Ranch Cracker Chicken Nuggets
Freeze-dried chicken, powdered ranch, and pulverized crackers, pan-crisped in one skillet at camp.
- calories
- 520
- weight
- 3.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 149
- protein
- 34 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 12 min
- total time
- 22 min
- water
- 300 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
- Lunch
- Canister stove
- Liquid fuel
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Freeze-dried diced chicken | 3 oz | canned chunk chicken works if you can carry the weight |
|---|---|---|
| Cheddar crackers | 2 cups | goldfish or any baked cheese cracker |
| Powdered ranch seasoning | 2 tbsp | |
| Powdered milk | 2 tbsp | makes the ranch cling |
| Olive oil | 3 tbsp | dropper bottle |
Method
- At home, crush the crackers to a coarse sand in a freezer bag. Keep the ranch powder and milk powder in a second bag.
- In camp, cover the chicken with 300 ml of boiling water and let it sit ten minutes off the heat. Drain what it does not absorb.
- Stir the ranch powder and milk powder into two tablespoons of the drained liquid until it is a thick paste. Toss the chicken through it.
- Dump the chicken into the cracker bag and shake until every piece is coated.
- Heat the oil in the pot over a low flame and fry the nuggets in one layer, turning once, until the crumbs go dark. Four to six minutes.
- Wipe the pot out while it is still warm.
The original is an oven recipe: raw chicken, bottled ranch dressing, baked twenty minutes. None of that travels. Freeze-dried chicken replaces the raw breast and removes the food-safety problem of hauling meat that has to hit 165 degrees. Powdered ranch plus powdered milk replaces the bottled dressing and does the same job, which is glue — it is only there to hold crumbs to meat.
The rehydration water is worth keeping. It carries chicken flavor and it hydrates the ranch powder into a paste that actually sticks; plain water makes a thin slurry that slides off. Frying replaces baking because a pot over a low flame is what you have. Keep the flame low or the cracker crumbs scorch before the outside sets.
Packing
Three bags: crackers, powder mix, chicken. Crush the crackers at home, since a rolling pin does not fit in a pack and a rock does an uneven job.
Variations
- Canned chicken drained hard and pressed dry skips the rehydration step entirely.
- Pretzels or cheese crackers of any flavor crumb the same way.
- No oil to spare: toast the coated nuggets dry in the pot and accept a paler crust.
https://mealswithmaria.site/chicken-nugget-recipes