Lemon Oregano Chicken and Couscous
Freeze-dried chicken rebuilt with lemon, oregano, and butter powder. One pot, one boil.
- calories
- 640
- weight
- 5 oz
- cal / oz
- 128
- protein
- 38 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 8 min
- total time
- 10 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
- Backpacking
- Basecamp
- Bikepacking
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Dump and stir
Ingredients
| Freeze-dried shredded chicken | 2 oz | replaces the raw breast; rehydrates in minutes |
|---|---|---|
| Instant couscous | 3/4 cup | soaks up the broth so nothing is wasted |
| Chicken bouillon | 1 tsp | |
| Butter powder | 2 tbsp | or 1 tbsp olive oil in a dropper bottle |
| Dried oregano | 1 tsp | |
| Kosher salt and black pepper | 1/4 tsp each | |
| Citric acid or dried lemon peel | 1/2 tsp | a lemon packet from a diner works too |
Method
- Boil 400 ml of water. Stir in the bouillon, chicken, oregano, salt, and pepper.
- Let it sit off the heat for three minutes so the chicken pulls water before the couscous does.
- Dump in the couscous and butter powder, stir once, and put the lid on.
- Wait five minutes. Fluff with the spoon, then stir in the lemon last so the sourness stays sharp.
The original is a slow cooker recipe: raw breasts poached for ninety minutes in broth, butter, and lemon. None of that survives a trail kitchen. Freeze-dried chicken does the same job at a fraction of the weight, and it comes pre-shredded, which is what the slow cooker was working toward anyway.
The order matters more than the ingredients. Couscous grabs water fast and will leave the chicken chalky if both go in at once, so the meat soaks first. Lemon goes in off the heat because acid dulls when it boils, and butter powder is the only fat here — leave it out and the bowl reads like salty broth on grain.
Packing
Everything dry goes in one bag except the lemon, which rides in a corner twist-tie. Butter powder cakes in heat, so break it up through the bag before you pour.
Variations
- Swap couscous for instant rice if you want a longer sit and a softer bowl.
- A foil pouch of chicken works in place of freeze-dried, but you carry the water weight.
- Sun-dried tomatoes cut small add acid and chew if you skip the lemon.
https://www.bowlofdelicious.com/slow-cooker-chicken-breasts