Chicken and Corn Chowder, Packed Dry
A bacon-and-potato chowder rebuilt out of shelf-stable parts. One pot, one boil, no cooler.
- calories
- 720
- weight
- 5.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 131
- protein
- 34 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 3 min
- cook
- 10 min
- total time
- 13 min
- water
- 500 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
- Basecamp
- Winter / snow
- Car camping
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Instant mashed potato flakes | 1/2 cup | replaces the cubed russets and the flour |
|---|---|---|
| Freeze-dried sweet corn | 1/3 cup | |
| Foil-pouch chicken | 5 oz pouch | drained; a can works at the trailhead but not in a pack |
| Powdered whole milk | 3 tbsp | stands in for the heavy cream |
| Chicken bouillon | 2 tsp | |
| Real bacon bits | 2 tbsp | the shelf-stable kind, not refrigerated |
| Onion powder | 1 tsp | |
| Garlic powder | 1 tsp | |
| Celery salt | 1/2 tsp | |
| Italian seasoning | 3/4 tsp | |
| Cayenne | a pinch | |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp |
Method
- Boil 500 ml of water. Dump in the corn and bouillon and let it sit off the flame for five minutes so the corn rehydrates.
- Bring it back to a simmer, then kill the stove.
- Stir in the milk powder and the spice mix until no lumps float.
- Add the potato flakes in two or three passes, stirring between each. Stop when it coats the spoon.
- Fold in the chicken, the bacon bits, and the oil. Lid on for two minutes, then eat.
The original is a flour-roux chowder with fresh potatoes and a cup of cream, which is three things a pack cannot carry. Potato flakes do all of that work at once: they thicken like the roux, they taste like the russets, and they go from dry to done in the time it takes to stir. Powdered whole milk supplies the fat the cream was there for.
Bacon bits and olive oil are not garnish. Bouillon and corn are mostly water and salt, so without added fat this lands closer to soup than dinner. Add the potato flakes slowly — you can always thicken further, but there is no un-thickening once it goes to paste.
Packing
Corn, milk powder, bouillon, bacon bits, and spices go in one bag. Potato flakes ride in a second bag so you can add them by feel. Chicken pouch stays sealed until camp.
Variations
- Skip the chicken and bacon and use vegetable bouillon for a corn chowder that weighs an ounce less.
- A packet of hot sauce or a squeeze of lime powder cuts the starch.
https://mealswithmaria.site/chicken-and-corn-soup-recipe