Description
The creamiest homemade chicken soup with a bit of Italian flair, infused with Italian spices & parmesan, & finished with pillowy, fluffy fresh gnocchi dumplings. This Italian Chicken and Gnocchi Dumplings is the ultimate cozy meal for comfort food season!
Ingredients
Scale
- 3 tablespoons DeLallo Extra Virgin Olive Oil, divided
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 3 medium carrots, peeled & diced
- 1 rib celery, finely diced
- 1 large yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 medium yellow potato, diced
- 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth or stock
- 2 bay leaves
- one (1) 0.75 ounces fresh “poultry herbs” (or approx. 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, 10–12 sprigs fresh thyme, 2 sprigs fresh sage)
- 1 parmesan rind (see Recipe Notes)
- 1/2 cup half & half or heavy cream
- 1 (one) 8.82-ounce DeLallo Gnocchi Kit (see Recipe Notes)
- coarse kosher salt & ground black pepper
Instructions
- Brown the chicken: Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil to a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Pat the chicken dry with paper towel, then season generously with 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt & ground black pepper as desired. Carefully add the chicken to the pot, working in batches as needed to avoid overcrowding. Cook for 4-5 minutes per side, until deeply golden brown. Transfer to a plate and set aside. The chicken will not be cooked through at this point – that’s fine!
- Cook the veggies: Reduce the heat under the pot to medium. Add in the carrot, celery, onion & potato, seasoning with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic & Italian seasoning, stirring to combine, and cook 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
- Build the soup: Dust the flour over the softened veggies, stirring to coat. Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently, until deeply browned. While scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon, slowly pour in the chicken stock. Be sure to scrape up any brown bits that may have formed at the bottom of the skillet – that’s where the flavor is! Add the bay leaves, parmesan rind, & poultry herbs (I like to use kitchen twine to tie all the herbs together into a little bundle for easy removal; if you do not have kitchen twine, finely chop the herbs). Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add the browned chicken into the pot. Cover & simmer for 20 minutes.
- Prep the gnocchi “dumpling” dough: Meanwhile, as the soup simmers, prep the DeLallo Gnocchi Kit. Follow Step 1 of package directions to prepare the gnocchi “dumpling” dough – Combine package contents with water in a medium bowl. Stir with a fork until dough begins to form. Knead by hand until dough no longer sticks. Set aside.
- Finish the chicken & dumplings: Remove the chicken from the pot & carefully shred. You can do so using 2 forks, or my favorite trick: pop them in a stand mixer & let the paddle attachment do the work for you (I swear this works!). Add the shredded chicken back into the pot along with the half & half, stirring to combine. Bring the soup up to a simmer. Using 2 spoons, freeform the gnocchi dough into tablespoon-sized dumplings, dropping the dumplings into the pot one by one (you could also use a tablespoon measure, just take care not to overwork the dough). Once all the dumplings have been added to the pot, cover & simmer for 5 minutes, until the gnocchi is cooked through. Taste and season with additional salt or ground black pepper as needed.
- Serve: Ladle the chicken & dumplings into individual bowls & finish with a sprinkling of chopped fresh parsley or chives, as desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- Parmesan rind: A parmesan rind is the tough outer edge of a wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, & it’s my absolute favorite soup season secret. Toss a parmesan rind into any cozy soup you make this cold season; as it simmers, it will infuse a rich, parmesan-y flavor into the broth. It’s an easy way to add an extra depth of flavor to soups, stews, & sauces, especially when the recipe comes together quickly (like this Chicken & Dumplings recipe). Parmesan rinds are usually sold at cheese shops or grocery stores with a more curated cheese selection (I buy mine at Whole Foods). Store them in your freezer all soup season long.
- Gnocchi: I’m absolutely obsessed with DeLallo’s Gnocchi Kit, which makes pillowy-soft homemade gnocchi so simple to make – you add water & stir. Highly suggest ordering it & giving it a try. If you do not have the Gnocchi Kit, you can substitute it with 1 1/2 pounds of your favorite dried gnocchi. This is mine! Cook according to Recipe Directions, above.
- Make-ahead & Storage: Italian Chicken & Dumplings will keep, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave, adding a little extra chicken stock or broth if the soup needs to loosen up a little. I don’t suggest freezing this recipe, as the texture of the dumplings/gnocchi will change as it thaws.
- 15-Minute Meal Prep: The majority of the active time involved in this recipe is chopping veggies. Chop all the veggies in advance to get a head start on your chicken & dumplings – it’ll take about 15 minutes, top. Keep everything in individual airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. At dinnertime all you have to do is get cooking – so easy!:
- Peel & dice 3 medium carrots.
- Finely dice 1 celery rib.
- Finely dice 1 yellow onion.
- Dice 1 yellow potato, storing covered in water to prevent browning.