The concept of the infamous KFC Bowl is pretty simple: Mashed potatoes, corn, chicken, and gravy topped with cheese (if you like it). It’s not exactly healthy by any means – it has a lot of sodium. Besides the fried chicken on top, adding to the mess. But what if you could make a version of it in the outdoors? That was a lot lower in sodium. And tasted awesome?
Our KFC Chicken and Corn Backpacking Bowl recipe is an FBC Hybrid meal. By using freezer bag cooking for the potatoes and the corn/chicken, you only need one pot to prepare the meal. Boil water, then make the gravy. It is very easy, and it serves 2 hungry appetites.
KFC Chicken and Corn Backpacking Bowls
Pack in a quart freezer bag:
- 1 4-ounce packet of lower-sodium mashed potatoes
Pack in a quart freezer bag:
- 1 cup freeze-dried corn
- 1 cup freeze-dried chicken
Also take:
FBC Hybrid Method:
Mark potato bag “Add 2 cups of water”. Mark corn and chicken bag. “Add 1½ cups of water”.
In a pot, bring 3½ cups of water to a boil.
Place the potato bag in an FBC Cozy and add in 2 cups water, stirring well with a long-handled spoon. Seal the bag tightly. Place the corn bag on top and add in 1½ cups water, seal tightly.
Let sit to rehydrate for 15 minutes.
Prep the gravy:
Add 1 cup water to the pot, add the gravy mix, and stir well.
Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Take off the stove.
Dish the potatoes equally (you can use two bags cuffed halfway down to make a “bowl”).
Top with the corn and chicken (if water is left behind, carefully drain off).
Smother with gravy.
Serves two large appetites.
Notes:
If you want cheese, you can use fresh or freeze-dried. I chose to leave it off.
The corn/chicken makes a lot of topping, so you might want to only use¾ cup of each, and if you do, reduce the water down to 1 cup.
We used chicken gravy, as that is what we had on hand in the hiker’s pantry. Brown gravy would be more authentic to the KFC Bowl, but the chicken tastes great.
Yes, you can use canned or pouched chicken. If you choose to do this, reduce the water for the corn by half. Add the chicken to the gravy to warm it up.
Prepping the gravy.
Dinner is served.
~Sarah
great example of going from a home or restaurant meal to a camping recipe.
While in Jamaica on a dive trip a dive guide point out the local KFC restaurant as we drove by it. He said, “Hey mon, ya know what KFC means here in Jamaica?” I said no… he laughed and said, “Keep From Cookin’ MON!” Guess that would apply to this recipe too! We be Jammin’… the jerk chicken in Jamaica is out of this world too!