Camp Chicken Noodle Soup
Bouillon, dried vegetables, and a pouch of chicken. The home version without the fridge or the carcass.
- calories
- 520
- weight
- 4.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 116
- protein
- 32 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 10 min
- total time
- 12 min
- water
- 600 ml boiled
- cost
- $
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Lunch
- Canister stove
- Liquid fuel
- Campfire coals
- Backpacking
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Winter / snow
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Chicken bouillon paste or granules | 2 tsp | Better Than Bouillon travels fine in a small jar |
|---|---|---|
| Dried egg noodles | 1 cup | thin ones cook fastest |
| Freeze-dried or dehydrated carrot and celery | 1/4 cup total | |
| Dried minced garlic | 1/2 tsp | |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | stands in for the butter |
| Dried rosemary and thyme | 1/4 tsp each | |
| Red pepper flakes | a pinch | |
| Salt and black pepper | to taste | |
| Foil-pouch chicken | 5 oz |
Method
- Bring 600 ml of water to a boil. Stir in the bouillon, dried vegetables, garlic, herbs, and pepper flakes.
- Simmer three minutes so the carrot and celery start to rehydrate before the noodles go in.
- Add the noodles. Cook until they are just tender, five to six minutes depending on thickness.
- Pull the pot off the heat, stir in the chicken and the oil, and let it sit two minutes.
- Taste before you salt. Bouillon is already salty and it concentrates as the noodles drink the broth.
The home version leans on a rotisserie carcass and fresh noodles, neither of which fit in a pack. Bouillon paste does the same job for an ounce, and dried carrot and celery rehydrate in the broth while it comes up to temperature. Butter becomes olive oil, which carries more calories per ounce and does not care how warm your pack gets.
Order matters more than technique. Vegetables need a head start or they stay crunchy; noodles go in late or they turn to paste and thicken the broth into glue. The chicken is already cooked, so it goes in off the heat and just warms through.
Packing
Bouillon, dried vegetables, garlic, and herbs go in one small bag. Noodles in another so you can time them. Chicken pouch and oil ride separately.
Variations
- Instant ramen noodles cut the cook time in half if you toss the seasoning packet.
- A packet of instant potato flakes at the end turns the leftovers into something closer to stew.
- Rice or gluten-free pasta works, but add water and expect a longer boil.
https://tastesbetterfromscratch.com/chicken-noodle-soup