Thanksgiving is the traditional time to give thanks and praise for the blessings in our life. And we often celebrate those blessings with a large dinner shared with family and friends. The centerpiece of this dinner is typically a turkey. Since moving to Colorado, I’ve had all but a handful of Thanksgivings somewhere in the backcountry. Thanksgivings are typically spent among the red rocks and canyons of Utah.

And out in the backcountry, I am thankful for the beauty around me, sharing it with the people I care about and the opportunity to have a four day weekend spent in the outdoors.

But I still want a feast of some sort. This simple but filling meal substitutes a pouch of chicken for turkey, but otherwise has many of the “fixins’ we associate with a Thanksgiving dinner.

This meal will fill one hungry canyon country traveler. More moderate eaters may be able to split the meal.

Ingredients

• 2 cups stuffing mix
• 1 7oz chicken pouch
• 1 gravy packet
• 2 tablespoons powdered butter. Olive oil (find olive oil packets here) may be substituted.
• 2 tablespoons craisins
• 4 tablespoons dehydrated soup vegetables

At Home

In a resealable plastic bag, add stuffing, powdered butter, craisins, and dehydrated soup vegetables.

Shake up bag to mix ingredients.

In Camp

• Heat up ¾ cup of water to just below boiling.
• Add stuffing, craisins, vegetables, and butter mixture to water and stir.
• Turn stove to low heat; let sit for about five minutes. Stir occasionally.
• When ingredients are rehydrated, add chicken.
• Mix chicken and stir occasionally until chicken is heated.
• Add gravy packet and mix.
• Enjoy the meal and be thankful for anytime spent in the backcountry.

Editor's Note: This recipe by contributor Paul Magnanti originally appeared in Issue 25 of TrailGroove Magazine. You can read the original article here.