View Full Version : Where to find pouches of chicken?
somers515
11-22-2014, 18:09
Ok I've used tuna pouches in trail recipes and have had no trouble finding them at my local grocery store. Where do you get chicken pouches? I can't find them at my local grocery store. Do I have to order them from amazon? Any other suggestions?
I've never had trouble finding those at the grocery store as well. Have you asked an employee to help you find them?
It has been hit and miss at the grocery store at times. I have also found them at Target.
Noticed 7 ounce chicken pouches at Wal Mart last time I shopped there. I don't like the calories per ounce of these pouches however.
Also if you have a Krogers nearby, check them.
Wise Old Owl
11-22-2014, 18:48
Noticed 7 ounce chicken pouches at Wal Mart last time I shopped there. I don't like the calories per ounce of these pouches however.
What? The whole point is to carry calorie packed food at the lightest weight - Tuna is generally too dry on the trail, I take smoked Salmon and chicken... Maybe I am not following something here.
Wise Old Owl
11-22-2014, 18:53
2897528976Hit or miss I can still find it... try other stores.
Noticed 7 ounce chicken pouches at Wal Mart last time I shopped there. I don't like the calories per ounce of these pouches however.
We're talking protein here, no? Not pure carbs or fat.
blisterbob
11-22-2014, 19:12
All the wal-marts I have been to have the Tyson pouches for $2.38.
What? The whole point is to carry calorie packed food at the lightest weight - Tuna is generally too dry on the trail, I take smoked Salmon and chicken... Maybe I am not following something here.
I try to take food with an average of 125 calories per ounce. Chicken and tuna pouches are far short of that level. Some like them anyway which is fine, but the cost is that food weight will be higher to carry equivalent calories. I don't have the calorie figures for the seven ounce chicken pouch in front of me but it is well short of even 100 calories per ounce.
We're talking protein here, no? Not pure carbs or fat.
There are other sources of protein such as nuts that pack more calories per ounce. As I said, some are ok with the relatively low calories per ounce of chicken or tuna and that's fine. Just wanted to point out a possible downside.
Duramax22
11-22-2014, 19:33
Krogers has chicken pouches
somers515
11-22-2014, 20:37
I don't have a Krogers near me but I do have a Wal-Mart and a Target - I'll check there. Thanks all for the tips! And yes the point was to mix a little protein into my dinners.
QHShowoman
11-22-2014, 20:41
Believe it or not, the store that I've found most reliably stocks chicken in pouches is KMart. Yep. Kmart.
Check different stores. I have found, over the years, that each store may carry them one year and not the other.
Trailweaver
11-23-2014, 03:49
Many people are unaware that they can go to the store manager (or someone in charge of customer service) and make a request for a product that is not currently on the shelf. I use Kroger here, and know one of the managers (there are 3 here), so I do it all the time. I didn't know it for a long time, but I am told that all stores try to make products available to anyone who requests them.
Sometimes they get the product in, call you, stock a "lot" on the shelves, and find that a whole lot of people really like it, buy it, and all is good with the world. Sometimes it's only you, and then you have to request it when you want it, but usually, if they can get it thru their distributer, they will.
You folks need to learn to ask for what you want! ;- )
levesque1014
11-23-2014, 09:34
Here in Maine Shaws carries it but Hannafords do not.
Wise Old Owl
11-23-2014, 09:56
I try to take food with an average of 125 calories per ounce. Chicken and tuna pouches are far short of that level. Some like them anyway which is fine, but the cost is that food weight will be higher to carry equivalent calories. I don't have the calorie figures for the seven ounce chicken pouch in front of me but it is well short of even 100 calories per ounce.
Unlike the other UL 100+ calories foods, Tuna does not have a high caloric density. 3 ounces of tuna has only 90 calories. But it provides something else that is sometimes in short supply on the trail: Protein. (Caveat I prefer Salmon as its less dry)
Protein is not as important as carbohydrates for energy, but it is important for cell rejuvenation and muscle maintenance (and it tastes good).
Other types of meat which are good for backpacking are: foil pack salmon, chicken breast, and SPAM, as well as cured meats like: salami, pepperoni and summer sausage, Landjaeger (http://shop.dietzandwatson.com/products/landjaeger)
Odd Man Out
11-23-2014, 16:34
Many people are unaware that they can go to the store manager (or someone in charge of customer service) and make a request for a product that is not currently on the shelf....
Every time I check out at the grocery store, the cashiers ask "Did you find everything OK?" (I think they are trained to use those exact words). If I was looking for something they don't have, I will say "No I didn't". Then they give me that "deer in headlights look" as if it just a formality and I was supposed to mindlessly say yes. It seems they are all trained to ask, but they are not trained how to respond if the answer is "no".
Every time I check out at the grocery store, the cashiers ask "Did you find everything OK?" (I think they are trained to use those exact words). If I was looking for something they don't have, I will say "No I didn't". Then they give me that "deer in headlights look" as if it just a formality and I was supposed to mindlessly say yes. It seems they are all trained to ask, but they are not trained how to respond if the answer is "no".
They always ask at my local Trader Joe's. Earlier this year, they were out of stock of dry cheese and pesto tortellini which makes a GREAT trail dinner. So I said, "No, I didn't find what I needed." and got that deer in the headlights look. But the manager actually was able to help me. The product was imported from Italy and there was a problem in customs. It is now back in stock, whether due to my question or not I have no idea.
I have always been able to find them at grocery stores in my home town and all along the AT.
saltysack
11-25-2014, 12:58
They always ask at my local Trader Joe's. Earlier this year, they were out of stock of dry cheese and pesto tortellini which makes a GREAT trail dinner. So I said, "No, I didn't find what I needed." and got that deer in the headlights look. But the manager actually was able to help me. The product was imported from Italy and there was a problem in customs. It is now back in stock, whether due to my question or not I have no idea.
I'm not a big pasta nut but the pesto sounds good...easy meal?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
somers515
11-25-2014, 20:19
I went to a Wal-Mart no luck. A Wegman's grocery store no luck. Found 1 at Target today (the Valley Fresh brand, although my packaging looks slightly different from the picture above). If I like it then I'll ask at my regular grocery store for them to order them for me. Thanks again for all the suggestions. I never would have thought to check a Target!
MuddyWaters
11-25-2014, 21:41
Several years ago you could get 3.5 oz packets of chicken, but there was a contamination issue in the facility which made them. Since then, the only Im aware of is 7oz packets. Which might feed 2 people, but is too much for any one meal for a solo hiker. The cans really arent that heavy either.
All high whole protein sources are low cal/oz. This is largely due to containing water. Even Jerky, which is dried to remove 75% of the water content of the meat or so, is only 80 cal/oz for beef. Bacon is a bit better at 125 or so, and is one of my trail staples.
I try to take food with an average of 125 calories per ounce. Chicken and tuna pouches are far short of that level. This might be important if a person is thru hiking, but most people aren't thru hikers.
And not everybody is hemorrhaging weight. I can go for a 40 mile trip, take 2500 calories a day and lose zero pounds. :(
I buy the tuna in oil packets. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008F0PMOQ/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_nS_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&colid=3UANFD5DE8CT4&coliid=I2AEELX46XLOSP I like them because they taste good and they are easy and they are packable.
It is 190 cals for 2.6 oz, so it is still below the 125cals/oz ratio. But for most people on this board... it doesn't really matter. Most of us probably have to stop ourselves from eating like a thru hiker on a weekend trip. :)
Where do you get chicken pouches? I can't find them at my local grocery store. Any other suggestions? Dehydrated chicken might work? http://www.amazon.com/Mother-Earth-Products-Vegetable-Quart/dp/B0084FVOWG/ref=sr_1_1?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1416968057&sr=1-1&keywords=dehydrated+chicken&pebp=1416968065707
Oh wait... it is TVP. But there is dehydrated chicken out there...
The stores seem to place pouches in different places. Sometimes they are all together. Spam, Deviled ham, pouches of tuna, chicken and salmon. Sometimes the salmon, and tuna is one place, the chicken another, and the Spam and Deviled ham a third! Go figure. Medium to large stores have them, just ask.
WingedMonkey
11-26-2014, 13:25
Sometime store placement has to do with who owns the brands.
Valley Fresh is owned by Hormel. Their web site only lists the 7 oz retorts, but the also list a three pack of 3 ounce cans.
The have a store finder at their site.
http://www.valleyfresh.com/products.php#chicken-cuts7oz
http://www.valleyfresh.com/stores.php
Sweet Sue is owned by Bumble Bee and may be shelved around their products. Sweet Sue comes in both 3 and 7 ounce retorts, but the store finder on their web site doesn't show any 3 ounce in my area.
http://www.sweetsuekitchens.com:8080/Products/
http://www.econsumeraffairs.com/bbs/sweetsue/productlocator.htm
For some reason pouches of ground beef are sometimes located in the Hispanic foods section of my local Wal-Mart. The chicken and tuna pouches are located near canned vegetables. It does help to ask if something isn't found where it is expected to be.
Keep looking for the chicken foil packets in the same area as the other canned meats -tuna, chicken, seafood, etc. They aren't hard to find. The cals/oz ratios are dismal on the foil packed chicken. Little bit of water/broth in the packets too that is unnecessary to pay for and weight to carry. If you do like chicken consider this recipe: Chicken w/ buckwheat(SOBA) noodles, peanut butter, green onions, some cashews or whole peanuts, and whatever else suits your fancy(soy sauce, sesame seed, red pepper, chardonnay, Bush beer, schnapps, etc)
Some ingrained long standing U.S. food perceptions/brain washing don't die easily. Mentioning the word protein and ideas of meat usually come to mind. This is not to make anyone a vegetarian but expand your mind. Have some imagination. You'll expand your options. If getting protein on trail is a goal there are options other than what you've been taught. You don't have to be a sandal wearing hippie Foodie WholeFoods only shopping Vegetarian/Vegan to consider these options. Mix in some of these options with a typical omnivore trail diet. You might find additional taste, variety, less trail food wt., less bulk, greater feeling of satiety, and maybe some better health.
http://greatist.com/health/complete-vegetarian-proteins
Hemp, PB(expand you variety of nut butter options, try almond, hazelnut, cashew, macadamia, walnut butter too), chia, instant or parboiled brown rice and beans w/EVOO, hummus(buy dry and reconstitute w/ EVOO or coconut), try mixing some hummus and hemp or pumpkin and sunflower seeds into rice and beans w/ the EVOO, boring rice and beans becomes a super high complete protein, much higher cal-oz ratio, higher cal meal, it's not hard to accomplish or expensive or bulky either) .................................................. .................................................. .................................................. ..........
The stores seem to place pouches in different places. Sometimes they are all together. Spam, Deviled ham, pouches of tuna, chicken and salmon. Sometimes the salmon, and tuna is one place, the chicken another, and the Spam and Deviled ham a third! Go figure. Medium to large stores have them, just ask.
7 oz chicken with tuna and salmon section at Target in Abington, PA.
Wise Old Owl
11-26-2014, 21:56
Several years ago you could get 3.5 oz packets of chicken, but there was a contamination issue in the facility which made them. Since then, the only Im aware of is 7oz packets. Which might feed 2 people, but is too much for any one meal for a solo hiker. The cans really arent that heavy either.
All high whole protein sources are low cal/oz. This is largely due to containing water. Even Jerky, which is dried to remove 75% of the water content of the meat or so, is only 80 cal/oz for beef. Bacon is a bit better at 125 or so, and is one of my trail staples.
24 hours and eating half won't kill you/
24 hours and eating half won't kill you/
Last time that I did 7 oz chicken I did half for lunch on a tortilla and half with rice side at dinner. Temps were cool though.
Wise Old Owl
11-26-2014, 22:00
Unlike the other foods in this list, jerky does not have a high caloric density. 3 ounces of Jerky has only 90 calories. But it provides something else that is sometimes in short supply on the trail: Protein. Protein is not as important as carbohydrates for energy, but it is important for cell rejuvenation and muscle maintenance (and it tastes good).
Other types of meat which are good for backpacking are: foil pack salmon (http://blackwoodspress.com/blog/recommends/salmon-packet/), chicken breast (http://blackwoodspress.com/blog/recommends/foil-pack-chicken/), and SPAM (http://blackwoodspress.com/blog/recommends/spam/), as well as cured meats like: salami, pepperoni and summer sausage and landjäger (https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-a&hs=iEq&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=fflb&biw=1467&bih=680&q=landj%C3%A4ger&sa=X&ei=f4V2VIQXqL-xBMvigIAK&ved=0CBoQ7xYoAA)a personal moist meat that keeps 6 months in a pack!
greginmi
01-18-2015, 19:18
Don't forget the 3 pack of 3 oz. cans by Swanson. 7 oz. is just too much for me in a meal. Also, the cans are so thin that they don't way any more than the foil packs.
Also, the can could be pressed into service for an alcohol stove should your primary stove have a failure.
Kraken Skullz
01-18-2015, 19:53
I typically only bring the 7oz packages on weekend hikes where weight isn't as big of a deal.
Another Kevin
01-18-2015, 20:15
The way I see it, water weight that I'm carrying in the first day's food is simply water that I'm not carrying in my bottles to my first night's camp. Either way, it hydrates me and weighs the same amount. I only worry about the weight of water in prepared foods if I'm carrying it past the first couple of places that I'm tanking up on water. So the odd retort pouch or tiny can doesn't bother me much.
buckaroo007
01-19-2015, 08:48
I found them at Target
Hot Flash
01-19-2015, 10:28
Dry salame is my go-to choice for meat on the trail. Needs no refrigeration and comes in many different varieties. I love spicy soppressata. I can usually find it in 8oz size, and since it doesn't need refrigeration, that size will work for at least four meals if it's added to soup/ramen/noodles or a sandwich.
slovakiasteph
01-19-2015, 11:45
Don't forget the 3 pack of 3 oz. cans by Swanson. 7 oz. is just too much for me in a meal. Also, the cans are so thin that they don't way any more than the foil packs.
That's what I've been using for chicken on the trail. It's a good size, and I don't think the can weighs very much.
They always ask at my local Trader Joe's. Earlier this year, they were out of stock of dry cheese and pesto tortellini which makes a GREAT trail dinner. So I said, "No, I didn't find what I needed." and got that deer in the headlights look. But the manager actually was able to help me. The product was imported from Italy and there was a problem in customs. It is now back in stock, whether due to my question or not I have no idea.
sounds good. seen the tortillina but what cheese are you talking about?
7 oz chicken with tuna and salmon section at Target in Abington, PA.
7 OZ Valley Fresh packages at Target in New Bern, NC (birthplace of Pepsi Cola). Don't run to the store though because I got the last two. When I got home I discovered that one of was slit (probably when they were opening the box) and it leaked over everything else in the bag - you can have that one if yoy want it, PM me. :banana