One of the hardest things that I have had to do is try to get people to write down their recipes.  Some of the best cooks I know do not go by a recipe, they just throw in this or that and it turns out delicious every time!  This is one of those recipes. This dish is a bit challenging to make the first time, but as they say practice makes perfect.  This recipe is much better than anything you can buy in a can and is well worth the effort.

6 cups water
1 stick butter
6 cups chicken broth (cooked along with chicken)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 t. salt
Pepper to taste
5 cups self-rising flour
1/2 cup butter flavored Crisco
1 1/2 cup milk
2 cups additional chicken broth

1.  Cook chicken by boiling with 1 tablespoon chicken granules. I sometimes like to cook them in the crock pot over night  so that the chicken will be ready to go the next day.

2. Sift flour in a large bowl and make a well in the center.  Add shortening.  With your hand start to work the shortening while slowly pouring in milk.  Continue to work this until you have added all the milk and all the flour in the bowl has been incorporated into a ball of dough. Cut dough into 6 pieces.  Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll out thinly onto floured surface.  Cut dumplings into 1  1/2 inch wide strip with sharp knife.  Now cut lengthwise into 3 inch sections.

3.  Heat water, butter and chicken broth and cream of chicken soup in large pot. When it reaches a gentle boil you will be ready to start adding dumplings.  Lower the heat slightly and drop in dumplings.  DO NOT STIR, or it will tear up your dumplings.  You may have to add additional chicken broth as you cook dumplings depending on the amount of flour used to roll them out.  You can add up to 2 cups additional broth to keep the mixture from getting too thick.

4.  Repeat step 2 until you have rolled out, cut and added all the dumplings to your hot chicken stock. Add  salt and pepper to taste.

5.  Add chicken and you can now gently stir your dumplings.

~ Gina O’Kelley