Chicken Rice with Spinach
Freeze-dried chicken and rice that rehydrate unattended. Boil once, wait fifteen minutes, eat.
- calories
- 700
- weight
- 6.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 108
- protein
- 35 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 15 min
- total time
- 17 min
- water
- 355 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
- Backpacking
- Thru-hike
- Nut free
- Eat in the bag
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Instant rice | 1 cup | |
|---|---|---|
| Freeze-dried chicken | 1/2 cup | |
| Dried spinach | 1/4 cup | |
| Dried onion | 1 Tbsp | |
| Dry milk powder | 1 Tbsp | |
| Parmesan cheese, shelf-stable | 1 Tbsp | |
| Chicken gravy mix, lower sodium | 4 tsp | |
| Black pepper | 1/4 tsp | |
| Olive oil | 1 Tbsp | carried in a small dropper bottle |
Method
- Boil 1.5 cups of water on your canister stove.
- Pour the water into a small pot or freezer bag, then add the oil.
- Stir in all the dry ingredients, breaking up clumps of gravy mix.
- Cover the pot or seal the bag. Remove from heat and let sit for 15 minutes.
- Stir once more and eat directly from the bag or pot.
Instant rice and freeze-dried chicken rehydrate at the same rate, which is why you only need one boil. Sitting for fifteen minutes lets everything absorb the water while your stove stays off. The gravy mix, milk powder, and Parmesan build a sauce-like coating that wouldn’t happen with plain broth.
This meal fits in a freezer bag, which saves weight and cleanup. You can eat it straight from the bag or transfer to a pot. All ingredients store shelf-stable for months, making this a reliable dinner that doesn’t need a fridge or fresh supplies.
Packing
Combine all dry ingredients in a quart freezer bag at home. Vacuum-seal it if you'll carry it longer than a few days. Pack oil in a small dropper bottle or single-packet; it travels separately so it doesn't grease everything.
Variations
- Swap the freeze-dried spinach for any freeze-dried vegetable: peas, carrots, bell peppers, or asparagus all rehydrate in the same time.
- Add a half-ounce of extra freeze-dried chicken or a packet of freeze-dried shrimp for another 10 grams of protein.
- Substitute miso powder for the gravy mix to change the flavor entirely.
- If you have fresh garlic at home, dried minced garlic is lighter and more flavorful than the onion.
https://trailcooking.com/2022/08/09/fbc-meals-creamy-chicken-rice