🍗🥔 DIY Dehydrated Meal: Chicken Thigh + Mashed Potatoes

Perfect — let’s walk through how to make and dehydrate a meal of chicken thigh and mashed potatoes using your dehydrator. This version will be shelf-stable for up to 6–12 months if stored correctly (longer if vacuum-sealed and frozen).

🍗🥔 DIY Dehydrated Meal: Chicken Thigh + Mashed Potatoes

🔪 Step 1: Prepare Ingredients

🐔 Chicken Thigh (1 thigh):

• Trim all visible fat and skin (fat = faster spoilage).

• Cook thoroughly — boil, bake, or pressure cook.

• Shred or finely dice into very small pieces (no bigger than corn kernels).

🥔 Mashed Potatoes:

• Make without butter, cream, or milk (use water, salt, and optional seasoning).

• You can use instant potatoes if preferred — they dry better and rehydrate faster.

🧼 Step 2: Dehydrate

🍗 Chicken:

• Spread chicken evenly on dehydrator trays lined with parchment paper or mesh screens.

• Dry at 145–160°F for 6–8 hours.

• Done when pieces are dry, hard, and brittle (not spongy).

🥔 Mashed Potatoes:

• Spread a thin layer (1/4 inch) on a fruit leather tray or parchment paper.

• Dry at 135°F for 6–10 hours.

• Break into flakes or chunks once crisp.

• Store as-is or grind into powder if desired.

❄️ Step 3: Cool and Store

Let both ingredients cool completely to room temp before storing (to avoid condensation).

Short-Term (Under 2 Weeks):

• Store in a ziplock bag in your pantry or fridge.

Long-Term (3–12 Months):

• Vacuum seal with an oxygen absorber.

• Or use mylar bags + oxygen absorber.

• Store in a cool, dark place (basement or pantry under 75°F).

🍽️ Rehydration (At Work or On the Go)

In a heat-safe container:

1. Add dehydrated chicken and mashed potatoes.

2. Pour in boiling water — just enough to cover (~1:1 ratio).

3. Stir, cover, and let sit for 10–15 minutes.

4. Add salt, pepper, garlic powder, or bouillon for flavor.

Optional: Use a thermos food jar to rehydrate it on the go!

Would you like me to give you a printable label format for the bag (like how Mountain House labels theirs)? Or help you scale this recipe up for batch prepping?

Great! Here's a clean, printable label template you can use for your dehydrated Chicken Thigh & Mashed Potatoes meal bags. You can either print it as a sheet of paper and tape it on, or use adhesive labels (like Avery 5163) if you have them.

🏷️ Dehydrated Meal Label Template – Chicken Thigh & Mashed Potatoes

🍽️ Meal Name:
Chicken Thigh & Mashed Potatoes

📅 Date Prepared:
______________________

🧊 Storage Type:
☐ Mylar Bag with Oxygen Absorber
☐ Vacuum Sealed
☐ Ziplock (Short-Term)

📦 Batch # (Optional):
______________________

🔥 Rehydration Instructions:

1. Add contents to heat-safe container.

2. Add boiling water to cover contents (about 1:1 ratio).

3. Stir, cover, and let sit for 15 minutes.

4. Season to taste and enjoy.

📆 Best By:
__________ (Suggest: 6–12 months from prep date if stored cool & dry)

🥄 Ingredients:
Cooked chicken thigh (lean, shredded), mashed potatoes (water, salt, seasonings).

⚠️ Notes:

• Contains no dairy or fat.

• Store in cool, dry location.

• Discard if bag is bloated or smells off after opening.

You can copy/paste this into a Word doc or label maker and print multiples at once.