Trail Garlic Cheese Chicken
Freeze-dried chicken with a garlic-brown sugar glaze and melted cheese. Simple one-pot dinner.
- calories
- 550
- weight
- 3.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 157
- protein
- 22 g
- serves
- 1, scales
- prep
- 2 min
- cook
- 8 min
- total time
- 10 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
- Canister stove
- Alcohol / Esbit
- Backpacking
- Thru-hike
- One pot
- Grab and go
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Freeze-dried chicken | 1 oz | or dehydrated chicken pieces |
|---|---|---|
| Garlic powder | 1 tsp | |
| Brown sugar | 2 tbsp | |
| Olive oil | 2 tbsp | carried in a small dropper bottle |
| Salt | 1/2 tsp | |
| Powdered parmesan cheese | 1/4 cup | or grated hard cheese like aged cheddar |
Method
- Boil 300 ml of water. Add the freeze-dried chicken and simmer for three minutes until rehydrated and cooked through.
- Drain off most of the water, leaving just a thin layer in the bottom of the pot.
- Stir in the garlic powder, brown sugar, salt, and olive oil. Cook for two more minutes until the brown sugar caramelizes.
- Remove from heat. Stir in the powdered cheese until it coats everything.
This adapts a home-oven recipe to a canister stove. The garlic-brown sugar combination caramelizes slightly as water reduces, coating the chicken. Cheese dissolves in, adding fat and umami.
Freeze-dried chicken carries well for its concentrated calories. Hard aged cheese like parmesan travels better than fresh cheese and doesn’t spoil. The whole meal cooks in eight minutes once water boils.
Packing
Mix freeze-dried chicken, garlic powder, brown sugar, and salt into a single-serving bag at home. Carry olive oil in a dropper bottle and cheese in a small container to keep them from greasing the other ingredients.
Variations
- Add a pinch of red pepper flakes for heat.
- A half-teaspoon of soy sauce powder adds depth if you have it.
https://www.cookingbites.com/threads/cheesy-garlic-baked-chicken.778