Chicken Gnocchi Soup, Trail Version
Shelf-stable gnocchi, freeze-dried vegetables, and a milk-powder roux in one pot.
- calories
- 780
- weight
- 6 oz
- cal / oz
- 130
- protein
- 38 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 12 min
- total time
- 17 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
- Canister stove
- Liquid fuel
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Backpacking
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Winter / snow
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Shelf-stable potato gnocchi | 5 oz | the vacuum-sealed kind, not refrigerated |
|---|---|---|
| Foil-packet chicken | 5 oz | |
| Whole milk powder | 3 tbsp | stands in for half and half |
| All-purpose flour | 1 tbsp | |
| Grated parmesan | 3 tbsp | the dry shelf-stable canister kind |
| Chicken bouillon | 1 heaping tsp | |
| Dried mirepoix | 1/4 cup | freeze-dried onion, carrot, celery |
| Freeze-dried spinach | 1/4 cup | |
| Garlic powder | 1/2 tsp | |
| Dried thyme and oregano | 1/2 tsp total | |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | replaces the butter |
| Salt and pepper | to taste |
Method
- Bring 600 ml of water to a boil. Dump in the dried vegetables, bouillon, garlic powder, and herbs. Simmer four minutes so the vegetables rehydrate before anything else goes in.
- Add the gnocchi. Three minutes, stirring so it does not weld to the bottom.
- Take the pot off the heat and let it stop bubbling. Whisk the flour and milk powder into a few tablespoons of the hot broth in your mug until smooth, then pour it back in.
- Return to low heat for two minutes, stirring constantly. It will thicken.
- Off the heat, stir in the chicken, parmesan, and oil. Salt and pepper at the end, since the bouillon and cheese already brought salt.
The home version leans on butter, a flour roux, and half and half. None of that travels. Milk powder and olive oil do the same job at a fraction of the weight, and the flour still thickens as long as you slurry it into hot broth off the heat first. Dump dry flour into a boiling pot and you get lumps you cannot whisk out with a spoon.
Order matters more than technique. Freeze-dried vegetables need water and time before the gnocchi goes in, or they finish crunchy while the gnocchi turns to paste. The parmesan is not a garnish either. It is doing half the thickening and most of the salt.
Packing
Dried vegetables, bouillon, herbs, flour, milk powder, and parmesan go in one bag at home. Gnocchi and the chicken packet ride on their own. Gnocchi is the heaviest thing here at about 5 oz dry, so this is a first-night dinner.
Variations
- Swap the chicken packet for a foil packet of salmon.
- Gluten-free gnocchi and cornstarch in place of the flour make the whole pot gluten-free.
- Skip the roux entirely and use a packet of instant potato flakes to thicken. Faster, less smooth.
https://www.bowlofdelicious.com/chicken-gnocchi-soup