When the weather gets nippy and the wind starts to bite, you don’t want some thin soup; how would that warm you up? No, it’s time to pull out all the stops, which means the Creamy Winter Soup is the cold weather cure. This is, essentially, a pot pie in soup form: a creamy, thick broth with plenty of richness and poultry flavor, filled with juicy chicken and classic vegetables just eager to warm you to the core. Oh! And don’t forget the tender potato gnocchi! That makes this hearty soup all the more satisfying and heart-warming! Creamy Winter Soup finds all the comfort of staying inside and watching the snow fall and serves it up to you in a bowl.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup butter, divided
- 1 pound chicken breasts, boneless, skinless, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 medium carrot, shredded
- 1 rib celery, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 1/2 cups 2% milk
- 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium chicken bouillon granules
- 1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
- 1 (16-ounce) package potato gnocchi
- 1/2 cup fresh spinach, chopped
Directions
Step 1 –In a Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter.
Step 2 –Add the chicken to the butter and cook until browned, about 3-4 minutes per side.
Step 3 –Transfer the chicken to a plate and keep warm.
Step 4 –In the same Dutch oven, add the onion, the carrot, the celery, and the garlic in the remaining butter until tender, about 5 minutes.
Step 5 –Whisk the flour into the veggie mixture until blended, about 1 minute.
Step 6 –Gradually stir in the milk, the cream, the bouillon, and the pepper.
Step 7 –Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until thickened, about 2 minutes. Keep stirring to prevent anything from sticking to the bottom.
Step 8 –Add the gnocchi and the spinach and cook until the spinach is wilted, about 3-4 minutes.
Step 9 –Add the chicken back to the soup, then cover and simmer until the chicken is heated through and the gnocchi is tender, about 10 minutes. Don’t let the soup boil.
Step 10 –Serve.