Creamy Chicken and Gnocchi Soup
Perfect fall and winter soup. Olive Garden copycat chicken and gnocchi soup but with a lot more vegetables. Super hearty and packed with flavor. Plus, it's very filling and can honestly be a meal in itself. Perfect soup recipe for cold weather!
- 1/2 stick salted butter
- 3 whole carrots diced (remove tops)
- 3 ribs celery, diced
- 1 whole, large sweet or yellow onion, chopped finely
- 4-6 cloves garlic, pressed or minced finely
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
- 1 tbsp ground black pepper
- 2 cups chopped rotisserie chicken
- 1/2 cup flour
- 2 - 32 oz cartons chicken broth
- 3 whole bay leaves
- 1 - 12 oz bag frozen spinach (defrosted and excess liquid squeezed out)
- 2 - 16 oz packages potato gnocchi (make sure to break up before putting in soup)
- 1 cup milk (we used 2%)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream (can use light cream or half and half in a pinch)
Optional Garnish:
- grated parmesan cheese
- chopped fresh thyme
***Don't forget to defrost frozen spinach the night before, otherwise you'll have to cook in microwave.**Chop up onion, carrots, celery, chicken and garlic. In a large soup pot, melt butter. Add onions, garlic, and chili flakes. Cook until onions translucent. Add in carrots and celery. Cook for 3 minutes. Add in chicken, thyme, black pepper, and flour. Stir until everything is well combined and coated in flour (about 3 minutes). Slowly add chicken broth, stirring to make sure flour has incorporated with liquid, ensuring no lumps. Once all broth has been added, add bay leaves and bring soup to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer for 15 minutes. Add in drained spinach and gnocchi (make sure to break up gnocchi in package so they don't cook clumped together). Cook for another 10 minutes or until all gnocchi has risen to the top. Turn off heat and stir in milk and cream. Serve immediately and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Enjoy!