Name: Italian Chicken & Dumplings
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
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

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

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.

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 garlic & Italian seasoning, stirring to combine, and cook 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.

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.

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.

Ladle the chicken & gnocchi into individual bowls & finish with a sprinkling of chopped fresh parsley or chives, as desired. Enjoy!