Quick and easy Camp Style Chicken Rice is comfort food in the wilderness. Also, tips on a no-built campervan conversion.
Spontaneity is a big part of camping fun. When we spotted a window of good weather this past weekend, we quickly grabbed the opportunity and immediately made the booking for our campsite. Since good food makes the camping experience more enjoyable, I had to come up with a menu of easy and simplified dishes for our short weekend getaway. For lunch, I decided on this Camp Style Chicken Rice which is a simplified version of my Claypot Chicken Rice.
Two Moon Campground at Glendo State Park
Two weeks ago, we discovered Glendo State Park, about 100 miles north of us. This park is a recreation area with 20 campgrounds surrounding the Glendo Reservoir on the North Platte River in Platte and Converse counties in Wyoming. On our first visit, we camped at Custer Cove with a gently sloped sandy beach.
This time round, we decided to camp on the opposite shore at Two Moon Campground situated within a pine forest, on a bluff overlooking the reservoir/lake. In case you were wondering as I was, the campground was probably named after the Cheyenne (a Native American tribe) Chief, Two Moon.
Two Moon has a trailhead that encircles the campground with beautiful views of the reservoir and dam.
Our Campsite
Two Moon has 88 campsites and 3 yurts. Our campsite is quite private with a pleasant path to the bluff. There are many stony outcrops from which you can enjoy the beautiful views.
Campervan Conversion
When we first decided to go camping, we did some research on how to make our trip successful and enjoyable. We did not want to jump into getting an expensive RV (recreation vehicle) without first trying it out to see if we enjoy this adventure. As such, we stumbled upon people converting their old vans into campervans online. Before this, we never even thought this was a “thing”. Apparently, this became very popular over the past few years when overseas travel was restricted. Instead many families traveled within the country to enjoy our numerous state and national parks.
There are many ways to go about converted your van into a campervan. We opted for a no-built conversion i.e. no building of shelves and sleeping platform from scratch. Instead, we simply used whatever we had on hand or purchased items online. We removed two of the van seats and arranged all the infrastructure items in a way that made sense.
Bedding For Our Campervan
First off, we ordered a futon/sofa bed as a platform for our sleeping arrangement so that other items may be placed under it. To increase the storage height below the futon, we placed 2 inch bed risers under the metal legs. The futon is folded when not in used. We also purchased a foam mattress topper and mattress protector to make it more comfortable.
On top of the futon, we place a double sleeping bag with a temperature rating of of +5⁰F / -15⁰C because it can be cold in the early mornings and late evenings especially in spring and fall/autumn.
Cubby Space and Power Supply
For cubby space, we found this narrow shoe bench that fitted nicely at the back of the van. All our camping supplies and knick-knacks are placed in here. It also works as a kind of counter when we are all set up at camp.
I guess we can’t totally get away from modern infrastructure. For power supply, we use a 300 watt portable power station hooked up to the car when we are travelling and a solar panel at camp. The solar panel is either placed on the dashboard or on the roof rack depending on the direction of the sun.
Chuck Box and Food Storage
A chuck box is essentially a kitchen-in-a-box. I use it to store my camping cooking utensils, sauces, and spices. For this purpose, we got a light weight portable cook station with storage. We already have a portable butane gas stove but we had to buy a stove windscreen as it can get windy up in the mountains.
For cooking utensils, we bought a camping cookware mess kit with 1.6 liter kettle, a wooden Spurtle set, and a mini 10 inch wok. I love wok cooking. You can learn How To Season A Wok before using it for the first time. I also added other extra utensils from my kitchen.
Car Fridge/Freezer
For refrigeration, we ordered a 15.8 quart/15 liter, 12 volt car fridge/freezer that has worked really well for us. It fits nicely under the futon. What is camping without eggs? You have to get one of those camping egg holder to keep your eggs secure.
This is what our chuck box looks like when it is all set up on the campsite. I have everything I need for cooking without having to walk back and forth to the car.
Dining utensils are kept in a container in the cubby at the back of the van and placed on the campsite picnic table. I like to spread a vinyl tablecloth over the picnic table for hygiene purposes and also to make it look more welcoming.
Water For Camping
You can never bring too much water for camping. That said, water can be heavy. Every gallon of water weighs 8 pounds. We have two 5 gallon water tanks and an old 2 gallon water cooler that I still use. You can find all the items I mentioned above in the links below.
Similar Tools Used in This Camp Style Chicken Rice and Camper Conversion Post
This post contains affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy here.
Futon With Chrome Legs
Utopia Bedding Bed Risers 2 Inch – Pack of 8
1.5 Inch 5-Zone Memory Foam Mattress Topper
Padded and quilted Mattress Protector
TETON Sports Tracker Ultralight Double Sleeping Bag
Bamboo Shoe Bench
Duracell Portable Power Station 300W
Duracell 100W Solar Panel for Duracell Portable Power Stations
Portable Cook Station Aluminum Camping Kitchen with Storage
Outdoor Camping Pop Up Folding Table with 3-Tier Storage Organizer and Side Pockets
10,000 BTU CSA List Portable Butane Gas Stove with Carrying Case
Stove Windscreen
Odoland Camping Cookware Mess Kit, and 1.6L Kettle Set
10″ Carbon Steel Flat Based Wok
Spurtle Set, Natural Acacia Wooden Kitchen Utensils Set of 4
Setpower FC15 Portable Refrigerator, 15L/15.8QT Car Fridge Freezer, 12 volt
Coghlan’s Egg Holder
Setting Up The Tent
As soon as we reach the campsite, we have to set up our tent which can be attached to the back of our van. This tent gives us extra space and privacy at camp. It also provides us shade and shields us from wind and rain if the weather decides not to cooperate. After a trial run at home and 3 camping trips, it only takes us 30 to 45 minutes to set up this tent.
I sewed 7 blackout shades for the van using bubble reflective foil insulation leftover from our Green Tent Within A Greenhouse project. The bubble reflective foil is used on the outside with whatever leftover fabric I have from my quilting projects on the inside. Bias tape hold the two together.
We have not had to use the rear blackout shade since we have the tent set up at the back. The windscreen is covered with a purchased car sun shade. It feels really cozy inside when everything is set up. You can see what it looks like in a picture above.
Inside The Tent
We place an area rug inside the tent with a portable table. A working sink is important at camp and so we set up a wash basin with a container of water. For cold evenings, we have a small propane space heater hooked up to an 11 gallon propane tank which sits on a large piece of tile for safety reasons.
In case you are wondering, we do have a portable toilet set up in the far right corner for night time emergencies. 😉 We don’t want to be walking to the vault toilet during the night, especially in bear country.
We do also set up a pop up shower tent close by for very quick showers. It is amazing how little water can keep you refreshed while camping.
Our Campervan Ready To Go
After every trip, we immediately refresh all our supplies so that we are ready for the next trip. When the opportunity arises and weather permits, we only have to pack our clothes, fill the water containers, and prep the food needed for the trip. This allows us to be spontaneous on short notice. 🙂
More Tools Used in This Camp Style Chicken Rice and Camper Conversion Post
This post contains affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy here.
5 Gallon Camping Water Container
Coleman Portable Water Carrier, 5 Gallon Water Jug
Double Bubble Reflective Foil Insulation (4 X 100 Ft Roll)
4ft Portable Fold-in-Half Table
Kitchen Dish Tub Wash Basin with Handles and Draining Plug
Mr. Heater Indoor-Safe Portable Propane Radiant Heater
SereneLife Portable Toilet with Carry Bag
Pop Up Shower Tent
Food Prep For Camp Style Chicken Rice and Other Meals
People have said that it is hard to cook at camp which is true, especially with limited water. The trick is to simplify your recipes and prepare the ingredients at home, where possible. I try to pre-cut all meats and chop all firm vegetables needed for the trip. Do not pre-cut juicy fruits and vegetables like tomatoes but wash them so that they are ready for use. You do have to pack meats separate from vegetables but you don’t have to pack each ingredient into individual containers. That will take up too much space. I use shrink wrap to separate different kinds of meat and finely chopped ingredients like ginger, garlic, and green vegetables in each container.
Quick and Easy Camp Style Chicken Rice
It is definitely possible to cook Asian food instead of just grilling meats and vegetables at camp. You just need to do a little preparation ahead of time. For this trip I also prepared Hokkien Char at Camp for dinner and a breakfast griddle which I will share in my next post.
As mentioned above, this Camp Style Chicken Rice is a simplified version of my Claypot Chicken Rice. Don’t sweat it if you miss an ingredient or two. The idea of camping is to enjoy simple but tasty foods and being outdoors. I did forget the green onions to garnish the finished dish so that it will look prettier in the pictures but that did not compromise the taste of the dish.
I like to cook a larger serving per person as people tend to have healthier appetites when camping. This recipe can easily feed three, especially if there are other dishes accompanying it.
Camp Style Chicken Rice
Ingredients
- 1½ cups long grain rice (300g)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 inch ginger (peeled and julienned)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 6 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast (cut into thin slices) (170g)
- 1/8 tsp salt (or to taste)
- ¼ tsp ground pepper
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 cups water (480ml)
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 red chili (finely sliced for garnishing) (optional)
- 2 green onions (finely sliced for garnishing) (optional)
Instructions
- Rinse and drain long grain rice with as little water as possible. Do this twice.
- In a pot, heat olive oil. Sauté julienned ginger and minced garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute over low heat.
- Add chicken, salt, ground pepper, and increase heat to medium. Stir fry for a couple of minutes.
- Add rice and soy sauce. Stir to mix well.
- Pour in water, cover, and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to medium low, and allow it to simmer until all water is absorbed, about 10 to 12 minutes.
- Turn heat down to the lowest setting, and continue to cook for another 5 minutes. Turn off heat and let it sit for another 5 minutes.
- Drizzle sesame oil and dark soy sauce over cooked rice. Gently stir to mix.
- Dish onto plates and sprinkle with sliced red chili and green onions, if using.
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition
We thoroughly enjoyed this quick and easy Camp Style Chicken Rice for a late lunch after setting up camp.
For dessert, we had some grapes and fruit Jello cups I prepared at home. I hope you have enjoyed this recipe and our tips on camping equipment, packing, and campervan conversion if you wish to give it a go. We have certainly enjoyed our short breaks and hope to go for a few more this season if weather permits. Until the next post, Happy cooking and camping! 😉
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