Chicken & Dumpling Soup

This is a knock-off recipe from the Olive Garden’s Chicken and Gnocchi Soup at CopyKat Recipes. I’ve never had it at the OG but I bought two packages of gnocchi at The Dollar Tree and figured I’d give it a whirl. And there is nothing better on a cold fall day than a steaming hot bowl of soup and a nice piece of bread!

I made a few tiny changes to the recipe, including the name. When Andy (my middle son) tried it he said it was just like chicken ‘n’ dumplings in a soup. So that’s what we’re gonna call it… Chicken & Dumpling Soup. Well done Andy!

4 tablespoons butter 

1 tablespoons extra virgin oil

1/2 cup celery, finely diced

1 cup onion, finely diced

2 minced garlic cloves

4 tablespoons flour

4 cups whole milk

1 cup frozen carrots, thawed and diced

1 cup chicken breasts, cooked and diced

1 14 ounces can of chicken broth

1 cup fresh spinach, coarsely chopped

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/2 teaspoon parsley

1 pound potato gnocchi

Saute the onion, celery, and garlic in the butter and olive oil over medium heat until the onion becomes translucent. Add the flour. Let the butter and flour mixture cook for about a minute before adding the milk. 

Place gnocchi into a pot of boiling salted water. When the water returns to a full boil, drain the pasta.

Into the roux, add in the carrots and chicken. Once the mixture becomes thick, add the chicken broth. Once the mixture thickens again, add the cooked gnocchi, spinach, and seasoning. Simmer until soup is heated through.