A. and I really like to dehydrate our own food. I guess it comes from our backpacking background. When we started backpacking we could not afford freeze dried meals and fresh food is way too heavy. Now that we can afford freeze dried we have decided that we like our own cooking much better.

Here is a recipe that we really like and want to share. We make it in a batch large enough for three two person meals for a 12 day trip. You can adjust it to your needed amount. Unless you are feeding a large number at home do not prepare all of this.

Chicken and Squash

Ingredients:
6 chicken breasts
6 small zucchinis squash
5 small yellow squash
6 Roma tomatoes
1 large yellow onion
  Oregano (to taste)
  Basil      (to taste)
  Thyme   (to taste)  (We are lucky to have Rock Island Thyme        
                              that we pick each summer)
  Italian Seasoning (to taste) (This is somewhat redundant but  
                          has other things in it than the above spices)
  Olive Oil
6 cups of instant brown rice (Reserved if you are taking it to
                                       Canoe Country.)

Preparation (read the whole recipe before starting)
In a 8 quart boiler cover chicken breasts with water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is cooked. Once the chicken is cooked through, remove and allow to cool. (The stock you have created can be saved to make chicken noodle soup or chicken and dumplings at a later date by running it through a sieve to remove the scrap. It can be frozen for later use.)

Once the chicken has cooled enough to touch you need to remove and  discard the bone and skin. Now the "fun" begins. the chicken must be shredded, or stripped into small pieces. Length does not matter, width does. In order to dry chicken correctly it must be thin. Otherwise it will not reconstitute.

Next Heat enough olive oil to generously cover the bottom of a large skillet (we prefer cast iron). Slice squash about 1/4 inch thick. Dice the tomatoes. Dice the onion. Place the vegetables in the heated oil and added generous amounts of spices. Sautee vegetables until they are still slightly crisp. Add shredded chicken. Mix.

Meanwhile(if eating at home) Prepare your instant rice per package instructions.

At Home Place Chicken and Squash mixture on bed of rice and serve.

For Canoe Country Dry the Chicken and Squash Mixture in your dehydrator at 155 degrees F. The squash will shrink and lose it's recognizable appearance but do not fear, even though when reconstituted it does not look all that much like squash, it still tastes wonderful. Divide the dried mixture in three parts. Pack the dried ingredients in a crush proof container. We use the cheap "TakeAlongs" containers from Rubbermaid, with out lids and sealed in bags with our FoodSaver. The reason for this is that shredded chicken has a tendency to turn to powder if you do not store it in crush proof containers. Also package the amount of rice you need in separate packages to be prepared the day of the meal.

In Camp On the day you choose to eat this meal place the days portion in a sauce pan and cover with water about three hours before meal time. Place sauce pan on fire grate (unlit) or another out of the way place. About one half hour before meal time, slowly warm the mixture and make reserved rice. When all is ready serve Chicken and Squash mixture over Rice.

Enjoy!

We would also like to add that A. can not stand squash! But she begs me to make this recipe for home and camping!

PM&A,

Thanks for the recipe. I am a recent convert to the joys of dehydrating and really find satisfaction in 1) growing my own food 2) dehydrating it and 3) consuming it with gusto in canoe country.

I am gonna try your chicken and squash recipe....by mid-summer I am up to my arse in squash.

Thanks again....

The Beaver

P M & A,

I prepared a portion of your recipe this weekend; I dehydrayted chicken for the first time.

I made the chicken on the grill then shredded it by hand into uniform-sized pieces. I was surprised at how fast it dehydrated. You're right about the chicken turning to "powder". Have to be careful.

I finished preparing it by using the Food Saver, then into plastic GladWare containers.

I will prepare the veggies at some point in the future. Thanks again.

The Beaver

The_Beaver

You are welcome! We hope you enjoy it!

M and A

P M&A

I make a White Chili with dehydrated chicken. I start early to fix this on base camp or lay-over days by letting everything soak most of the day (dried beans take awhile). Even so the chicken still is a little bit chewy. Is it this way for you too?

Also, I have never soaked anything in oil before drying it. How does that work out? Is there still an oil texture on everything when done?

Sorry for all the questions, but I love to dehydrate most of my meals too.

blackstick

There does not seem to be any oily residue. I use so very little in cooking this recipe. The oil in the pan really is just to keep it from burning. I say generously but when you are making a batch large enough for 4 good sized meals it really is not that much. We always eat one meal at home and package three for the trip.

I strip this chicken into such fine strips that there is very little if any chewiness left to it. In the past I had that problem and that led me to  stripping the chicken fine. Tearing the chicken so thin leads to it powderizing if you do not handle and package it carefully.

No problem with the questions. Only way we get to pass knowledge, or learn it is by asking and answering!

M and A

P.S. Feel free to share recipes! We love to learn new ones! ;D

P M&A,

Thanks! It sounds good and I am going to try this one this year, as I like squash too. Never tried it with chicken and rice though.

Once I get my thoughts in order, I’ll try to post the White Chili in the Recipe section. I see that there are no chili recipes, yet.