This is a classic backpacking meal. If you are not backpacking, it is bad. Basically a carb bomb with some fat added.
The key is to dehydrate some canned chicken. Try a few different brands of canned chicken to find one you like. It is already cooked in the can, so all you have to do is squeeze out as much water as possible and then flake it on to the dehydrator sheet. About 8 hours at 145 degrees should do the trick.
A second note is that I used Bob’s Red Mill potato flakes which are only potato flakes. As a result, there are no additional ingredients. Most boxed mashed potatoes come with added items.
A third note is the I used Simply Organic chicken gravy which had the least amount of added ingredients. I felt the mainline gravy mixes had ingredient lists which required an advanced degree in chemistry to understand.
Finally, the stuffing is optional. It really doesn’t really add any significant texture, but there are some flavors. (Remember to shake up the stuffing to distribute the spices.)
1 cup potato flakes
1/2 cup stuffing mix
1/2 cup dehydrated canned chicken
1/2 tsp instant chicken gravy
1/2 tsp chicken broth powder (or bullion)
2 Tbsp Sour Cream powder
1 Tbsp whole milk powder
2 Tbsp butter powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
Mix all ingredients together. Will fit in a quart sized ziplock. Note: I put the dehydrated chicken in a small snack sized zip-close bag to reduce the chance of the meat going bad and contaminating the whole meal. Also, I put all of this in a quart sized mylar bag (with an oxygen absorber) and heat sealed it. Some of the meals I made are not going to be eaten for 5 months so I proceeded with caution. If it was just for a week or two, I would personally keep it in a ziploc (note: I am not a doctor or food scientist)
At camp, rehydrate with boiled water. The chicken will take the longest to rehydrate (about 10 minutes). You’ll probably want to have a little extra hot water handy because the potato flakes are greedy.
Add spices if you like. I find that the gravy powder, broth, stuffing, and even the chicken had enough salt. By my calculations, this recipe has 725 Calories, 37 grams fat, 72 g carbs, and 41 g protein. I averaged about 6.5 ounces, so it yields only about 110 calories ber ounce. You can go crazy with add-ins. One could put in an ounce of extra virgin olive oil (evoo) to bump up the calories/fat. Or those fake bacon bits or some powdered cheese.
One last tip involving mashed potatoes: Every couple of weeks I’ll resupply with a snack sized baggie of potato flakes. They are handy to add to a meal that is too soupy. Plus, they can be a quick easy meal in a pinch.
backpacking over the hill 