Backpacker’s Moroccan Chicken Couscous

Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe
4.70 from 13 ratings

This post may contain affiliate links.

Blending North African flavors with lightweight ingredients, this Backpacking Moroccan Chicken Couscous is a quick and easy meal to enjoy out on the trail.

A super simple homemade backpacking meal. Takes less than 5 minutes to cook on the trail and is full of protein AND flavor!

While we’ve been known to use prepackaged backpacking meals from time to time, we prefer to build our meals from scratch. The goal is to come up with meal ideas that are lightweight, calorie-dense, shelf-stable, and quick-cooking, which, admittedly, might sound daunting at first.

But, you’d be surprised how easy it is to find backpacking friendly ingredients at your local grocery store. And this Moroccan Chicken Couscous is a perfect example.

This one-pot meal captures the flavors of Moroccan cooking, without requiring any special cooking methods. The meal blends the unique flavors of apricots, almonds, ras el hanout, but also delivers hearty basics like chicken and couscous. It’s got enough going on flavor-wise to pique your interest without throwing you for a total loop.

A super simple homemade backpacking meal. Takes less than 5 minutes to cook on the trail and is full of protein AND flavor! A super simple homemade backpacking meal. Takes less than 5 minutes to cook on the trail and is full of protein AND flavor!

Know what else? It’s an extremely fast meal to cook. After the water is boiling, couscous only takes about 5 minutes to cook, which is faster than many of the prepackaged boil-in-bag meals. So it’s pretty much ready to eat as soon as you are.

Faster cook times = less fuel = less weight = happy hikers!

To save space, we pre-portion all the dry ingredients together in a ziplock bag at home. Then when we’re out on the trail we just have to add the olive oil and a packet of chicken.

So if you’re looking for some new backpacking meal ideas to help you mix up your routine, give this one-pot Moroccan Chicken Couscous a try the next time you hit the trail.

A super simple homemade backpacking meal. Takes less than 5 minutes to cook on the trail and is full of protein AND flavor!

Other DIY Backpacking Meals You’ll Enjoy

Red Lentil Chili
Dehydrated Risotto with Vegetables
Backpacker’s Chicken Marbella
Revamped Backpacking Ramen

Maroc in chicken couscous in a backpacking pot
Fresh Off The Grid

Moroccan Chicken Couscous

4.7 from 13 ratings
Recipe updated 10/2019 to incorporate reader feedback
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Makes: 2 servings

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  1. At home: Place the couscous, apricots, almonds, ras el hanout, and salt in a resealable bag. Pack along with the olive oil packets (or small container of oil), chicken pouch, and True Lemon.
  2. At camp: Bring ~5oz water and oil to a boil in your cookpot. Add the couscous, apricots, nuts, spices, and True Lemon to the pot. Give it a big stir to combine, add in the chicken, then cover and remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork or spoon and dig in!

Notes

MAKE IT VEGETARIAN/VEGAN

This could easily be made vegetarian or vegan by replacing the chicken with a protein source such as TVP or soy curls.

NOTE ABOUT SERVING SIZE

We estimate that this recipe as written will satisfy 2 hikers. However, everyone's appetite is different on the trail, so you may need to adjust this recipe to suit. We highly recommend trying any backpacking recipe at home before taking it into the backcountry so that you can make any adjustments so it will work best for you.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 665kcalCarbohydrates: 79gProtein: 40gFat: 24gFiber: 12g

Nutrition is an estimate based on information provided by a third-party nutrition calculator

Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!
Subscription Form Bottom of Post

Save this post!
Enter your email and we'll send this post to your inbox! Plus, you'll receive our newsletter full of great tips for all your outdoor adventures.
4.70 from 13 votes (9 ratings without comment)
Subscribe
Notify of
guest
Rate this recipe




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

21 Comments
Most Voted
Newest Oldest
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
The Travellers
The Travellers

Looks very tasty!!!

will
will

Was the chicken cut and diced prior to putting it in your pack?

Kath
Kath

I rarely leave reviews, but I want to save anyone from trying this. It was dry and bland and made way more food than two of us could eat, even after a long day of hiking. Leftovers are a nightmare on the trail… you either have to stuff yourself silly (ugh) or pack it out (ugh). This looked like a great idea, but trust me… skip it.1 star

Patrick
Patrick

I made this but tweaked the recipe a bit. I used an additional cup of vegetable stock and added a handful of raisins along with some moist coconut flakes. Turned out quite well.
I served this on a recent multi day kayak trip and loved it. Will make it again.

Mackenzie
Mackenzie

What kind of chicken packet do you use?

G. Roberson
G. Roberson

If I use soy curls instead of chicken, should I increase the amount of water? If so, how much?

Melissa
Melissa

Have you ever tried it with packaged salmon? I found some salmon that packs well and I might try it with this one instead of chicken. Just wondering if you’ve thought of it or tried it.