White Chicken Chili, Camp Version
Freeze-dried chicken, instant beans, and green chiles rehydrated in one pot.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 5.5 oz
- cal / oz
- 113
- protein
- 45 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 5 min
- cook
- 12 min
- total time
- 17 min
- water
- 600 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
- Campfire coals
- Liquid fuel
- Car camping
- Backpacking
- Basecamp
- Canoe / raft
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Freeze-dried chicken | 3 oz | canned chicken works if weight is not an issue |
|---|---|---|
| Instant refried white beans | 1 cup | dehydrated flakes, not canned |
| Dried onion flakes | 2 tbsp | |
| Dried green chiles | 2 tbsp | or a foil pouch of diced green chiles |
| Garlic powder | 1 tsp | |
| Cumin | 1 tsp | |
| Chili powder | 1 tsp | |
| Salt | 1 tsp | |
| Black pepper | 1 tsp | |
| Ground red pepper | a pinch | |
| Chicken bouillon | 2 tsp | |
| Olive oil | 1 tbsp | |
| Corn chips | 1 cup | crushed, added at the bowl |
Method
- Boil 600 ml of water. Stir in the bouillon, chicken, onion, and chiles.
- Cover and hold at a low simmer for five minutes so the chicken takes on water.
- Kill the heat. Stir in the bean flakes a few spoonfuls at a time until it thickens.
- Add the spices and the oil. Let it sit five minutes with the lid on; it keeps thickening.
- Crush the corn chips over the top as you eat.
The original simmers a whole chicken breast in a box of broth for an hour. That is an hour of fuel and four cups of water you have to carry or filter, so both go. Freeze-dried chicken rehydrates in five minutes and arrives already shredded, and bouillon turns plain water into broth at a fraction of the weight.
Instant refried bean flakes do double duty. They stand in for the canned white beans and they thicken the pot, which is what canned beans and a long simmer were doing together. Sour cream and shredded cheese are out with no cooler; the olive oil covers the fat they were adding, and the corn chips keep the crunch.
Packing
Beans, chicken, onion, chiles, spices, and bouillon go in one bag at home. Oil rides in a dropper bottle, chips in their own bag so they stay chips.
Variations
- A packet of powdered coconut milk stirred in at the end replaces the sour cream without a cooler.
- Swap the corn chips for a handful of instant rice cooked in the same pot for another 200 calories.
https://thervatlas.com/food/white-chicken-chili