Tender chicken and fluffy gnocchi come together in a creamy broth to create this delicious, creamy chicken gnocchi soup. Don't skip the secret ingredient!
Cover chicken in 4 cups water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 30 minutes to poach the chicken and create a chicken broth.
Remove chicken from pot with a slotted spoon. With two forks, remove as much meat from the bones as you can, shredding the meat in the process.
Add the carrots, celery and onions to the pot, followed by the parsley, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer until the vegetables have softened, about 10 minutes.
Mix 1/3 cup flour with a small amount of cold water in a small bowl or cup. Stir or whisk until smooth. Pour into the soup, stirring as you pour it in to prevent clumping. Simmer the soup for 5 minutes, or until broth thickens. Add 2 cups of half and half and the nutmeg (optional). Test and adjust the salt, pepper and nutmeg seasonings if necessary.
Add the gnocchi and spinach and simmer for about 3-5 minutes.
Serve warm. Refrigerate any leftovers
Notes
1). For a quicker weeknight meal, use a rotisserie chicken in place of boiling the chicken. Also, use 32 oz (4 cups) of chicken broth in place of the water as the base of the soup.2). For a thicker soup, add a little more flour. To thin the soup, add some extra water or chicken stock.3). Nutmeg is the secret ingredient. It's totally optional but really turns up the flavor in any cream based soup and gives it that little something special. Taste a tiny bit mixed in with some broth on a spoon or in a bowl first. I hope you love it.4). You can also substitute homemade gnocchi, if you prefer a fully scratch made soup.