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Hot Lunch with a View: Pearl Couscous with Peach Salsa & Chicken
March 07, 2025
Hello Chef,

It’s feeling springish here in the lower elevations of Switzerland. With the longer days, we can finish our hikes without strapping on headlamps. We’re always keen for a lunch spot with a view, especially when the bench is not covered in snow. But when it comes to Switzerland and snow, we’re likely not out of the woods yet.

For our last hike, I turned to my stash of dried ingredients to see what I could pull together for a meal. I store dried food in mason jars with oxygen absorbers, and stow it away from heat and light inside a chest of drawers near the kitchen.

Here’s what I chose:

  • Pearl couscous, dried April, 2024
  • Peach salsa, dried August 2024
  • Ground chicken, dried October 2024

I use peach salsa in cold-soak salads when it is more summerish, but we wanted a hot lunch for this hike. How would it taste in a hot meal?

Pearl Couscous with Peach Salsa & Chicken

Prepared in a 24-oz. Thermos Food Jar, plenty for two people to share.

Ingredients:

  • ¾ cup dried pearl couscous (100 g)
  • ¾ cup dried peach salsa (50 g)
  • ¼ cup dried ground chicken (25 g)
  • Pinch of salt
  • 2¼ cups boiled water

Before leaving home, add the boiled water to the dried ingredients in the thermos. Don’t forget a pinch of salt. It enhances the flavor of any meal with a large amount of pasta.

For this meal, the thermos was full to the top, with about two inches of water above the food at the start.

Tips:

Preheat the thermos with hot water.

Before stowing the thermos meal in the backpack, turn it upside down for a few minutes to redistribute the hot water.

At lunchtime, turn the thermos upside down again for a few minutes to equalize the moisture through the whole meal.

How to Dehydrate…

I’ve provided instructions for dehydrating these ingredients in previous editions of Trail Bytes, or on the website; just follow the links below to refresh your memory.

Peach Salsa

This peach salsa is delicious, even when you don’t dehydrate it. I usually rehydrate it as a cold-soak, salsa-rice salad. The page includes other no-cook backpacking meals.

Explore: Dehydrating Peach Salsa

Pearl Couscous

Pearl couscous is one of my favorite types of pasta for backpacking meals. It’s fast and easy to precook and dry. When rehydrated over several hours, it doesn’t get that soggy-noodle texture that sometimes happens with over-soaked elbow macaroni. It slides down the gullet, nice and smooth.

The April 2024 Trail Bytes shows how to dehydrate pearl couscous, and it includes a recipe for Zesty Black Bean Salad.

Explore: Dehydrating Pearl Couscous

Ground Chicken

I add fine breadcrumbs or ground oats when dehydrating ground chicken and turkey. I find that with the added starch, it rehydrates better than any other form of dried chicken. Combined with the softer pearl couscous and peach salsa, the ground chicken added the perfect chewiness to the meal.

Explore: Dehydrating Ground Chicken & Turkey

How was it?

One thumb up from Dominique. It would have been two thumbs, but she wouldn’t let go of the thermos. It was delicious.

The sweet and spicy accents of the peach salsa were delightful with every dip of the spoon, and the chicken provided just the right chewiness.

This meal also works as a cold-soak salad, so I highly recommend it for your travel menu year-round.

Giving the Pineapple Corer a Spin

I’m not usually a gadget guy, but my new pineapple corer & slicer proved to be a huge time saver for prepping fresh pineapple for dehydration, with less mess. In addition to making rings with a few turns of the handle, it’s super easy to cut through the spiral stack to make pineapple chunks of equal thicknesses.

Here’s my “how-to” and review:

Newness Pineapple Corer & Slicer

Backpacking Chef Gear Guide

To find the tools used to create this month’s recipe, like dehydrators & silicone trays, vacuum-sealing & food storage accessories, and trail-cooking gear, explore my top picks here:

Backpacking Chef Gear Guide

Dominique and I wish you optimal hiking weather in March, and trust you will find lunch spots with fabulous views that inspire you while you enjoy your healthy, homemade meals.

Freundliche Grüsse,

Chef Glenn & Dominique

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