Chicken Gnocchi Soup Recipe

This recipe for Chicken and Gnocchi Soup is one of my favorites.  I absolutely love this soup.  It tastes exactly like the chicken and gnocchi soup at Olive Garden – all creamy and delicious, but I don’t make it very often because Matt isn’t a big soup person.  However, with the cold weather lately, I decided it was time to make a batch.

I always make this soup in what is basically a chicken fryer pan.  My pan of choice is the T-Fal Nonstick Jumbo Cooker.  It holds 5 quarts, comes with a clear glass lid, and works wonderfully for this soup.

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Chicken Gnocchi Soup

Course Soup

Cuisine Italian

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin oil
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 1 quart half and half
• 1/2 cup celery finely diced
• 1 cup onion finely diced
• 2 minced garlic cloves or about a tsp of minced garlic
• 2 14 ounce cans of chicken broth or make your own with bouillon cubes (if you enjoy thick soup, use one can)
• 1 cup carrots finely shredded
• 1 cup chicken breasts cooked and diced (you can use a rotisserie chicken which pulls apart beautifully when still warm)
• 1 package gnocchi cooked (I prefer the Gia Russa Gnocchi. If you can't find it in the pasta section of your local grocery, you can purchase a 6 pack on Amazon - don't worry, it's shelf-stable and it keeps.)
• 1 cup of fresh spinach coarsely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg optional

Instructions

1. Prep all your ingredients, except the gnocchi. Chop your onions, celery, and spinach. Shred your carrots. The soup goes together quickly, so it is very important to have all of your ingredients ready. I recommend you start a pot of water to boil so that you will be ready to cook your gnocchi when it's time.
2. Saute your chopped onion, celery, and garlic in the butter and olive oil over medium heat until the onion becomes translucent.
3. Add the flour and make a roux.
4. Let the butter and flour mixture cook for about a minute before adding 1 quart of half and half.
5. Put your gnocchi in to cook, according to package directions - this will only take about 3 minutes if you have your water boiling already.
6. Go ahead and add the carrots and chicken into the roux.
7. Once the soup thickens, add the chicken broth.
8. Continue cooking and stir regularly until soup thickens again.
9. Add the cooked gnocchi, spinach, and seasoning; simmering until soup is heated through.