I have read on other posts and have seen on You tube video's that canned chicken rehydrated better than fresh chicken so I thought I would give It a try. It stands to reason that if the chicken is packed in juices that it would be more tender to start with and rehydrate better.

I'm sure the bagged chicken is a great alternative to dehydrated chicken but Costco has the canned chicken priced at $10.50 for six 12 Oz cans making It look economical as well.

I'd like to get some Input before I fire up the dehydrator about roughly how small to make the chunks so they rehydrate well and what It should look and feel like when It's done. Also if anyone has tips on seasoning, portion size for real people that like to eat or anything else that has worked out well for them I'd be glad to hear it.

I wonder if it rehydrates better because it has a higher sodium content...? I'll bet the fresh chicken that's injected with a sodium solution rehydrates better than fresh chicken that isn't.

I can't help much with portion size other than to say everyone's is different depending on size, metabolism, and activity level. It can also be affected by weather conditions. The important thing is to know yours. I'm not an offensive lineman (about half of one) and don't need to eat as much as one. Ernie was and he ate about twice as much as I did, or almost as much as I ate when I was a teenager ;).

I'm glad I don't have to do food for a large mixed group. Nobody wants to not have enough, but having a bunch of leftovers is no good either. And carrying a bunch of extra weight from uneaten food is no fun either.

I'd probably be satisfied with a third to a half can of the chicken (4-6 oz.).

I looked at the sodium content in the can and was surprised, 2 oz serving size in a 12.5 oz can has 270 mg. I don't know what your daily sodium intake should be but that looks like a high sodium content when I'm guessing I could probably eat the whole can at one meal.

Canned chicken is great for recipes. I do a few cans at a time in the machine. USDA says meat portions (which I feel are small) should be 4 oz or the size of your palm. So 4 oz per person for a meal. The larger can can be split between 2 people. How much you need for a recipe depends on what you are adding to the chicken for your meal. Drain the chicken, rinse with a little warm water to get the fat out, drain again. Place the contents on a dehydrating tray that has been wiped with a little vegetable oil. One can should fit on a tray, break up the pieces so that it resembles crab. Dry for an hour at 145', move the chicken around-flip so all areas get air, dry another hour, repeat till dry. It will be crunchy & brittle when done. Try a little right off the tray, tastes pretty good. Use a rubber scraper to get all the dried chicken into your ziplock or vacuum seal bag of choice. Store in the freezer.

http://www.backpackingchef.com/dehydrating-chicken.html

So I should use canned chicken instead of fresh chicken if I am going to dehydrate it?

quote wingnut: " I looked at the sodium content in the can and was surprised, 2 oz serving size in a 12.5 oz can has 270 mg. I don't know what your daily sodium intake should be but that looks like a high sodium content when I'm guessing I could probably eat the whole can at one meal."

Yeah, it has quite a bit of sodium, especially if you plan to eat the whole can ;). I think 2400 mg per day is the recommended amount. The label also probably tells you that 270 mg is 11% DV (daily value)? Even 2 servings (4 oz.) would be 540 mg of sodium, which isn't bad if everything else you ate with had none. Two servings of instant rice would add 20 mg of sodium.

But it makes sense that it rehydrates well when you consider that "brining" is what people do to help poultry retain moisture.

quote wannabeoutthere: "So I should use canned chicken instead of fresh chicken if I am going to dehydrate it?"

Browned ground meat and canned chicken were the first 2 proteins (other than venison jerky) that I used to try out my dehydrator when it was brand new to me. It's a great way to start and gain some confidence using the machine. Each has its own flavor & texture, I like both fairly equally. Fresh cooked chicken can be dried as well-it might take a little longer. You also have to make sure to remove all the fat/skin and cut it into small evenly sized pieces. Canned chicken pulls apart & looks shredded making it slightly easier/faster to rehydrate than the fresh version.

For me, it depends on the meal/recipe. My jambalaya has fresh cooked chicken in it and that gets dehydrated all together-meats, veg & sauce. For my chicken with stuffing, vegetables & gravy-I use canned chicken because the ingredients are packed separately.

Thanks for the Input. I'll dehydrate the canned bird today. My first look at the chicken looks good, Much like canned tuna fish. Some chunks and some shredded meat, no fat. I gave it a good rinse before putting it on the trays. Hoping that will wash off some of the salt.

The 12.5oz can drained and rinsed weighed 7oz and looked like if I stacked it a bit would fit on 1 hand. Looks like a 1 portion serving to me. Should make 2 chicken burritos or a good portion along with potatoes dressing and gravy.

quote wingnut: " Thanks for the Input. I'll dehydrate the canned bird today. My first look at the chicken looks good, Much like canned tuna fish. Some chunks and some shredded meat, no fat. I gave it a good rinse before putting it on the trays. Hoping that will wash off some of the salt.


The 12.5oz can drained and rinsed weighed 7oz and looked like if I stacked it a bit would fit on 1 hand. Looks like a 1 portion serving to me. Should make 2 chicken burritos or a good portion along with potatoes dressing and gravy. "

Looks like you are well on your way...good luck. Your portions sound about right to me, you need fuel when you are out there. If I make a "new to them" dish, I invite as many as can make it to a trial run of the meal at home. It helps with fuel consumption estimates, portioning, flavors, feedback and who likes what. One meal I made at home, I was starving after a few short hours, so I added vegetables and a creamed soup to the meal to bulk it up and then it was good to go. Good lesson, glad I discovered it needed a fix. Plus..It gets me excited for a trip..camp food at home. Enjoy...dehydrating is fun!

Need to do a side by side taste test with canned versus the store bought roasted ones that seem pretty juicy. Maybe compare with foil pack and see if weight savings (and work) is worth it. Suspect it depends a lot on how one uses it - in instant gravy or mixed with mayo and relish for a spread or other.

The McCormick powder poultry gravy has been a hit at my house. I bought some to try out for camping and we use it all the time now. I'm guessing when I rehydrate the canned chicken it will probably break all the way down to more of a pulled pork texture. This stuff was really tender to start with. It dried down very well. Slid off the parchment paper.

The rotisserie chicken would be another option. I didn't give it a thought, they are fall off the bone tender.

My wife found a sweet and sour chicken recipe that has turned into my favorite meal. Chicken covered with the sweet and sour sauce and strips of peppers and sweet onions on top of rice. I should be able to dehydrate the sauce into a leather and the vegetables as strips and put it all back together at a campsite.

quote wingnut:
My wife found a sweet and sour chicken recipe that has turned into my favorite meal. Chicken covered with the sweet and sour sauce and strips of peppers and sweet onions on top of rice. I should be able to dehydrate the sauce into a leather and the vegetables as strips and put it all back together at a campsite."

I'm thinking you should share that recipe.

Here's another idea get the Freeze dried chicken. I got a #10 can and opened it and divided it up into two serving food save pouches and vac sealed them.

Here you are sunnyday. It's from the Dec, Jan, 2011 Issue of taste of home magazine.
Hawaiian chicken
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
6 skinless boneless chicken breast halves. 6oz each
3 Tbsp. canola oil
1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 tsp. chicken bouillon granules
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1 can 20 oz unsweetened sliced pineapple
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 medium green pepper cut into rings
hot cooked rice

In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the flour, salt and pepper. Add chicken 1 piece at a time, and shake to coat. In a skillet brown chicken in oil. Transfer to a greased 13 x 9 baking dish.
In a small saucepan, combine the sugar, cornstarch, bouillon and ginger. Drain pineapple into a 2 cup measuring cup ; set pineapple aside. Add enough cold water to juice to measure 1 1/4 cups. Stir in vinegar and soy sauce. Gradually wisk into sugar mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes until thickened.
Pour sauce over chicken; top with green pepper and reserved pineapple. Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 20 to 30 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 170. Serve with rice.
We substituted the green peppers with red, yellow or orange peppers because they are milder and used sweet onions along with the peppers.

FYI on rotisserie chickens/fresh chickens regarding sodium intake...
About one-third of the fresh chicken found in supermarket meat cases have been synthetically saturated with a mix of water, salt, and other additives via needle injections and high-pressure vacuum tumbling. The process is designed to make naturally lean poultry meat juicier and more tender. A 4-ounce serving of what the industry calls "enhanced" poultry can contain as much as 440mg sodium. That's nearly one-fifth of the current 2,300mg daily sodium allotment.

That's more sodium than the canned version, of course this is a generalization...each store may do something different. Whole Foods rotisserie chicken sodium levels might be different than Costco, you'd have to do some research if it's that important to you.

You are right about the shredded texture to the canned, rehydrated chicken, recipes taste like a chicken ran thru them, but the protein & flavor are there. I have also rehydrated the chicken & gravy together.

Sweet & sour chicken is my tripmates favorite dish, I would love to surprise him with a great version. Thanks so much for posting. I love Taste of Home, it's my favorite cooking magazine-I am going to add that to my recipe box. I am going to have to work on that one for tripping...maybe chix, veggies & sauce all together, rice separate.

Thanks wingnut, I'm going to try it.

quote SunnyDay: "Thanks wingnut, I'm going to try it.
"

+1 on the thanks to wingnut!

I am always looking for new ways to serve chicken breasts and this sounds like something the guys would like.

If it goes over like I think it will, it sounds like a good meal for the dehydrator. I agree with your ideas (wingnut) on how to dehydrate... sauce leather, vegie/fruit strips, canned chicken. Served over some instant rice.

FYI...not a ding on the recipe you posted at all, but after reading the glowing reviews on TOH...more than a few people thought 1 cup of sugar was too much and halved the amount for more satisfying results. The other 2 most common changes were to add garlic to deepen the flavor and more veggies such as onions, green onions and/or the mix of peppers you mention you use. Can't wait to try it out myself.

Wingnut..
Thanks for this recipe, I made it last night for dinner. I modified the ingredients and made it into a stove top skillet meal suitable for dehydrating. We all really liked it. If there is any left after serving it as leftovers, I am going to put it in my dehydrator and see how it goes. Winner winner...chicken dinner.

quote Ishkb: "Wingnut..
Thanks for this recipe, I made it last night for dinner. I modified the ingredients and made it into a stove top skillet meal suitable for dehydrating. We all really liked it. If there is any left after serving it as leftovers, I am going to put it in my dehydrator and see how it goes. Winner winner...chicken dinner."

What modifications did you make?

quote wannabeoutthere: "

quote Ishkb: "Wingnut..
Thanks for this recipe, I made it last night for dinner. I modified the ingredients and made it into a stove top skillet meal suitable for dehydrating. We all really liked it. If there is any left after serving it as leftovers, I am going to put it in my dehydrator and see how it goes. Winner winner...chicken dinner."

What modifications did you make?"

I cut the chicken into chunks, diced the vegetables & bought crushed pineapple. I halved the sugar in the sauce. Added a red pepper & a few green onions to the green pepper. Added garlic powder & mixed spice to the flour mixture and shook it & the chicken in a paper grocery bag to coat. I sautéed the chicken in fresh crushed garlic & oil then removed to a dish. I sautéed the vegetables in the same pan. Made the sauce in a saucepan. When the veggies were done, I added in all the pineapple at once to warm & blend. Then added the chicken back to the skillet along with the sauce. Tossed to coat & reheat.

quote Ishkb: "

quote wannabeoutthere: "

quote Ishkb: "Wingnut..
Thanks for this recipe, I made it last night for dinner. I modified the ingredients and made it into a stove top skillet meal suitable for dehydrating. We all really liked it. If there is any left after serving it as leftovers, I am going to put it in my dehydrator and see how it goes. Winner winner...chicken dinner."

What modifications did you make?"

I cut the chicken into chunks, diced the vegetables & bought crushed pineapple. I halved the sugar in the sauce. Added a red pepper & a few green onions to the green pepper. Added garlic powder & mixed spice to the flour mixture and shook it & the chicken in a paper grocery bag to coat. I sautéed the chicken in fresh crushed garlic & oil then removed to a dish. I sautéed the vegetables in the same pan. Made the sauce in a saucepan. When the veggies were done, I added in all the pineapple at once to warm & blend. Then added the chicken back to the skillet along with the sauce. Tossed to coat & reheat."

How do you plan on rehydrating and how long do you think it will take. I have had trouble rehydrating meals with chicken in them.

quote wannabeoutthere: "How do you plan on rehydrating and how long do you think it will take. I have had trouble rehydrating meals with chicken in them."

I would have to run thru it once here at home to tell you exactly what is needed specifically for this dish. That said, I usually cover with cold water in a Fairshare mug at either breakfast or lunchtime (canned chicken @ lunchtime, harder/fresh chicken meals @ breakfast). Warm/hot water will rehydrate the chicken faster, but I worry about bacteria forming in the length of time it will remain in the mug, so I stick with cold water. If the chicken is still hard-ish when I am ready to use it, I will boil water and add some to the meal to steep again for a few minutes. Even though there might be a little too much water in the meal at that point, it still is going to come together when I heat it in the pot. You can slowly boil off the excess water...if this is the case. Also if you are heating your meal, the water is gone and the chicken is still hard, either add a bit more water and/or take it off the flame and let it steep again. The key is water, time & heat. Hope that helps.

Thank you for the advice!

quote OldFingers57: "Here's another idea get the Freeze dried chicken. I got a #10 can and opened it and divided it up into two serving food save pouches and vac sealed them. "

This is what we're going to try this year.