Chicken Gnocchi Soup

Description

A dish that the whole family will love. You will want to share this with friends and even neighbors as this meal will bring “home-cooked” back to reality.

This meal only takes about 45 minutes to an hour, but it will taste like it has been simmering all day just to be cooked to perfection.

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion
• 3 large carrots, peeled and chopped (about 1½ cup)
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1½ lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-in pieces
• 1 tsp chopped, fresh thyme
• ½ tsp kosher salt, to taste
• ½ tsp black pepper, to taste
• 1 lb dried gnocchi
• 1 5oz container of baby spinach, roughly chopped
• 1 cup half-and-half

Directions

1. Fire up the Dutch oven, medium heat. Oil in, then hit it with onion, carrot, and celery. Stir ‘em up, let ‘em soften—10 to 12 minutes. Toss in the garlic at the last minute. No mercy for burnt garlic.
2. Dump in the flour, stir like you mean it. Coat those veggies, one minute max. Slow-roll the broth in, bring it to a simmer. Chicken, thyme, salt, pepper—all in. Back to a simmer, then dial it down to medium-low. Let the chicken cook through, 5 minutes. No shortcuts.
3. Gnocchi goes in next. Cover, stir now and then, until they’re tender and fluffy—4 to 5 minutes. Spinach and half-and-half follow. Stir, let it marry up, 1 to 2 minutes. Kill the heat. Taste. Salt and pepper as needed. Done.