Frozen Menu C #3 Chicken and Dumpling

[Norton]

I posted a photo of the case of Menu C Ameriqual my friend gave me. These had been frozen since at least 09, so they are not that old in the world of Rations.
But with that said I had to try the Menu #3 Chicken and dumplings and Potato Cheddar Soup! To any one who camps in the winter Potato Cheddar Soup would be a welcome addition.

The meal had
Chicken and Dumpling code 9056B V 3 15:49
Potato Cheddar Soup 9111A Y 1 TMC 19 :26
Peanut Butter
Crackers
Shortbread Cookie
Lipton Hot Spiced Cider
Taster's Choice Instant Coffee
Tabasco Sauce
Sugar
Salt
Pepper
Gum (x2)
TP
Big Brown Spoon
Meal Laid Out

laid out

Me and my son went out and cooked them outside in a light snow/rain via reliable 1990 dated Coleman PEAK 1 stove boil in the bag.
They issued these in Desert Storm with civil marking left on the fuel tanks. They were some of Coleman's best products

Peak 1

The entire bag was frozen solid and was thawed out while cooking. This include the peanut butter crackers and cookie. Then boiled water for coffee and Hot Cider. It took about 15 minutes to thaw and heat the main components
I had to pull the bags out, rotate and knead them to get a uniform heating.

cooking

Tried the Soup first and thought it was very tasty. The Cheese flavor was like that of commercial Mac and Cheese processed. The texture was super thick and creamy, you could not taste the potato in the broth. Just Cheese. The potato chunks were very good , soft and fully cooked. My son said it tasted about like canned Campbell's cheese type soups. We were cold so it warmed us up quick. I also thought it would be good to combine with the main course of Chicken and Dumpling to add flavor and body

Potato Cheddar soup

Next we had the main course. It was about the same flavor as Campbell Chunky chicken soup. Strong processed flavor and very salty. The Chicken meat was fairly plentiful for a canned or pouch meal. It was juicy and tender, it looked stringy but again was tender. The dumplings were about like pasta balls rather than bread dumplings.
There was chopped up carrots and some other green vegetable that was like purrie. You could not taste them stand alone. Just about like mush
They had a good smooth texture and not pasty or sticky. Had a cracker with it to sop up the gravy.
The portions look smaller than they were in reality. We split the meal between two people

Chicken and dumping in meat can

Close up

close up main course

Crackers and Peanut butter was good as new

The 'shortbread' cookie did not taste like Shortbread.. Rather a typical commercial grocery store bag Sugar Cookie
Sort of like a Big Version of Archway or Nabisco Sugar cookie. It was good just did not taste like a shortbread cookie

cookiee

I hmade my son the Hot Cider I had coffee

Hot Cider

He did not like it at all so we traded. I talked to him and he had never had Hot Cider in his life so to him it tasted weird
I thought it tasted good as by that time it was nearly freezing rain. It did not taste the real stuff. But it was totally accpetable for camping and a welcome change from Orange and other Kool aide type drinks

The coffee creamer and sugar was totally fresh. My son did ask why the USA out so little sugar in the MRE when the British and Russian put so much
Good Question, you would think we would have two packets.

Final thoughts it is a good simple dinner that is sort of like processed Comfort food either frozen or canned variety. Being in the deep freeze since 09 did not affect the flavors or textures in my opinion

[rabidwolf]

Good review Norton, interesting.

[MREHungary]

Two gums? What a blasphemy!

[housil]

Great pictures and thx for sharing!