Had one of these on a 4 day hike at about 10,000 ft. I was a little leary of a freeze dried chicken breast, but the two pieces rehydrated fine. Mashed potatoes were lightly seasoned and had some nice herb tones - I didn't feel need to add additional seasoning.
I was very hungry and ate both servings myself - as a 200 lb guy, I can eat a lot and I was full after that. It would maybe work for two for a lunch.
This meal is not a total write-off. The mash potatoes are editable. The freeze dried chicken breasts are something else. The first time I prepared this meal I followed the instructions to the letter. The texture of the breast meat was liken to the soles of my hiking boots. The second time around, I let the meat stew for an additional twenty minutes in hopes that the added time and heat would reconstitute thoroughly. No such luck. My advice, call out for Chick-fa-lay or Colonel Sanders if you're really craving chicken. Please pass the beef!
One of the shortcomings of dehydrated foods is that they are mostly rice or pasta. Consequently, about an hour later you are hungry again. After 3 or 4 days in the wilderness we both crave something more substantial.
This meal was simple but crushed my hunger after a 12 mile hike in the mountains of North Georgia. Was a bit surprised first to find two large dehydrated chicken breasts that initially felt like Styrofoam. When they were reconstituted, they were delicious. The potatoes were super easy to make and had a very good flavor. One thing I would recommend is if you are out in the woods and trying to eat with a spoon or spork, break the chicken into pieces inside the bag before you add the water then there’s no need to have to cut it with a spoon. I’ll buy these again.
Okay, so the kids in question are 19 to 21 years old, but these were loved by everyone. Four day hike going Rim to Rim and these were by far the favorite. Filling and flavorful.
I expected this to be mashed potatoes with the usual 1 cm chicken cubes, but it's two whole chicken breasts, complete with obligatory marks! In their dehydrated form they feel like balsa wood. The pack comes with a plastic pouch that contains the taters. So you dump in the 2 c. of water and try to submerge the breasts in the water. If the breasts won't submerge, just break them up until they do because once hydrated they get very tender and fall apart anyway; so better to have them thoroughly hydrated to prevent hard spots. I found 2 c. of water, as recommended, to be the right amount - chicken was super tender but not waterlogged and the potatoes were fluffy as you'd expect. The chicken is flavorless, so eat it with the potatoes. If you were on the trail you'd probably not want to remove the breasts as the instructions say but just rehydrate them then add the potatoes to the bag with the chicken breasts - you can then eat with a fork easily because the chicken is flaky. The chicken hydrated in 3 or 4 min and then the potatoes hydrated in about 30 seconds to 1 min. This would be VERY welcome after a hard day doing whatever you do or even just as a quick dinner.
This review really has two parts. In short, plastic chicken, decent potatoes.
Being in the military, I compare these meals with the MREs I am familiar with. While the MRE has more bells and whistles, this meal was tasty and the texture of the chicken breast was tender. I had feared it would be like rubber and was pleasantly surprised. The only slight drawbacks are insufficient seasoning which could be mistaken for a personal preference and the amount of water required versus the instructions on the back. The instructions call for submerging the meat. But this took more than the 1.5 cups. However, using more than 1.5 cups risks making the mashed potatoes runny. I recommend using the amount recommended even if you don't submerge the chicken. Shake the bag lightly to ensure that the chicken gets moistened all over. Great dinner!
I recently picked up a lot of different meals for a backpacking trip. All of them were delicious, but this was the only meal that left me feeling good after I was done (everything else gave me an upset stomach and heartburn). The mashed potatoes were amazing, and the chicken had a very nice texture considering that it looked like thick cardboard while dried. Tons of customization depending on which spices you want to add, very versatile meal. I do have a lot more meals to try out, but this is my go-to in the future.
It was surprising to see 2 whole chicken breasts in the package and they taste real and have a good mouthfeel , not being rubbery unlike other products. The only drawback is that cooking requires taking out the chicken breasts after they are hydrated. this means that you will require a separate container/plate to hold your chicken breasts while the mashed potatoes cook. The mashed potatoes were flavorful and not exceedingly salty. Overall a nice product that tastes like real food and is well suited for backpacking
That's horrible and awful put together. The first and only Mountain House flavor that wasn't excellent. Very disappointing and completely out of character for the brand. Also very difficult to cook without utensils. You have to re-hydrate the chicken first, then take it out a set it aside (on a rock? I didn't bring plates.), then re-hydrate the potatoes, which, by the way, were terrible. Stick with Chili Mac and Beef Stroganoff.
I have a lot of Mountain House food and always take it into the wilderness, but this particular entree is not suitable for minimal camping. The instructions require the meat to be removed from the pouch before adding the the mash, but when backpacking 'ultra light' one does not have another receptacle to store the meat - or a sieve type utensil for removing the meat - whilst the mash is cooking.
Took this backpacking with my wife. The first night we had the Potatoes and Beef. It was great. The next night after a long day of backpacking and hiking through rain and hail, we were cold and hungry. We made this meal and were expecting to get a warm meal to nourish us and make us ready for the next day. Both of us couldn't finish our food. We were both really hungry but couldn't stomach the chicken or the potatoes. My wife absolutely loves potatoes in any form and frequently will make them from powder. SHE wouldn't even finish it. We ended up throwing it out and going to bed hungry. I nearly threw up and spend a couple hours with a stomach ache before I could go to sleep. Neither of us suffered any other discomfort after or during the trip so it wasn't altitude sickness or anything else. I will never buy this again.
The instructions call for the chicken to be re-hydrated first and then the remainder of the meal. We prefer one-pot meals to eliminate cleanup and potential bear attraction.
So we broke the chicken into small pieces first and mixed it with the other ingredients. Then we pored in the hot water and were able to share the meal right from the pouch.
Tasted great and much less mess to deal with that what the instructions called for.
Bought myself a variety of 10 or so different pre-packed dehydrated meals and used them all this summer while doing 1-2 day backpacking hikes.
Several comments have cited the inconvenience of this and other Mountain House "Pouch" entrees. While we have used these for minimalist, high-altitude (including cold weather) backpacking/mountaineering, these are not really intended for that, while the Pro-Paks are more closely suited to those environments.
This was supposed to be a meal large enough for 2 but either the bag was underfilled due to a manufacturing issue or the bag tipped over and some of the contents spilled out before the bag was sealed.
Plenty of meat (unusual for freeze-dried), lots of flavor, and regular meat texture for chicken - not the usual dry chewy lumps. We didn't remove the chicken pieces from the bag to rehydrate as directed - just added the potatoes and stirred up the chicken a bit to get the pieces that weren't totally rehydrated. HUGE serving sizes, but we finished it all because it was so delicious. After a strenuous backpack up into the Rockies, this really hit the spot. Our son complained that it was "too spicy" but the rest of us found it just about right. It might have benefitted from a LITTLE less spice, but others (like my husband)would disagree. It would be nice if it could be packaged a bit more compactly. We were required to use "bear canisters", and this took up most of the space in our cannister - it would be nice if they could remove some of the excess air before sealing it.
This was surprisingly good. I just ignored directions and threw meat in with potatoes, added boiling water and let sit. 30 mins later the food was cool enough to eat and the meat was actually good. The potoato ends up being runny, but good.
Still the best is tereyakai or their beef stew, I think. I ate Mountain House freeze dried dinners for 2 months. No ill effects. When youre hungry, they are very good tasting.
My son and I took advantage of First Day Hike for New Years. I let him pick out a meal for our lunch and he picked the Chicken with Mashed Potatoes. We were both very impressed. We modified instructions a little. We broke the chicken into bite size pieces and poured in water for 2 minutes. Then we added the potatoes into pouch with chicken and mixed for several more minutes. Then we separated mix and enjoyed.
I'm a big fan of Mountain House and I was very disappointed with this meal... bland and salty... I tried it at home first and I ate some and threw the rest out.... I will not get this next time... but I love the chile mac!
Very good! Actual grilled chicken and what amounts to a well seasoned pack of instant potatoes. I was initially concerned that simple grilled chicken breasts would be a bit bland but they really weren't and the flavor of the potatoes makes this a great meal. The preparation instructions are more complicated than they need to be. Boiling water on the chicken by itself for 2-3 minutes, then remove the chicken and add the potato packet to the water to mix for 2 minutes. Yeah right, I didn't feel like picking chicken pieces out scalding water, (nor did I have any place to put them outside of the package.) so I let the chicken soak by itself for 3 minutes then threw the potatoes in on top and shook it around real good occasionally for the next 2-3 minutes. Texture was good, the potatoes and chicken re-hydrated as separate foods, not mush. I'm a big guy and this pack was more than I could finish.
OK this was my first experience w/ any dehydrated or any Mt. House products and I will say I'm sold! Delicious and almost as good as home.
Wow, what can I say? The potatoes were great (like the kind you get out of a box--yes these are good too). The chicken looked, smelled and tasted like real chicken. I would just keep it in the hot water a little longer than what the instructions suggest. And it was easy enough to eat out of the bag. Seriously, this was great after a long hike and no sushi place or Starbucks in sight!
I'd smash up the big chunks of chicken if you want to stir them into the potatoes and just use the "boil, pour, stir, and let it sit" rehydration method. I left the pieces whole and didn't exactly follow the directions (sheer laziness), so the chicken didn't fully rehydrate and it was kind of like chewing on chicken jerky. Next time, I'm smashing it up and I think it'd be fine
As long as you submerge the chicken completely in the water, and wait the necessary time, it's AMAZINGLY good! I accidentally didn't put enough water in the first time, and one piece came out with a not-so-cooked end. The next day I tried another package of it, took more care to follow the directions, and it was perfect! Really good tasting, and the potatoes were good to!
I'm a big fan of Mountain House, but a bit disappointed in this one.
First - The Good:
The chicken in here is real chicken! Seriously, you get some lovely full-meat chicken texture...not some reformulated stamped goo. It reconstitutes quite well too. This is as meaty as it gets! The mashed potatoes reconstitute very well too. Start out slightly drier as you can always add water later, or use half & half or milk for some creamier potatoes.
Ok, every review before this one has already given Mountain House Grilled Chicken Breasts and Mashed Potatoes for Two high marks so what more could I add?
The packet contains 2 pieces of chicken breast and powder for mashed potatoes. I prefer to break the chicken breast into smaller pieces and then add the mashed potatoes powder along with hot water, mix well, let stand for cca 10 minutes. The flavor of the meal is good, meal is filling, easy to prepare, great way to eat while backpacking.
I have tried lots of the freeze dried meals and never thought they were that great until I had this one. The chicken actually looked and tasted like real chicken! I know that after a long day of hiking on the A.T. this meal really hits the spot! My mom and I always make sure this is in our packs before we head out on the trail.
Pretty good stuff. The chicken tastes less meat-stringy and more like a salmon patty. Potatoes taste like the ones when you buy them in the packets at the store. I don't particulaly like those; I like mine more plain, but these are fine.
At [$], it is a little more expensive than many other freeze dried food, but it does have two good sized pieces of chicken! When I made it for my family, they loved it. Nobody believed it was freeze dried. I would make it again and plan to recommend it for our Boy Scout Troop / Venture Crew backpacking camp out.
This meal hit the spot after 11 miles of hiking. One thing to note on this meal is you need a place to put the chicken while the potatoes rehydrate in the bag, I just used the pot I boiled water in. This is one of the those meals you think about while your hiking and it makes your mouth water, I recommend it.
This was a meal choice of my husbands for hiking the manistee river loop in michigan. Although he said he doubted the food when he opened it he was pleasantly surprised when it turned into real meat and potatoes. Salt and pepper and he was a happy hiker. Now one of his first choices for meals backpacking
I bought this three weeks ago for a scout outing with my son. I will be totally honest I was kind of afraid to try it at first. I was thinking it was going to be not so good tasting, but I was very much wrong. My son and I both enjoyed it, east to make. My son even asked if we can get more for home meals.
My favorite freeze-dried meal; goes on every trip. Chicken rehydrates well and is delicious on the trail. Potatos make it a very "stick to your ribs" kind of meal.
On my three day backpacking trip just recently, I saved this meal for last. The thought of a chicken breast had my mouth watering the whole day. Unfortunately the hype I built up for this didn't totally live up to the real thing. Don't get me wrong, it was a good meal, but the night before I had some really good stroganoff which set the bar quite high. Also, the chicken breasts weren't whole any longer, and there's something about wet meat I just didn't like. Overall though, the chicken tasted good, and I loved the mashed potatoes, so I would seriously consider buying again. Just don't expect this to be like chicken from home, because it's not. If you want something that meets, or beats expectations, go with the stroganoff instead. Oh, and one last thing. After eating this, I was still quite hungry. It might have just been me though since every night I still was a little hungry. If you are the type that needs more food, eat the whole 2 person pack to yourself. Next time that's what I'll do.
After 3 day in the backcountry, my husband and sons ages 8 and 11 were giddy with excitement over this meal. It is a great reprieve from noodle and rice dishes. Chicken rehydrated well and was incredibly tasty. Grill marks on chicken a nice touch. Now a definite must for our future trips.
Took this meal on a rainy trip in the Sierras. Got camp made and when the post exercise chill kicked in, a packet of this hit the spot. We broke the chicken into bite-sized pieces before we added the water. Made eating a lot easier. This is my favorite cold weather meal!
Couldn't believe the chicken breasts were real. Wasn't expecting this to taste as good as it does. Just make sure you follow the directions and cover the breasts with water. You might want to let them soak a few minutes longer then it states in the directions.
The chicken breast & beef patty meals are the only Mountain House products I eat. All the rest are loaded with way too much sodium & tasteless. The aforementioned are innovative, tasty, & filling. This is a nice change from the standard meal-in-a-bag MRE.
This was not the best meal I have eaten but it wasn't the worst either. I would have to be extremely hunger to eat this again. If I had a choice, I'd go with something else. I would also use less water to make the mashed potatoes. They were a little runny.
I bought this a couple days before I hit the trail. Let me tell you, it was filling enough for one starving hiker. Last time I had the beef stroganoff and it was not as good as this. The only bad thing here was the weight. Just a tad too bulky though.
This was really tasty. At first the chicken texture freaked me out but I got over it and it was great. Two chicken breasts and plenty of potatoes, you'll definitely want something else to eat if you're splitting it with a friend though.
I have used this product about five times and every time I eat it I am thankful for one of the most natural tasting packaged meals. It is easy to prepare. Just add a few veges in the mix and you are good to go.
The perp work is ez , and taste is chicken and mash potato, shelf life 25 years guarantee , if you would keep for a while it should be good , had mine a week after receiving , packaging it very nice tough .
Very easy to make, just boil once, use water twice; I just put the chicken back into the bag and ate from there. The texture of the chicken was pretty good, used salt and pepper to add just a little 'kick'.
My son had this meal on a two night pack out. I was skeptical until I tried it. The chicken breast was very good in texture and taste. A bit of a bulky meal to carry, better for a short 1 or 2 night hike.
This food from Mountain House is probably my #1 favorite dinner food. The fact that it actually has chicken and mashed potatoes somehow makes it more filling and satisfying than many other camp foods.
This is the meatest freeze dried meal I've ever had. great texture and flavor. my con that its bulcky is also a plus because its alot of food! Was a great treat when I was hiking through Greenland.
It really is as good as the other reviews state. Very hearty and flavorful, surprised at how good the chicken actually was. I too recommend breaking the chicken up before adding water.
Usually my standby is Beef Stroganoff, but this will now be a staple in my pack as well. The potatoes were creamy and just the right consistency. The chicken tasted like normal chicken.
Super good! I’d eat this as at home. I break up the chicken, add hot water then wait 3 min. I then add the potatoes with the chicken, mix and wait 2 min and eat.
This is the best backpacking (freeze-dried) meal! The chicken comes out moist and flavorful and the potatoes come out good also! It's filling and delicious!
Excellent taste and easy to prepare. However the chicken breast was a little stringy and difficult to chew. Maybe needed to hydrate longer
This a great meal. It does what you need it to do. It fills you up after a long hike and it has flavor. I take this one on every hike.
Love the mash and chicken. Potatoes are a little dry so add a little extra water to pouch. Filling meal after long day on the trail.
It was OK, little cumbersome having to remove the meat and heat the potatoes separately. Id rather have the Chili mac with beef...
The chicken texture is a little disturbing. But once you get over that it's actually really delicious. Worth a try!
Trying this out before backpacking and I will definitely buy another one. Enough for 2 people and tasty
Lightweight, simple, and quick to prepare. Most importantly the chicken and potatoes taste awesome!
About as good as you can get from a freeze dried item. I was reminded of a meal from a "Coco's".
Great meal. Tastes like slightly overcooked chicken and mashed potatoes. Hearty and delicious.
Tried this in preparation for a camping trip. Will be a great addition to the camp larder.
It tasted SHOCKINGLY delicious. I was shocked that dehydrated meals can taste so good.
My dog and l must say not bad but expensive! It’s our favorite they make for dinner
This is the best mountain house meal ever. Just give me some salt and im in heaven
Always get this one when going out. Is very filling and tastes great as well.
Easier to eat if you break apart chicken before adding water. Very flavorful
Like eating at Mom's table. Taste and texture were like a home cooked meal.
Like the light weight aspects of the product for backpacking trips
Flavors are there, and very quick and easy to make.
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