Chicken And Gnocchi Soup 09-Nov-2011

A delicious soup that is filling and wonderful.

This soup is a great use of leftover chicken, but in my case I just cooked chicken tenders that I seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic powder in the oven at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes, until done. Also, you can find the gnocchi in the pasta section of your grocery store.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 3 stalks celery, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 carrots, shredded
• 1 pound cooked, cubed chicken breast
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 (16 ounce) package mini potato gnocchi
• 1 (6 ounce) bag baby spinach leaves
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch (optional)
• 2 tablespoons cold water (optional)
• 2 cups half-and-half cream
• salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook onion, celery, garlic, and carrots in the hot oil until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in cubed chicken and chicken broth; bring to a simmer.

2. Stir gnocchi into the simmering soup and cook until they begin to float, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in spinach; cook until wilted, about 3 additional minutes.

3. Whisk cornstarch into cold water until smooth. Stir cornstarch mixture and half-and-half into simmering soup. Cook until soup thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.