This chicken dumpling soup is easy to make in your crock pot. The lemon-egg mixture in this recipe makes this healthy soup extra rich, creamy and flavorful!
Add the olive oil, chicken, and bay leaves to a slow cooker set to Low heat. Season with salt and pepper and stir until well combined. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, about 1½ hours.
Add the onion, carrots, celery, and thyme to the slow cooker, still set to Low heat. Season with salt and pepper and stir until well combined. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until veggies are softened, about 2½ hours.
Measure 1 cup of vegetable broth and set aside for later.
Set the slow cooker to High heat and add all of the remaining vegetable broth and gnocchi. Stir until well combined. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until gnocchi is soft and al dente, about 1 hour.
Turn off the heat on the slow cooker.
Squeeze all of the juice from the lemon into a large mixing bowl.
Add the two eggs to the mixing bowl, and stir until well combined.
Pour the reserved 1 cup of vegetable broth into a microwave safe container and heat in the microwave until hot but not boiling, about 1½ minutes.
Slowly add the hot 1 cup of broth to the lemon-egg mixture, whisking continually as you pour.
Slowly add the hot lemon-egg-broth mixture to the slow cooker, continually mixing the soup with a spoon as you pour.
Season the soup to your taste with salt and pepper. Serve.