Chicken and Cilantro Rice
Freeze-dried chicken, instant rice, dried onion, cilantro at the end.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 5 oz
- cal / oz
- 124
- protein
- 38 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 10 min
- total time
- 12 min
- water
- 450 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
- Canister stove
- Liquid fuel
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Backpacking
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Instant white rice | 3/4 cup dry | the quick-cook kind, not parboiled long-grain |
|---|---|---|
| Freeze-dried chicken | 2 oz | canned chunk chicken works for car camping |
| Dried minced onion | 2 tbsp | |
| Freeze-dried cilantro | 1 tbsp | |
| Salt | 1/2 tsp | |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | dropper bottle |
Method
- Boil 450 ml of water. Add the chicken, onion, and salt and let it sit at a simmer for three minutes so the meat rehydrates before the rice goes in.
- Stir in the rice. Cover, kill the heat, and leave it alone for seven minutes.
- Uncover, stir in the oil and the cilantro, and put the lid back on for one more minute.
- Check the rice. If it is still chalky, add a splash of water and cover it again.
The source of this was a grocery-budget dinner built around a whole chicken breast, two dollars of rice, and an onion. The economics survive the trip to the backcountry; the fresh ingredients do not. Freeze-dried chicken replaces raw breast, dried minced onion replaces the fresh one, and freeze-dried cilantro goes in at the end where its flavor is not boiled off.
The order matters. Chicken needs a few minutes in hot water before it stops being styrofoam, and rice added too early soaks up everything the meat wanted. Simmer the chicken first, then dump the rice and treat the pot as a cozy. The oil is not optional — rice and lean poultry give you almost no fat, and the calorie count falls apart without it.
Packing
Rice, onion, and salt premixed in one bag. Chicken and cilantro in their own bags — the chicken rehydrates first, the cilantro goes in last.
Variations
- A squeeze of lime powder or a lime wedge from the car cooler sharpens the whole pot.
- Taco seasoning instead of plain salt turns it into a burrito bowl.
- Dehydrated refried beans stirred in at the end add bulk and another 8 g of protein.
https://mealswithmaria.site/10-dinners