My friend @hellofeanor requested my recipe for this so here we go!
2-3 TBS olive oil
1 small onion diced
2 medium carrots peeled and diced
3-4 stalks of celery diced.
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced.
1/2 cup white wine
2-3 TBS flour
1 box chicken broth (I think it's like 32 oz?)
2-3 boneless skinless chicken thighs cut into big chunks **
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste
1 14oz pack of fresh gnocchi
1/4 cup grated parmesan **
1/4 cup heavy cream (optional)
In a large, heavy bottomed pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat and then add the onion, carrot, and celery. Cook until softened and the onions are translucent. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Sprinkle on the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes more.
Deglaze with the wine and then add the broth, chicken, and seasonings.
Bring to a steady simmer and cook for an hour, stirring occasionally. The chicken should shred easily when it's done.
Add the gnocchi and cook per package instructions (Mine only needed 2-3 minutes).
Add the cream if using and the parmesan. Taste for seasoning.
Serve immediately with crusty bread.
** for the chicken, you can do a few different things. I just like the thighs because with a long cooking time it makes for a consistency like chicken and dumplings. You could use boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite size pieces. Just add that about five minutes before you dump in the gnocchi. And you can cut the cooking time to just 30-40 minutes. You can also use a cup or two of precooked shredded chicken like from a rotisserie. Add it with the gnocchi so it can heat through.
** if you're a culinary nerd like me and keep parmesan rinds, you can totally use one of those instead of the parmesan cheese. Just toss it in with the bay leaf. Just don't forget to fish it back out again.
This is also really good with just... normal pasta. The gnocchi add to the creaminess of the dish but use what ya got. Anything short and curly would work great... maybe a 1/2 pound of dry pasta?
Season with your heart... there's a lot of herbs that would be good here. Italian seasoning... rosemary... use what you like. I just like the simplicity of just a little thyme and bay.
Also, if you've got the time, this dish REALLY benefits from homemade chicken broth. I've made it where I made broth from some bone-in skin-on chicken thighs and then shredded the meat before putting the bones back to simmer awhile longer. Then I just tossed the already cooked chicken in at the end. A+ best soup ever.
And if you're into fresh greens in soup, some kale or spinach would be lovely added right at the end.
