The quest for camping food that is simple to make just moved a notch. With its new Chicken Salad product, Mountain House offers campers and backpackers a freeze-dried meal that requires nothing more than cold water and a short wait.
Until now, most all freeze-dried food companies recommended hot or boiling water for the reconstitution of “instant” camp food. But with its Chicken Salad product, which costs $6.50 a pack, Mountain House has formulated a mixture that necessitates no heat — add a small dose of cold water to the powdery mix and stir; let it sit for about 10 minutes; presto!, your meal is ready to eat.
It is for sale at outdoor stores like REI and on the Mountain House web site. The company uses white chicken meat and a mix of ingredients including cranberries, pumpkin seeds, corn starch, onion bits, vinegar, chives, and sugar. The result is a chicken salad that’s good, though not delicious.
When you’re on the move and not wanting to stop and fire up a stove, the Chicken Salad mix is a good alternative. With about 500 calories per pack, the chicken is enough to split between two adults.