Ingredients

4 large chicken breasts, or 6 thighs, or a combination of each

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 large can cream of chicken soup

12 cups chicken broth or stock (divided)

Instructions

Place chicken in large pot (8 or 9 quart pot); add salt and pepper.  Add 6 cups chicken broth and finish covering chicken in water.  Cook  until tender.  Remove from stock and let chicken cool. NOTE: Cover chicken in a little broth so the outside doesn’t get hard.   Strain broth and return to pot.  When chicken is cool enough, shred, or cut into bite size chunks. 

Dumplings

Ingredients

4cups All-purpose flour

2Tablespoon baking powder

2 ½  teaspoon salt

2 cup + 4 Tablespoons whole milk

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in medium size bowl; mix until smooth; let rest about 10 minutes.  Generously flour pastry mat.  Roll out dough to about ¼” thick.  Cut into 1/2 “ squares.  Lightly dust flour on top of dumplings.

Add 5 cups of remaining chicken broth to your pot and bring to a rolling boil.   Add dumplings & excess flour that’s on the mat; the excess flour will help thicken the broth.  Using a spoon, push the dumplings down in the broth.  (They will come back up, but that’s ok).  Cook on low to medium heat for 20 – 30 minutes, or until dumplings are done, stirring frequently.  (They will stick if you don’t stir them often).  Mix cream of chicken with the remaining  cup of broth and whisk until smooth.  After dumplings are done, add chicken to the dumplings and cook for about 5 minutes; add cream of chicken and stir; cook on low for about 5 minutes.  Serve with hot cornbread or crackers.  This makes huge pot of dumplings.  You can half the recipe.