Chicken and dumplings

My favorite food as a child was chicken and dumplings at my grandmother's house. We only had them on Thanksgiving and I always went back for several helpings leaving everything else on the table untouched. It was always my job to get there super early in the day to help stir the pot while my grandmother dropped the dumplings into the boiling stock. I get a bit nostalgic when it comes to dumplings!

Besides being yummy they also happen to be extremely cheap and easy to make for a large crowd...I am sure that had something to do with making them for Thanksgiving every year! I do it a bit different from my family as I don't add any actual chicken to my chicken and dumplings. I am a rebel like that!

Chicken and Dumplings

Broth:
20 cups of water (I just fill my massive stockpot up about 3/4 from the top)
12 tsp chicken base $1.08
2 cups milk $0.40

Fill pot with water and stir in chicken base. Or make your own stock from chicken or turkey bones and get free stock. Bring to a boil while you make your dumplings.

Dumplings
6 cups water
6 tsp chicken base $0.54
12 cups flour $0.84

Combing water and chicken base then add in flour till a soft dough forms. You may need more or less flour, just add a few cups at a time and go from there.

Once the dumpling dough is smooth and not sticky start pinching off and dropping small marble sized chunks of dough into the boiling stock. Make sure to stir from the bottom often so they don't stick and burn.

After all the dumplings are in the pot let simmer for 10min to cook all the dumplings through. Once the dumplings are cooked add 2 cups of milk and stir well. Continue simmering till heated through. Season with salt and pepper and enjoy.

My children always end up going back for 3rds!

Total for a massive pot: $2.86