Want to make chicken soup more exciting? Try this recipe

Cooktop Cove: Want to make chicken soup more exciting? Try this recipe

By Robin Donovan

Who doesn’t love an all-in-one meal? You know the kind we’re talking about— one pot, hands-free cooking — a balanced meal filled with protein, veggies and carbs that requires little effort to make and even fewer dishes for you to wash. This is one of those recipes, and it is delicious, as tender chunks of chicken slow-cook in broth with plenty of healthy vegetables. Add packaged gnocchi for the last 30 to 60 minutes of cooking to make the soup extra satisfying.

If you plan to store leftovers of the soup, you might want to cook the gnocchi separately in a pot of boiling water and add it to the individual bowls. Store the soup and gnocchi separately too, or the gnocchi will soak up all of the soup's liquid. Both the soup and the gnocchi will keep for several days in the refrigerator.

Slow Cooker Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

10 minutes

7 hours

7 hours and 10 minutes

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken, cut into bite-size pieces

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

½ cup all-purpose flour

2 carrots, peeled and sliced

4 celery stalks, sliced

1 onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

8 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 bay leaf

1 16-ounce package gnocchi

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, and dredge in the flour. Cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 5 minutes.

Transfer the meat to the slow cooker and add the carrots, celery, onion, garlic, broth, thyme and bay leaf.

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3 hours.

Add the gnocchi, cover, and continue to cook for 30 to 60 minutes more, until the gnocchi are tender. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.

Serve hot.