Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup with Homemade Gnocchi

• Prep30 min
• Cook55 min
• Total1 h 25 min
• Serves6

Ingredients

For the gnocchi

• 30 g Parmesan, in 2 cm pieces (1 oz), plus more to serve
• 600 g water (2 1/2 cups), for steaming
• 600 g russet potatoes, peeled and cut in 2 cm pieces (2 large, 3/4 in pieces)
• 180 g all-purpose flour (1 1/2 cups), plus more for dusting
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg, optional

For the soup

• 100 g yellow onion, quartered (1/2 large)
• 60 g celery, in 3 cm pieces (1 stalk)
• 100 g carrot, in 3 cm pieces (1 medium)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 20 g olive oil (1 1/2 tbsp)
• 20 g butter (1 1/2 tbsp)
• 30 g all-purpose flour (1/4 cup)
• 700 g low sodium chicken broth (3 cups)
• 400 g boneless, skinless chicken breast, in 2 cm dice (14 oz, 3/4 in dice)
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 360 g half-and-half (1 1/2 cups)
• 60 g fresh spinach, roughly chopped (2 packed cups)

Instructions

1. Place the Parmesan in the dry mixing bowl and grate 10 sec/speed 10. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
2. Pour the 600 g of water into the mixing bowl. Spread the potato pieces in the Varoma dish, close it and set it in position. Steam 25 min/Varoma/speed 1, until a knife slides into the potatoes with no resistance. Set the Varoma aside and let the potatoes steam off for 5 minutes, so they dry out a little.
3. Empty the mixing bowl and dry it well. Add the potatoes and 50 g of the flour and mash 15 sec/speed 4. Scrape down the sides. Add the remaining 130 g of flour, the egg yolk, the grated Parmesan, the salt and the nutmeg, then knead 20 sec/dough mode. The dough should be soft and just a little sticky: too much flour makes heavy gnocchi.
4. Tip the dough onto a floured counter and bring it together with floured hands, without kneading it further. Cut it in 6 pieces and roll each one into a rope 2 cm (3/4 in) thick. Cut the ropes into 2 cm pieces and, if you like, press each piece lightly against the back of a fork for the classic ridges. Spread the gnocchi on a floured tray, not touching. Wash and dry the mixing bowl.
5. Place the onion, celery, carrot and garlic in the mixing bowl and chop 5 sec/speed 5. Scrape down the sides, add the olive oil and butter and sauté 5 min/120°C (250°F)/speed 1.
6. Add the 30 g of flour and cook 1 min/120°C (250°F)/speed 1. Add the broth and mix 10 sec/speed 4, so the flour dissolves with no lumps.
7. Add the chicken, thyme, salt and pepper. Cook 15 min/100°C (212°F)/reverse/speed soft, until the chicken is cooked through and the soup has thickened a little.
8. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil on the stove. Drop in the gnocchi in two batches: when they float to the top, give them 1 more minute, then lift them out with a slotted spoon into a bowl with a drizzle of olive oil so they do not stick.
9. Add the half-and-half to the mixing bowl and cook 4 min/80°C (175°F)/reverse/speed soft. Add the spinach, push it down into the soup with the spatula and cook 1 min/80°C (175°F)/reverse/speed soft, just until it wilts. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper.
10. Divide the gnocchi among 6 bowls and ladle the hot soup over them. Finish with grated Parmesan and a little black pepper, and serve right away.

Tips

• No time for homemade gnocchi? Use a 500 g (16 oz) package of shelf-stable potato gnocchi, cooked as the package says, and skip steps 1 to 4. The soup is ready in about 35 minutes.
• The gnocchi go into the bowls, not into the mixing bowl: the blades would break them, and this way they keep their pillowy bite. For leftovers, store the gnocchi and the soup in separate containers, up to 3 days in the fridge, and reheat the soup gently without boiling.
• Half-and-half is what gives this soup its signature creaminess without being heavy. For a richer soup, use heavy cream; for a lighter one, whole milk, and keep step 9 at 80°C (175°F) so it does not separate.
• Shape the gnocchi a day ahead: freeze them on the floured tray, then bag them. Cook them straight from the freezer, 1 extra minute after they float.