Lemon Dill Chicken and Potatoes
Pouch chicken in a lemon-dill cream sauce, thickened with potato flakes instead of a pan roux.
- calories
- 720
- weight
- 6 oz
- cal / oz
- 120
- protein
- 38 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 5 min
- total time
- 7 min
- water
- 400 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
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Liquid fuel
- Backpacking
- Basecamp
- Bikepacking
- Canoe / raft
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Canned or pouched chicken | 5 oz pouch | pouch, not can, unless you like carrying tin |
|---|---|---|
| Instant mashed potato flakes | 3/4 cup | |
| Powdered whole milk | 3 tbsp | |
| Butter powder | 2 tbsp | or 1 tbsp olive oil from a dropper bottle |
| Dried dill | 1 tsp | |
| Citric acid or powdered lemon | 1/4 tsp | lemonade mix works, use less |
| Garlic powder | 1/2 tsp | |
| Chicken bouillon powder | 1 tsp | check the label if you need it gluten-free |
| Black pepper | a few grinds | |
| Salt | to taste |
Method
- Boil 400 ml of water and pull the pot off the flame.
- Whisk in the milk powder, butter powder, bouillon, garlic, dill, and lemon powder until nothing is clumped.
- Stir in the chicken, pouch liquid and all.
- Add the potato flakes in two or three handfuls, stirring between each, until it thickens to a soft mash.
- Lid on for two minutes off heat, then salt and pepper it and eat.
The original version of this is a skillet dish: flour-dredged thighs browned in butter, then a cream sauce built in the same pan. None of that survives a stove that only boils. So the flour comes out, the potato flakes do the thickening, and the chicken arrives already cooked in a pouch.
The acid matters more than it looks. Powdered milk and butter powder alone read flat and chalky. A quarter teaspoon of citric acid cuts through the fat and makes the dill taste like an ingredient instead of a garnish. Add it before you taste for salt, or you will oversalt trying to fix the wrong problem.
Packing
Everything dry except the chicken goes in one quart bag at home. The chicken pouch rides on top and the empty pouch packs out flat.
Variations
- A handful of dried peas or dehydrated spinach dropped into the boiling water gets you a vegetable.
- Swap potato flakes for instant grits if you want a looser bowl.
https://zenandhoney.com/spring-chicken-recipes