Mom's Shredded Chicken Sandwiches

I think everyone has their own version of these sandwiches. Some people make them with cream of celery soup; some people add saltines to thicken up the mixture. The version I'm sharing today is my Mom's. It's pretty simple, but no less delicious for it. I've been eating this sandwich for as long as I can remember, and it's still one of my favorite comfort foods. As Joe said when I made a batch the other night, "I could eat ten sandwiches and still never have enough of these."

My mom always made these with shredded chicken breasts she'd baked in the oven. Over the years, I've experimented with different preparations for the chicken -- poached breasts, store-bought rotisserie, the shredded and boned canned stuff -- and I've found little difference among them taste-wise. My favorite thing to use is rotisserie chicken, because I like the addition of the dark meat and the fact that there's not nearly as much sodium as in the canned stuff. You'll be seeing this on my menu frequently this fall and winter, because these sandwiches are so quick, easy and delicious to prepare, they work great as leftovers, and they remind me of home.

Mom's Shredded Chicken Sandwiches

4 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup milk (more or less depending on how thick you want the mixture to be)
Lots of black pepper
Salt to taste

In a slow cooker, combine all ingredients and mix well. Cover and cook on Low for 6 hours. Serve on sandwich buns with American cheese, if desired.