Australian Hiker

Rating

Back Country Mexican Chicken Review

The Back Country Cuisine range of outdoor meals is probably the best known in Australia. These meals are stocked by the majority of outdoor stores and many people consider them the staple meal choice for outdoor activities. Back Country does 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 any one store. In addition to the large variety of twin serves, the company also provides single serve (entrée size) 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. I’m worked my way though the very large range but I am finding this adventure was a bit hit and miss. Everyone’s tastes are different I guess!

The Mexican Chicken has, at least at the time of review, become my favourite main meal offering from Back Country. The taste is excellent, the texture with the beans and corn chips is great and as I love spicey food. This meal hits the mark and leaves you feeling warm and contented for a few hours after.

I didn’t really find any great negatives with this meal but if I really had to be picky I would say that the chicken, and there’s plenty of it, gets lost in the taste. In addition if you don’t like spicey food then keep clear as this option provides that spicey burning sensation on the tongue we spice lovers crave.

These meals are very convenient and preparation only requires the addition of 200 ml of boiling water and a recommended ten minutes to rehydrate. I have found leaving the meals for about 11-12 minutes tends to get a better result and I would suggest cutting the water back by about 10 mls as well to get a slightly thicker consistency

The normal price sits around the AUD $14.99 RRP mark for a single serve pack with the twin serves working out more cost effective. Most of the larger chain stores offer member discounts or have regular sales so it/s worthwhile looking around. I bought this meal and a number of others at 20% off at an ‘end of year financial sale’ so this makes a big difference when you are buying up big. As these products do have a long shelf life you can stock up as the sales come on line in anticipation of an upcoming trip. This meal also comes as a two person option.

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 spork/fork/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.

So what is the final verdict? As a big fan of Mexican food this one remains on of my favourite meal options from Back Country and definitely one I try to take on all my trips.

We Like

• This is one of the Back Country Cuisine best meal options (at least from my perspective) and definitely one I will add to my meal rotation
• 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 10-12 minute wait
• If you eat from the bag there is only your eating implement 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 from which to choose both single and double serves so it’s unlikely you will become bored unless you are on a really long hike
• Freeze dried. This takes much of the weight out of the meals and helps to limit the impact on your body
• Single serve option provides just the right size for solo travellers on short trips
• Love, love, love, the spiciness

We Don't Like

• The main negative of any commercially preprepared dehydrated/freeze dried meals is the cost. The Back Country Cuisine meals are cheaper than their competitors which only offer twin serve meals however per person this single serve meal is $14.99 which is not cheap. These meals are cheaper/serve when bought in the twin serve size
• Single serves start being a bit small on longer trips when you burn through the calories. I will usually pack a mix of single and double meals on longer trips
• If you aren’t into spicey food keep clear of this meal

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 Mexican Chicken (single) meal online from Snowys, Wild Earth, or 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!

Investment

AUD $14.99 RRP single serve

AUD $21.99 RRP twin serve

Back Country Mexican Chicken as purchased

Bottom of the bag flattened out

Back Country Mexican Chicken bag opened and uncooked

Corn chips which you add just before eating and creates a great texture

Back Country Mexican Chicken rehydrated and bag torn down

Disclaimer

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

Last updated

19 May 2024

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