Backpacking · Prepping · Recipes

Instant Mug Meals: Italian Chicken

I have been working on recipes for our sister site, TrailCooking, that I realized work well for prepper and on-the-go meals. Easy to prepare, easy to pull together – yet all they need is hot water and a few minutes sit time (and can be prepped with cool water in a pinch). No need to worry if the power goes out, just grab a prepared bag or jar, and you won’t have to worry about going hungry. And no need to find a place to get food at if in town – if there is a latte stand/coffee shop around, you can easily ask for some hot water, and in hotels you can heat water in the coffee pot – or get hot water in the lobby set out for hot tea. The meals are gluten-free and carb friendly (only carbs are from the vegetables).

In this recipe, I use freeze-dried ingredients to get a quick meal.

I’ve also added a mason jar method for taking meals on the go with you, a green alternative to using plastic bags to store ingredients in.

Italian Chicken

In a snack or sandwich-size bag or 8-ounce mason jar:

Insulated Mug Method:

Pack all ingredients in a bag or mason jar.

Add dry ingredients into an insulated mug, add 1/3 cup boiled water, stir well, and cover tightly.

Let sit for 15 minutes. Stir before eating.

Taking on-the-go:

Pack the meal into an 8 ounce mason jar. Add 1/3 cup boiled water to it, stir, cover, and let sit 15 minutes. Stir before eating.

Serves 1.

Notes: 

For those wanting a more filling meal, this can be served tossed with hot pasta or over rice, or served in a tortilla wrapped up.

The shelf stable Parmesan cheese is the “green lid”. In other words, Kraft or similar. We found an organic version at Costco that doesn’t have fillers added.

~Sarah