Heather’s Choice Chicken Mole

Lo, finally another contender for top commercial backpacking meal

So, I had decided that on my recent section hike that I would take one night off from cooking and bring one commercial meal. I wanted it to be something I hadn’t tried before, and when I noticed that Heather’s Choice had a new entree on their website, I knew I’d found the right meal. Presuming that it was good, that is.

Oh did I presume correctly.

After a nearly 13 mile day that featured a brutal sun-scorching afternoon and difficulty finally locating a suitable campsite, I didn’t have the usual energy to cook up one of my meals. A perfect night to boil water instead. I broke out my repackaged Heather’s Choice chicken mole, got a cup of water boiling in my pot, and then added dinner to it, put on the lid and placed it in the pot cozy for 20 minutes while I did other camp chores such as setting up my tent and sleep system.

When I returned 20 minutes later and lifted the lid, I was enveloped in an amazing aroma. My pancreas stood to attention. I might’ve even drooled. And the first spoonful was simply amazing. Absolutely genuine mole flavor! The shredded chicken was perfectly cooked too. Even the rice, which often ends up a bit crunchy in other meals, was spot on texture-wise. And the mole was about as good as anything you’d find in a Mexican restaurant. This is what it looked like:

I scarfed down every last bit and even licked the pot, at least as best I could. I ended up wishing I’d brought two meals.

Heather packs her meals into nice compact pouches that are more packable than most.

Currently, Heather’s Choice is only offering 3 other entrees- African Peanut Stew, Dark Chocolate Chili, and a Smoked Sockeye Salmon Chowder that I’ve had before (it’s VERY good too). Here’s hoping that she’ll expand her offerings.

Heather is herself an active outdoor adventurer who started her company via Kickstarter. All protein items are sustainably-sourced. I think that all of her meals are as gluten-free and allergen free as you can get. You can read more about the company HERE.

These are pricey meals (the chicken mole was $12.50) but to me they’re well worth it as a treat to yourself. The 4 oz. package manages to give you 530 calories too, so it’s a great caloric bang for the buck.

Some folks are more than happy to eat inexpensive and less-healthy stuff for dinner like doctored-up ramen and instant potatoes, and that’s certainly cheap and all, but it’s not something that I personally would look forward to during a day on the trail. I believe in rewards at the end of the day, like a great meal and a little wine or bourbon, and I’m willing to carry the weight and take the financial hit. A week of these meals would set you back $100. Big deal. If you were home you’d probably spend more. Treat yourself to some chicken mole. I guarantee you that while you’re eating it at the end of a long day you won’t be having any guilty pangs about the money you spent. No, you’ll be patting yourself on the back. As you should.

You can find the meal HERE. Note: I get no commission via this link.

To wrap it up, this officially ties with G2G’s thai curry as the best backpacking meal I’ve ever had.

Grade: A+