Australian Hiker

Rating

Back Country Cuisine Kung Pao Chicken (Twin Serve) Review

The Back Country Cuisine range of outdoor meals is probably the best known in Australia. These meals are stocked by the majority of stores and for many are considered the staple meal choice for outdoor activities. They do a huge range of meal choices and many stores seem to select a ‘top ten’ so you are unlikely to find the full range in stock in any one store. In addition to the large variety of twin serves the company also provides single serving (entree) although the single serve options don’t seem to have as large a variety at least as far as what the stores seem to stock.

The normal price for the twin serve sits around the $16.99 mark and the single serves are more expensive per serving than the twin serve offerings which cost out at about $11.99 per person. Most of the larger chain stores offer members discounts or have regular sales so its worthwhile looking around. These products do have a long shelf life so you can stock up during the regular sales at the outdoor stores.

While I will prepare some meal options myself and dehydrate, I love to cook, I tend not to worry about making complex meals but rather devote my time to other activities such as hiking.

These meals are very easy to prepare  and as long as you can boil water then you are set with preparation time requiring only ten minutes. although i had found leaving the meals for about 11-12 minutes gets a better result.  The meal comes in a bag that is well designed and the bottom opens out to provide a flat base for those minimalists who want to leave the bowl at home. The option exists to tear the top off the bag to allow easy access to the food but you if you have a long handled spoon you won’t need to tear the bag. My other reason for not tearing the top off the bag is that you minimise any mess and after you’re done, you can re-zip the zip lock.

Taste wise sweet and spicy is the best way to describe this meal and the Kung Pao Chicken is the spiciest dehydrated meal that I have eaten so far. If you dont like spicy food then I would suggest skipping this one. I will definitely include this meal selection in my trip planning from now on. I really do love this meal but it can be hard to find some times.

We Like

• Three year warranty which means you can buy these when you see them discounted thereby reducing the price. You also know the meals will always be edible
• Minimal preparation time.  All you are doing is rehydrating these meals so once you add boiling water there’s only a ten minute wait
• If you eat from the bag there is only the spoon to clean up. In fact you may not even need to carry a bowl at all thereby limiting the weight you carry
• A very large variety of meals to choose from in both single and double serves so it’s unlikely you will become bored with these unless you are on a really long hike
• No artificial flavours and preservatives. These meals are as close to ‘homestyle cooking’ as it gets. They just taste good!
• Freeze dried. This takes much of the weight out of the meals and helps to limit the impact on your body
• Single serve option providing just the right size for solo travellers meaning that you aren’t wasting food or money by purchasing twin serve meals

We Don't Like

• The main negatives of any commercially preprepared dehydrated / freeze dried meals is the cost. The Back Country Cuisine meals are cheaper than their competitors however they servings are also slightly smaller by about 8%. Per person this single serve meal is $11.90

Best Uses

An easy to prepare meal whether it be on a short or long trip for camping and hiking

Buy One

You can purchase the Back Country Cuisine Kung Pao Chicken (Twin Serve) meal online from Wildfire Sports

Disclosure: We may earn a small commission, at no additional expense to you, if you click through and make a purchase. Please note that our affiliations do not influence, in any way, the independence of our reviews. If we don’t like a product, you’ll hear about it from us!

If you have eaten the Back Country Cuisine Kung Pao Chicken meal or if you have questions, we’d like to hear from you. Post your comment or question below

Other Versions

In addition they also do a range of soups, side dishes, desserts and breakfast options. A number of the meals are available in one and two person servings.

Mexican Chicken

Cottage Pie

Beef Stroganoff

Spaghetti Bolognaise

Classic Beef Curry

Beef and Pasta Hotpot

Honey Soy Chicken

Beef Teriyaki

Chicken Tomato Alfredo

Roast Chicken

Chicken Tikka Masala

Thai Chicken Curry

Creamy Carbonara

Pasta Vegetariano

Nasi Goreng

Roast Lamb and Vegetables

Moroccan Lamb

Lamb Fettuccine

Sweet and Sour Lamb

Smoked Fish Pie

Venison Risotto

Vegetarian Stirfry

Hearty Venison Casserole

Malaysian Vegetable Curry

Disclaimer

This review was done with product purchased from a retail store by the reviewer

Back Country Kung Pao Chicken

The bottom of the bag opens out to provide a flat surface. Opening out the base will allow the meal to more evenly rehydrate. If you don’t open the base fully, you will get ‘dry pieces’ in your dinner

Uncooked meal in the now opened bag

The meal now rehydrated and the bag torn down

Disclaimer

This review was done with product purchased from a retail store by Australian Hiker

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