Southern Chicken and Dumplings

Step 1
Make the chicken: Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add chicken breasts, skin-side-down. Pour in chicken broth and just enough water to cover chicken. Increase the heat to high and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until chicken begins to fall off the bone, about 1 hour.

Step 2
Transfer chicken to a plate. Remove and discard skin and bones. Allow meat to cool.

Step 3
While the chicken is cooling, make the dumplings: Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in a mixing bowl. Work in 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons shortening with your fingers until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Step 4
Make a well in the middle and pour in milk; stir until a stiff dough forms. Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth. Divide into 16 pieces.

Step 5
Make the soup: Add 2 cups water, condensed soup, salt, and pepper to the pot used to cook the chicken.

Step 6
Shred chicken, add to the pot, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Drop dumplings, one at a time, into soup. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until dumplings are puffy and no longer doughy in the center, 10 to 20 minutes.