Commissary Kitchen · 034 / 100 · Hearty Cups & Potatoes
Chicken-and-Potato Chowder Cup
About 15 minutes, estimated · 2 portions · Hot water
Original commissary-inspired pantry recipe
Potato flakes can thicken a soup without flour or a stove. Add them gradually after mixing the broth, because a single heavy addition turns this chowder into mashed potatoes.
Place & evidence: Across the country. This is an original pantry recipe. The source supplies ingredient or technique context, rather than evidence that this exact dish is served in a prison. Inventory and place labels describe that context only. TDCJ Commissary Price List.
Make it
Equipment: Heat-safe bowl or mug; clean spoon; measuring cup and spoons; safe hot-water source. Use the cooking equipment required by the product label.
Ingredients
- 1 ready-to-eat chicken pouch, 5 oz
- 2 cups hot water
- 1/3 cup plain instant potato flakes
- 3 tbsp powdered milk
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
- 4 crackers
Method
- Put the milk powder in a deep heat-safe mixing bowl. Stir in a little of the measured hot water to make a smooth paste, then whisk in the rest of the 2 cups water with onion powder and pepper.
- Fold in the ready-to-eat chicken and let stand 1 minute.
- Sprinkle the measured potato flakes over the surface while stirring rather than dropping them in one heap. Rest 1 minute, then stir again.
- The soup should lightly coat a spoon. If it is thicker than wanted, add water a teaspoon at a time. Divide between two bowls and serve with the crackers.
The useful detail
Treat flakes as a thickener: stop adding when the broth lightly coats the spoon.
When the store is different
Use ready-to-eat salmon for a fish-chowder variation.
Serving & handling
Mix moist ingredients close to serving. Keep opened or mixed perishables refrigerated if they are not being eaten promptly. Read the pantry and food-handling guide for storage limits, package directions and allergen checks.
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Sources & editorial note
Texas Department of Criminal Justice — TDCJ Commissary Price List, TDCJ. Official inventory, Texas. Source scope and limits.
The recipe wording and formulation are original editorial work prepared with AI assistance. Source narratives and photographs have not been reproduced. Any chapter artwork is AI-generated and illustrates a food family; the recipe card follows this article’s current instructions.