Chicken gnocchi mushroom soup

 

This is an interesting take on chicken noodle soup that comes together in a slow cooker. It makes use of a Parmesan rind, which is a super cheating way to make every soup better. I keep the odds and ends of hard cheeses in a zip-lock bag in the freezer for just such a purpose. Save enough of them and you can make the ambrosia known as cheese broth.

Creamy chicken gnocchi soup

From "Half Baked Harvest Super Simple" by Tieghan Gerard

Ingredients
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 small onion, diced
6 carrots, chopped
5 cups chicken broth
1 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, divided, plus more for garnish
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 Parmesan rind
1 16-ounce container mini potato gnocchi
½ cup grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish
¾ cup whole milk or heavy cream
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds mushrooms, sliced
4 garlic cloves, smashed
4 tablespoons butter
Zest from 1 lemon

Method
Place chicken breasts in a slow cooker pot. Top with onion, carrots, broth, wine, 1 tablespoon thyme, bay leaves, paprika, red pepper flakes, Parmesan rind and season with salt and pepper. Cook on low until chicken is falling apart, 5 to 6 hours.

During the last half hour of cooking, stir in gnocchi, ½ cup Parmesan and milk or cream.

Remove the chicken and shred it. Return to pot.

Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add mushrooms and season with salt and pepper. Cut until golden, then stir and cook over high heat until caramelized. Reduce heat to medium and add garlic, butter, 1 tablespoon thyme and the lemon zest. Cook until garlic is fragrant. Mash garlic and stir mushroom garlic mixture into soup.

Remove bay leaves. Fight over who gets the Parmesan rind. Serve soup in bowls, garnished with more Parmesan and thyme. Serves 6 heartily.

Rating: Nice flavor. Creamy but not "creamed" soup. The chicken holds up without drying out too much, which can be a tricky thing with chicken breasts in a crock pot. Fairly fast to throw together. It even reheats surprisingly well. It reminds me more of the chicken soup with rice recipe I grew up with. Do people still read that book?