Description
Skip the restaurant wait and bring Olive Garden magic to your kitchen! This creamy chicken and gnocchi soup is so good you’ll want to hide the leftovers from your family.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb (450g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced into ½-inch pieces
- 16 oz (450g) potato gnocchi (shelf-stable or refrigerated)
- 4 tablespoons (56g) butter
- 1 medium onion, finely diced (about 1 cup)
- 3 carrots, peeled and julienned (about 1 cup)
- 3 stalks celery, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ⅓ cup (42g) all-purpose flour
- 6 cups (1.4L) chicken broth
- 2 cups (480ml) half-and-half
- 1 cup (30g) fresh spinach, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the diced onion, carrots, and celery, cooking for 5-7 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the diced chicken to the pot and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is no longer pink on the outside.
- Sprinkle the flour over the chicken and vegetable mixture, stirring constantly to coat everything evenly. Continue cooking for 2 minutes to remove the raw flour taste.
- Gradually pour in the chicken broth while continuously whisking to prevent lumps. Add the thyme and Italian seasoning, then bring to a gentle simmer. Cook for about 10 minutes, allowing the broth to thicken slightly.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and slowly stir in the half-and-half. Add the gnocchi and simmer gently for 3-4 minutes until the gnocchi float to the top and are tender.
- Stir in the chopped spinach and nutmeg, cooking just until the spinach wilts, about 1-2 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper as needed.
- Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh parsley.