Dairy-Free Chicken and Gnocchi Soup (Olive Garden Copycat + Gluten-Free!)
This creamy and comforting Olive Garden favorite is now dairy-free and gluten-free! It's so easy to make and filling enough to be a meal. Check the recipe notes for a vegan variation! Ready in just 25 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 2.5 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups dairy-free half-and-half (see recipe notes)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 cup carrots, finely shredded
- 1 cup baby spinach
- 1 lb gluten-free potato gnocchi (see note)
- 1 cup cooked chicken breast, diced or shredded (see note)
- 3 tablespoons vegan butter
- 2 tablespoons arrowroot flour
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 celery stalks, diced
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
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Heat oil and butter in a large stock pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat.
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Add onion, celery, and garlic to the pot. Cook for 4-6 minutes until veggies are soft and starting to brown.
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Add dairy-free half and half. Stir well. Heat to a boil.
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Once boiling, reduce heat to low. Simmer for 2-3 minutes.
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Add chicken broth. Stir well.
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Add thyme and and nutmeg. Stir well. Allow to cook for 1-2 minutes.
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Add carrots and gnocchi. Cook for 4-6 minutes until gnocchi are done (cooking time could vary by brand-- follow package directions). Gnocchi are done when they have a pillowy texture and float to the top of the soup.
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Stir in baby spinach and cooked chicken breast. Cook for 1 minute more then remove from heat.
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Ladle out 1/4 cup broth into a small bowl. Whisk in arrowroot flour until it has completely dissolved and forms a slurry. Add the slurry back into the soup pot and stir for 2-3 minutes until it thickens.
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Serve hot! Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Don't forget to grab your free PDF download of 4 Dairy-Free & Gluten-Free Olive Garden Copycat Recipes for four extra bonus recipes! Get it here.
For the dairy-free half-and-half: Allow 2 (13.5 ounce) cans of coconut milk to sit until the coconut cream (the white, thicker part) has risen to the top. This could be right away when you open the can, or you could have to let it sit for up to 30 minutes. Skim the coconut cream off the top until you have 1 cup of coconut cream. Mix the coconut cream with 1 cup of plain, unsweetened soy milk until smooth. This half-and-half recipe was adapted from Go Dairy Free.
Alternative method for dairy-free half-and-half: If you're not a fan of coconut, you can blend one cup silken tofu with one cup unsweetened, plain soy milk. This recipe was also adapted from Go Dairy Free.
Vegan variation: Omit the chicken and use vegetable broth in place of the chicken broth. You can even add chunks of extra firm tofu in place of the chicken!
Soy-free variation: Replace soy milk with unsweetened, plain coconut or almond milk.
No gnocchi variation: If you can't find gluten-free gnocchi or don't want to use it, you can replace the gnocchi with diced potato. Just be advised that the potato will take longer to cook than the gnocchi. Cook until the potato is tender.
Varitation for those who can tolerate gluten: If you don't follow a gluten-free diet, you can make this same recipe using 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour and regular potato gnocchi. The original recipe contained these ingredients and I later adapted it to fit my gluten allergy. If you use all-purpose flour, you can mix the flour in right after the veggies cook in step 2. Stir constantly for 30 seconds and omit the slurry at the end.
I used leftover, shredded rotisserie chicken for this recipe and it worked perfectly!
If you can't find gluten-free gnocchi at your local grocery store, I suggest ordering Cappello's (my personal favorite and it's Paleo friendly ) or Le Veneziane from Amazon. Both are great brands with clean ingredients!
I recently discovered Native Forest Simple Organic Coconut Milk and it's my new favorite! I love it because it has no guar or other additives. Plus, it's silky and delicious! Due to the lack of additives, it's usually already separated when I open the can, which is a bonus for this recipe. Just make sure you choose the one that says "Simple" specifically (their "Classic" coconut milk does have guar).