CHICKEN & DUMPLINGS

Ingredients

1 (3-pound) fryer, cut up
Salt and pepper to taste
3 chicken bouillon cubes
1 can cream of chicken soup
2-3 tablespoons margarine, optional
Dumplings, made at least a day ahead and frozen (recipe follows)

Preparation

Fill a 6- to 8-quart pot two-thirds full with water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Sprinkle each piece of chicken with salt and pepper to taste. Add chicken a piece at the time to the boiling water. Return to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken from broth, reserving broth. Cool chicken; remove skin and bones and cut into bite-size pieces. Return chopped chicken to broth, along with bouillon cubes and cream of chicken soup, stirring until blended. Add enough hot water to fill the pot back to two-thirds full. Bring to a boil over medium heat, adding margarine if needed to make a rich broth. Break frozen dumplings into pieces about 4 inches long and drop into boiling broth a few at a time, not stirring but gently moving dumplings with a slotted spoon to make room for all. Cover and cook over medium heat 7-10 minutes. Turn off heat but let pot sit with lid on about 10 minutes before serving. Makes 10-12 servings.