Chicken & Gnocchi Soup

Does anyone know how to pronounce ‘gnocchi’?

I’ve been saying it like ‘no-key’ my whole life and I have no idea if that’s right or not. I’m just assuming the ‘g’ is silent. I’ve heard people pronounce it like ‘noque-ee’ before, with a more French-like annunciation on the ‘no’ sound. Who is right?

I was wanting to make soup on Friday in anticipation of our lackluster winter storm. I found this recipe, which is actually a copycat one from Olive Garden. However, I’ve never actually had this soup at Olive Garden! I’ve always gone for their Zuppa Toscana when ordering soup. That’s my end-all-be-all fave.

Gnocchi was calling my name at the grocery store the other day. I’ve attempted to make my own before and failed miserably. I though I did everything right; the gnocchi floated to the top flawlessly when boiling. But after a taste test—they were gummy. Horribly gummy. I threw them away and never tried to make my own gnocchi again.

Why should I? The pre-packaged stuff in the pasta aisle works just as good. It’s never gummy and always tastes great in whatever I put it in. No more failed attempts from me.

This soup is creamy and elegant in all the right places. The hint of nutmeg really sends it over the top. It’s the best soup to warm you up on a cold winter day. I ate two bowls of the stuff on Friday and probably could have eaten the whole pot in one sitting.

Make sure to use fresh spinach in the end. If you use the frozen stuff, it will just be soggy and not great. The fresh spinach adds great flavor and a slight crunch that gives the soup a finishing touch it deserves.

Chicken & Gnocchi Soup

• Servings: 6
• Time: 40 mins
• Difficulty: Medium
• Print

A creamy, rich chicken soup with gnocchi, spinach and carrots.

Ingredients

• 1 lb. chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 TBS. olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2-3 large carrots, diced
• 1 TBS. garlic powder
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 (16 oz) package potato gnocchi
• 5 TBS. butter
• 6 TBS. all-purpose flour
• 2 cups milk
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 2 cups fresh spinach, roughly chopped

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and carrot and cook for 6 minutes until slightly tender. Add garlic powder and cook for 1 minutes longer.
2. Add chicken, salt, and pepper and saute for another 3-4 minutes. Pour in chicken broth, thyme and nutmeg and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for 8-10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and whisk for 1-2 minutes. Slowly pour in milk, whisking the entire time so there are no lumps. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Add cream, salt and pepper and remove from heat.
5. In chicken pot, add gnocchi and simmer for recommended time on package, about 5 minutes, or until gnocchi float to the top.
6. Stir in milk mixture to soup pot. Add spinach and stir, then remove from heat and serve.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and carrot and cook for 6 minutes until slightly tender. Add garlic powder and cook for 1 minutes longer.

Add chicken, salt, and pepper and saute for another 3-4 minutes.

Pour in chicken broth, thyme and nutmeg and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for 8-10 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat.

Add flour and whisk for 1-2 minutes. Slowly pour in milk, whisking the entire time so there are no lumps. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. Add cream, salt and pepper and remove from heat.

In chicken pot, add gnocchi and simmer for recommended time on package, about 5 minutes, or until gnocchi float to the top.

Stir in milk mixture to soup pot.

Add spinach and stir, then remove from heat and serve.
You can even serve this with Parmesan as a topping, but it’s good on its own!