Later this week, I will be hosting some family from out of town out at camp, wherever the tracks take us. As the nights get darker earlier and the chill hangs in the air, I find myself considering hot meals to warm our stomachs, hands, and souls.

One of the biggest considerations I have when making camp meals is how much food I can carry in our refrigerator and dry storage bin to feed an army. We’ve taken plenty of trips as the support vehicle, where our kitchen and water tank fed the entire traveling group.

I might have rather drunkenly bragged about a one-pan meal a time or two. My camp family never lets me live this down.

Learning how to balance the space you have for food means you can carry more, stop less for groceries in town, and know you have quality ingredients to make fantastic camp meals.

I promise not to write about my feelings, family history, and a whole host of other topics, and just get straight to the recipe.

SOUTHWESTERN CHICKEN AVOCADO SOUP

Feeds: 4 Equipment: Pot, can opener, ladle Storage: D25/R75

Soup Ingredients:

Main recipe

* 1lb Precooked shredded chicken or chicken baked and chopped at home (breast or thigh)

* 2 Cans of Amy’s Southwestern Soup

* 1 Fresh avocado or 2 small guacamole to-go servings

* 1/4 Cup fresh cilantro for topping if desired

* Sour cream or crema for topping

Optional add-ons that take it to the next level

* Crumbled cotija cheese (optional)

* Sliced rustic bread of choice or tortilla strips (optional)

Baked Chicken Spices:

For 1 lb of chicken baked at home. Bake chicken thigh or breast according to instructions based on weight, after mixing the spices and rubbing them over the chicken. Allow the chicken to sit in a bowl for about 10 minutes to dry brine before cooking.

* 1 tsp ancho chili powder

* 1 tsp smoked paprika

* .5 tsp onion powder

* .5 tsp garlic powder

* .75 tsp of salt (Adjust to taste)

* .5 tsp of black pepper

* A small pinch of cinnamon (Optional)

Instructions:

Chicken: Season liberally. Add to the air fryer or oven for advanced prep. Cook in a skillet at camp, let cool slightly, and then dice.

Soup!

Open the cans of Amy’s soup and pour them into the pot. Add the cooked chicken and turn on the medium until the chicken is warmed through and the soup is warm enough to eat.

While the soup is heating, prep the fresh avocado by slicing it into strips and placing it into four bowls.

For the optional bread, I like to slice it and then toast it over the fire like in the photo below.

Ladle soup over avocado slices, garnish with cilantro and sour cream. Serve with toasted bread or tortilla strips.

Tip: When doubling the recipe to feed eight, I include both chicken breast and thighs to make it a little heartier. Adding the bread makes this meal more filling if you have some extra hungry people.

Here I took the grate off of our stove and laid it near the fire (not over the fire) to grill the bread. I did the same with the soup by setting it on rocks near the fire.

Bringing anything liquid or boiling water takes a lot of energy at high elevation, so I opted to save our propane and cook near the fire instead.

This meal is easy to pack and organize: about a quarter (25%) of the ingredients can go in your dry storage bin (like seasonings, bread, or packaged items), while the other three-quarters (75%) need to stay chilled in a cooler or fridge (like meat, dairy, and avocado). None of the ingredients are bulky—they only take up a small portion of your cooler and bin—so you’ll still have space left for other food. I call this a D25/R75 recipe, where ‘D’ stands for dry storage and ‘R’ stands for refrigerator or cooler storage.

Plus, the topping ingredients and the bread can be used in other recipes.

This is also a fantastic meal for camping with a cooler and ice, because the precooked chicken poses less of a risk for food-borne illness.

I hope this easy meal brings you joy at camp and serves as a reminder that even the simplest meal can be wonderful! In the words of my brilliant husband, “Bone apple tea!”

If you enjoy this simple camp recipe, I’d love for you to join me more often for camp meals here on Substack. Subscribe for more camp recipes and camp crafts. Follow along, and let’s keep mealtime wildly refined.

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