1Season the chicken tenders with garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
2Sear the seasoned chicken in a Dutch oven with EVOO over medium-high heat for a couple of minutes on one side.
3Flip the chicken, turn off the heat, and cover the pot with a slight opening for steam to release. Let it sit for about 8 minutes.
4Remove the cooked chicken from the pot and set aside.
5Dice the yellow onion.
6Dice the celery sticks.
7Add the diced onion, celery, and chopped sun-dried tomatoes to the same pot. Cook until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes, stirring as needed. If the pan is dry, add more EVOO.
8Add minced garlic to the pot and cook for 30 seconds.
9Add tomato paste and flour to the pot and mix together.
10Gradually add some chicken broth to the pot, scraping up any fond (yummy bits) from the bottom.
11Add the remaining chicken broth to the pot, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for about 10 minutes.
12Add heavy cream and spinach to the soup.
13Add gnocchi to the soup.
14Add homemade pesto for extra flavor.
15Add grated Parmesan cheese to the soup.
16Cook the soup for about 5 minutes, or until the gnocchi is done.
17Add the diced chicken back into the soup.
18Serve the soup topped with fresh basil and more grated Parmesan.