Stretched Chicken and Rice
One foil pouch of chicken made to feed a whole dinner, on the theory that meat is the expensive part.
- calories
- 690
- weight
- 5.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 125
- protein
- 34 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 10 min
- total time
- 15 min
- water
- 450 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
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Instant white rice | 3/4 cup | parboiled, not regular rice, or it will never soften |
|---|---|---|
| Foil-pouch chicken | 3 oz | one pouch, drained is fine |
| Dried black beans, instant | 1/4 cup | flakes or instant refried, not whole beans |
| Dehydrated onion and bell pepper | 3 tbsp | |
| Chicken bouillon | 1 cube or 1 tsp | |
| Cumin, chili powder, garlic powder | 1 tsp total | |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | dropper bottle |
| Hot sauce packets | 2 | grab them from a taco counter |
Method
- Boil 450 ml of water. Drop in the dried vegetables, bouillon, and spices and let them sit for two minutes so the vegetables start opening up.
- Stir in the rice and the bean flakes. Cover, kill the heat, and wait eight minutes.
- Open the chicken pouch and fork it apart into shreds before it goes in. Whole chunks read as three bites of meat and none anywhere else.
- Stir in the chicken, the oil, and the hot sauce. If it is dry, add hot water 50 ml at a time.
Meat is the expensive part of dinner and the heavy part of a pack, so this recipe treats three ounces of chicken as a seasoning rather than a portion. The beans and rice carry the protein load underneath it; the bean flakes also thicken the pot so the chicken shreds get suspended through the whole thing instead of sinking.
Shredding matters more than it sounds. Chunks of pouch chicken distribute badly and leave most spoonfuls meatless, which is exactly the feeling you paid to avoid. Instant rice and instant bean flakes both rehydrate off residual heat, so the whole meal costs one boil and no simmering fuel.
Packing
Rice, beans, vegetables, bouillon, and spices premix into one quart bag at home. The chicken pouch and the oil ride separately. The pouch is the heaviest thing in this meal; do not carry two.
Variations
- Swap the beans for instant potato flakes and skip the cumin for a plainer, richer version.
- A tortilla on the side turns the leftovers in the pot into a second course.
- Pouched salmon or tuna works the same way, but drop the cumin.
https://dontwastethecrumbs.com/11-ways-to-save-money-on-meat-at-the-store