Chicken Noodle Soup, Trail Version
Freeze-dried chicken, dried mirepoix, and noodles in one pot. The soup you want when the temperature drops.
- calories
- 520
- weight
- 4.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 116
- protein
- 30 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 15 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
- Campfire coals
- Backpacking
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Winter / snow
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Freeze-dried chicken | 1.5 oz | or a foil pouch of chicken, added at the end |
|---|---|---|
| Dried egg noodles | 1 oz | thin ones, they rehydrate faster |
| Dehydrated carrot | 2 tbsp | |
| Dehydrated celery | 1 tbsp | |
| Dried minced onion | 1 tbsp | |
| Chicken bouillon | 1 cube or 1 tsp powder | |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | from a dropper bottle |
| Salt and pepper | to taste | |
| Saltine crackers | a small handful | packed in a hard container or they turn to dust |
Method
- Bring 600 ml of water to a boil. Drop in the carrot, celery, onion, chicken, and bouillon.
- Simmer on the lowest flame you can hold for 8 minutes. The vegetables need the time; the chicken is just rehydrating.
- Add the noodles and simmer another 5 to 7 minutes, stirring so nothing welds to the bottom.
- Cut the heat, stir in the oil, and season. Crumble crackers in as you eat, not before.
The original is a car-camp soup: raw chicken breast, a pound of carrots, a whole onion, eight cups of water for eight people. None of that travels. This version does the same job with dehydrated mirepoix and freeze-dried chicken, scaled to one pot and one person, with the water cut to what a small pot actually holds.
The order matters more than anything else here. Vegetables and chicken go in first because they need real simmer time to soften. Noodles go in last because they release starch, and starch on a stove with a hot spot means a scorched pot. The tablespoon of oil is not seasoning, it is the calories: broth alone will not carry you through a cold night.
Packing
Everything dry except the crackers and oil goes into one bag at home. Crackers ride in a jar or a crushproof corner of the pack.
Variations
- Swap the bouillon for miso paste and add a splash of soy sauce.
- A handful of instant potato flakes at the end turns it into a chowder.
- Ramen noodles work if you can't find dried egg noodles. Toss their seasoning packet.
https://www.boyscouttrail.com/content/recipe/real_chicken_soup-2115.asp