Italian Chicken & Dumplings

This creamy chicken soup infused with Italian herbs & parmesan, & finished with pillowy, fluffy fresh gnocchi was created by @playswellwithbutter. It is the ultimate cozy meal for comfort food season!

INGREDIENTS

• 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
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 10–12 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 sprigs fresh sage
• 1 parmesan rind
• 1/2 cup half & half or heavy cream
• 1 (16-ounce) package DeLallo Potato Gnocchi
• coarse kosher salt & ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. 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.
2. 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 sweet potatoes, stirring to combine. Add in the garlic & Italian seasoning, stirring to combine, and cook 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
3. 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 (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.
4. 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. Drop the gnocchi into the pot one by one. Once all the gnocchi 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.
5. Ladle the chicken & gnocchi into individual bowls & finish with a sprinkling of chopped fresh parsley or chives, as desired. Enjoy!