When you are preparing for DIY long term food storage, having food items that are not only nutritious but can be cooked quickly is essential.
One of the food items that is arguably the best addition to long-term storage is freeze-dried chicken. You can either buy freeze-dried chicken from the nearest store or cook the chicken and freeze it at home following the freeze-drying process.
You can read our previous blog to learn more about the freeze-drying process for effective results that are both safe to eat and delicious.
How to Use Freeze-Dried Chicken?
Using freeze-dried chicken is extremely easy. You need to rehydrate it with the right amount of water to use it in any recipe you might want. You can follow a simple equation to rehydrate freeze-dried chicken.
Just put one part freeze-dried chicken chunks into 2 parts of water. Let it stand for 10-15 mins. After 10-15 mins, you can strain the chicken chunks. Now, since freeze-dried chicken is pre-cooked and pre-chopped when stored in Mylar bags, it can be used as is in different dishes. For example, you can quickly whip up casseroles, chicken noodle soup, chicken salad, and more.
Now, don’t worry; we won’t leave you clueless about where you can use freeze-dried chicken. Instead, we will share three quick and easy recipes with you that can make great use of freeze-dried chicken.
Recipe #1: Freeze-Dried Chicken Salad
If there is any chicken recipe that is versatile and customizable, it has to be chicken salad. The main ingredients are chicken and mayonnaise, and the rest of the ingredients can be customized as per your taste and preference. Here are a few things that we suggest you can add to your chicken salad.
- Paprika
- Scallions or red onions
- Celery
- Apples
- Carrots
- Tarragon
- Walnuts or pecans
- Mustard
- Hard-boiled eggs
- Basil
- Parsley
- Olives
- Grapes
- Pineapples
And this is not the end of it! You can add any ingredients you want to make a super nutritious chicken salad. If you have freeze-dried chicken, whipping this salad up can be done in just a few chops.
Make this salad when you want to eat something light yet nutritious.
Recipe #2: Freeze-dried chicken layered enchiladas
If you want to cook a scrumptious meal with minimal ingredients, this recipe is for you! This is everything that you need to make these delicious, healthy enchiladas.
- Rehydrated freeze-dried chicken- 1½ cups
- Dehydrated onions: ¼ cup
- Freeze-dried cheddar cheese: 1 ½ cups
- Enchilada sauce: 2 cups (homemade) or 2 cans (store-bought)
- Sour cream- 1 cup
- Green chilies (optional, as per taste)
- Tortilla- 10 (made of wheat to increase fiber intake)
Process:
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Mix all the ingredients: rehydrated chicken, dehydrated onions, cheese, enchilada sauce, and chilies.
- Take a baking dish. Layer your tortilla on the bottom. Put them as pieces to cover the whole dish and make it easy to serve.
- Put a thin layer of the filling containing chicken and cheese. Put another layer of the tortilla, followed by another layer of filling.
- Do this until you run out of tortillas and filling.
- Put the remaining enchilada sauce on top and sprinkle some more cheese.
- Bake for 25 mins until the cheese is bubbly.
Note: If you don’t have an oven or you cannot use one in an emergency, you can simply fill each tortilla with the filling. Toast it off in a pan. After that, you can layer it in the pan as traditional enchiladas and top it off with sauce and cheese. Heat until the cheese is bubbly.
Recipe #3: Freeze- Dried Chicken Noodle Soup
This is another simple nutritious recipe for you and your family. And for this recipe, you don’t even need to rehydrate your freeze-dried chicken prior.
You can make your preferred soup, and while it’s about to start boiling, you can add your freeze-dried chicken. Cook it for a few minutes. This is also the time when you can add cooked noodles.
The freeze-dried chicken will rehydrate and heat up eventually.
Bottom Line
You might have a hard time finding the best way to incorporate freeze-dried chicken into meals for you and your family. However, you can use it in any recipe that calls for chicken. You can drastically increase the nutrient level of any dish with freeze-dried chicken, and it is a great way to reduce your time to prep and cook.
Freeze-dried chicken could be a life saver in an emergency, but people also use it practically because it does not compromise the overall taste of the dish. So, start using freeze-dried chicken now and make it a part of your short-term or long-term food storage!
To get more food storage tips and advice, read our blog at Wallaby. We are a leading long-term food storage company offering a wide range of Mylar bags with oxygen absorbers.
Head to our website to check out our collection now.
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