Chicken and Gnocchi Soup

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast diced
• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt divided
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 medium carrots scrubbed or peeled and 1/4-inch diced
• 2 stalks celery halved lengthwise and cut 1/2-inch thick
• 1 small yellow onion finely chopped
• 2 (12-ounce) cans low-fat evaporated milk divided
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon poultry seasoning optional
• ¼ teaspoon celery salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper plus additional cracked black pepper for serving
• 3 cloves garlic minced (about 1 tablespoon)
• 4 cups low sodium chicken broth plus additional to thin the soup if needed
• 2 pounds potato gnocchi 2 packages; about 4 cups
• 4 ounces fresh baby spinach roughly torn or chopped (about 4 big handfuls)

FOR SERVING:

• grated Parmesan cheese
• chopped fresh parsley