Now that I captured your attention with the odd name Cabachick, I would like to introduce you to a dish that I put together out of pure, “I don’t know what to make for dinner” mentality. And I do mean literally looking in the refrigerator and hoping something would miraculously present itself.
This dish is healthy, quick and very easy to throw together. It even allowed me to use some canned chicken that I had had in the cupboard for awhile, but wondered why I ever bought it. Amazingly, it got good reviews from my family and seconds were even asked for, which is great because it makes plenty and is filling.
First, let’s discuss the origin of canned chicken, only because I was curious as to why anyone would eat this stuff. The ingredients are chicken breast and rib meat, water, less than 2% modified food starch, sodium phosphates, and flavoring (I don’t know what flavoring they were going for, but they tried).
In 1809 Nicolas Appert of France was recruited by his government to find a way to preserve food for the army and navy. So he did prolonged research regarding the process of preserving food by storing it in containers that are hermetically sealed and then sterilized by heat. He was chosen for this task because he had been successful in preserving foods such as soups, vegetables, juices and even dairy since the late 1700’s.
Appert determined that by boiling the food in the can, it kills all the bacteria and then the can is sealed to prevent any new bacteria from getting in. So the food in the can is completely sterile, it will not spoil.
Canned chicken, spam, corn beef, and tuna can last from 2 to 5 years after the can’s printed date if stored undented, in cool, dark space such as a kitchen cupboard. Hence why these foods are popular with preppers. They are also good to keep stocked in the cabinet for those times when groceries and money are running short. More safety tips and usages for canned chicken can be found at Let’s Talk Canned Chicken.
Ok, now that you have a little more knowledge, let’s move on to the recipe.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 head of cabbage
- carrots (either shredded or sliced)
- 1 large can of chicken (Swanson Premium White Chunk Chicken Breast, 12.5 oz. Can
)
- 1 apple
- 1 stock of celery, sliced
- 1 brown gravy packet
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 tsp ginger
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup shredded spinach
)
Directions:
- Heat a large skillet and the olive oil
- Cut the cabbage into chunks or slices and add to the skillet
- Add carrots and celery to the skillet
- Allow these to begin to soften
- Add one cup of water and gravy packet–mix thoroughly
- Allow this mixture to cook for approximately 10 minutes
- Add the spices: ginger, oregano, or whatever you have or like. Or even leave as is with no spices
- Slice and peal the apple, add to skillet. This adds a little sweetness
- Add the spinach and the canned chicken-mix
- Cover and allow to simmer for approximately 25-30 minutes-stirring occasionally (add more water if necessary to prevent sticking)
The Dreaded Pan Lid Avalanche—Solved
Do you struggle with the storage of all the lids, one or more for each size pan you have? I used to deal with an avalanche of lids, now I have more room and a less noisy, cluttered pan cupboard.
The lid in the above picture is the best universal lid I have found. It works for multiple size skillets and pans. (Not appropriate for smaller sauce pans.) Check the link out below for the lid and the deep skillet. As you can tell from the skillet in my final picture, I use it a lot.
Done, serve and enjoy. Happy Yums!
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