Instructions: In a large Dutch oven, heat oil and brown chicken until golden on all sides.

Remove chicken and excess fat, if desired. (Extra calories can be a plus when camping.) Place leeks, celery, carrots and parsnips in pot and cook 5 minutes, or until vegetables begin to soften slightly. Return chicken to pot along with potatoes, chicken stock, tomato, chilies, and salt and pepper. Bring to boil, lower heat, simmer 20 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and take meat from bones.

Puree vegetables with stock. Put meat into pureed vegetables, simmer 5 more minutes. Season aggressively because foods taste a little more bland when rehydrated.

Line racks of dehydrator with plastic liners or aluminum foil sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Spread stew on racks, about 1/2 inch deep. Turn on machine and dehydrate several hours or overnight, until stew has turned into dry flakes. (If food is not thoroughly dried, it can spoil.) Store in airtight plastic bags in refrigerator until departure.

Measure ingredients for instant dumpling mix and place in sealed plastic bag.

Dont forget to pack oil or shortening and a water filtration device.

At camp, place stew flakes in pot. Add about 2 small thermos cups of filtered water. Let flakes soak until softened. Add water if mixture looks dry. Heat stew, stirring occasionally, adding water as needed. After 5-10 minutes, stew should look almost as it did before dehydration.

In separate pot or in pot lid, mix dumpling mix, oil and enough dribbles of water to a form thick paste with the consistency of biscuit dough. Drop by spoonfuls into bubbling stew, cover tightly, cook 12-15 minutes without lifting lid. When done, dumplings should be fluffy with no trace of raw flour taste. (If campers are too hungry to wait for water to boil, dried stew can be munched right out of bag.)

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