, and celery.
Stir in the broth- Stir in the 4 cups of chicken broth and saute for a few minutes.
Add the chicken and thyme- Stir in the chopped rotisserie chicken and sprinkle in the thyme, salt, and pepper.
Pressure cook - Close the lid and the vent and pressure cook on the soup setting for 15 minutes. You can also pressure cook on the MANUAL/HIGH PRESSURE setting.
Naturally release pressure - Allow the Instant Pot to naturally release pressure for 5 minutes before releasing the remaining pressure by hand. *Refer to your pressure cooker's manual for how to safely perform this function.
Saute- Remove the lid and set the Instant Pot back to saute and add in the gnocchi, half & half, and the spinach.
Make a slurry of water and flour and add it to the pot. Saute for 4-5 minutes and stir frequently.
Make Instant Pot Chicken and Gnocchi Soup Gluten Free
Substitute the flour for a ¼ cornstarch with a few tablespoons of water. Also, gnocchi contains flour but there are gluten free options for gnocchi that you can purchase.
CHECK OUT THESE OTHER RECIPES:
- Instant Pot White Cheddar Jack Mac N Cheese
- Mini Chicken Pot Pies with Puff Pastry
- Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Easy Instant Pot Taco Soup
Love Copycat Recipes? Check out these!
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On June 15, 2021, the photos for this recipe have been updated but the recipe has not been altered.
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Chicken and Gnocchi Soup (Olive Garden Copycat)
Equipment
Ingredients
To Saute
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 clove garlic - minced
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 1 small white onion - diced
- 2 stalks celery - chopped
- 1 carrot - julienned
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 8 oz gnocchi
- ½ cup flour
- 2 cups half & half
- 1 cup spinach - chopped
To Cook on Soup Setting
- 2 cups rotisserie chicken - chopped into mini pieces
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- pepper - to taste
- salt - to taste
Instructions
- Dice, chop, and julienne all ingredients ahead of time.
- Set Instant Pot on Saute setting and add olive oil and butter.
- Add in garlic, carrot, onion, and celery.
- Stir in 4 cups of chicken broth, stirring frequently.
- Saute for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add in rotisserie chicken and thyme.
- Flavor mixture with salt and pepper to taste.
- Set Instant Pot to soup setting and set timer for 15 minutes.
- Allow Instant pot to naturally release for about 5 minutes and then quick release.
- Return to Saute and add in gnocchi, Half & Half, spinach, and flour.
- Saute for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate based on third-party calculations. Actual values may vary due to ingredients, measurements, and serving sizes.
© Mama Needs Cake
Dana is an experienced recipe creator who crafts easy and delicious recipes for all levels of home cooks.
Her recipes range from classic comfort foods to healthy and nutritious meals, and she is always on the lookout for new and exciting ways to bring flavor and variety to the table.
Vicky DeBerry says
Soup was delicious! I was wondering if it could be frozen or would that affect the gnocchi too much?
Dana says
I really am not sure if they gnocchi would freeze well or not since it has already been cooked. I'm happy to hear you thought the soup was delicious, though! I've never had the chance to freeze it because it's all eaten at once 🙂
Angela says
Do I need to cook the chicken or do I put it in raw?
Angela says
Do I need to cook the chicken or do I put it in raw?
Dana says
I usually use rotisserie chicken for this but you can certainly put raw chicken in and cook according to the directions.
Gina says
Recently got an IP and found your recipe for my favorite soup!
I read that you can use raw chicken( cut up in small pieces)in the recipe instead of the rotisserie, but I wasn't sure if I need to adjust cooking time?
Thanks!
Dana says
You can substitute raw chicken for the rotisserie with no issues. 🙂 The cook time doesn't change either! Enjoy!! 🙂
Emily says
I am making this tonight and see 4 1/2 C for the chicken broth, but instructions says add 4C. Should it be 4 or 4 1/2?
Emily says
I am making this tonight and see 4 1/2 C for the chicken broth, but instructions says add 4C. Should it be 4 or 4 1/2?
Dana says
Hi Emily, it is the 4 cups of broth. I use a 32 oz container.
Loretta Staley says
I love this soup. I had it at Olive Garden. I think this one better.
Loretta Staley says
I love this soup. I had it at Olive Garden. I think this one better.
ปั้มไลค์ says
Like!! Great article post.Really thank you! Really Cool.
Amy P. says
I am not the world's best cook and at 34 I am new to making things that aren't spaghetti or grilled cheese. I made this in our Insta Pot and OMG it was so good!! This is definitely going in my "somehow I didn't screw it up and it was delicious so I can't wait to make it again!" pile.
Kevin Jethva says
Do I have to cook the gnocchi first! ?
Dana says
Gnocchi cooks quickly. It is added at the end with the half & half, spinach, and flour. There is no need to precook the gnocchi.
Sarkar Carmichael says
Great recipe my family didn't leave any leftovers. They raved about how it was better than olive garden!!!
Dana says
This makes me so happy to hear! I'm glad your family enjoyed it! 🙂
Heather says
I did the recipe exactly, except I dumped the half cup of flour in the IP and it all clumped up! I was trying to whisk is quickly so the half and half didn't curdle bc I wasn't sure how long you can keep it on saute before the half and half curdles. Overall I do like the soup and I used a ton of salt and pepper and it still tastes like it's missing something.? Could it be more or fresh garlic? I used jar already minced. Hmm. I do give it and 8 out of 10! Good!!?
Tammey says
@Heather, I alway roast my garlic beforehand and add extra to my taste. I’m thinking of adding sundried tomatoes or roasted grape tomatoes. I also always add a splash of lemon juice at the end of cooking. It wakes up the flavors. You could try adding a bit of Better Than Bullion to your pot when you add the broth. I find soup is better the next day after the flavors have had time to marinate. We are making it tonight using the above suggestions. I hope I’ve been of help.