Famous Chicken Gnocchi Soup is a delicious take on chicken noodle soup, but this one really takes the cake! Instead of traditional pasta, it uses (what else?) gnocchi! Fluffy puffs of potato pasta goodness cooked right in the broth! Mmmm, sounds wonderful! With the super juicy chicken and a creamy broth to go with it, Famous Chicken Gnocchi Soup certainly earns its place on the red carpet to your kitchen table!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 1/4 cups yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup carrot, small diced
- 1 cup celery, small diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 (14.5-ounce) cans low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary or 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 pound chicken breasts, boneless and skinless, pounded evenly to 1/2-inch thickness, can substitute 2 1/2 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk, plus more, to taste
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 1 (16-ounce) package potato gnocchi, can substitute 16 ounces homemade gnocchi
- 2 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped, packed
- Romano or parmesan cheese, optional, to taste, shredded, for serving
Directions
Step 1 –In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, add the olive oil.
Step 2 –Add the onions, the carrots, and the celery and cook until softened, about 6 minutes.
Step 3 –Add the garlic and cook, while stirring, until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
Step 4 –Add the broth, the rosemary, the thyme, the nutmeg, the salt, and the pepper to the saucepan and stir to combine.
Step 5 –If using whole chicken breasts, add the chicken breasts to the soup.
Step 6 –Bring the soup to a boil.
Step 7 –Reduce the heat to medium-low and cover.
Step 8 –Allow the soup to simmer until chicken is cooked through with the meat reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 8-12 minutes.
Step 9 –In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter.
Step 10 –Add the flour and cook, while stirring constantly, until golden and the raw flour smell disappears, about 1 minute.
Step 11 –Add 2 cups of the milk, while vigorously whisking and continue to whisk until completely smooth.
Step 12 –Season the milk mixture with the salt and the pepper.
Step 13 –Cook the milk mixture, while whisking constantly, until it thickens and lightly boils, about 3-5 minutes.
Step 14 –Add the heavy cream and stir to combine.
Step 15 –Transfer the milk mixture from the heat.
Step 16 –Transfer the chicken breasts from the soup and allow them to rest for 5 minutes.
Step 17 –Dice or shred the chicken.
Step 18 –Add the gnocchi to the soup mixture and cover the saucepan.
Step 19 –Simmer the gnocchi until cooked through according to the package directions, about 5 minutes.
Step 20 –Reduce the heat to low.
Step 21 –Add the milk mixture to the soup mixture and stir to combine.
Step 22 –Add the cooked chicken to the soup.
Step 23 –Add the spinach and cook until wilted, about 1 minute.
Step 24 –If the soup seems too thick, add the extra milk, a little at a time, to thin it to your desired consistency, as needed.
Step 25 –Serve warm topped with the Romano cheese.
