By Casey Hayes, RDN (Dragonflydiets.com)

After testing other RoadPro appliances, I was excited to find what I could make in the RoadPro Saucepan.

Apparent Pros:

• Easy to clean, non-stick surface
• Even cooking temperature
• Food can be warmed or cooked fully
• Tough, compact design
• Holds 6 cups comfortably, without boiling over
• Has a glass lid that securely fits pan
• Sits on an even surface

 

Possible Cons:

• No Thermostat Controls
  (I would not recommend using this appliance during transportation.)

 

The RoadPro Saucepan is 7” in diameter and includes a glass lid. It easily holds 6 cups, so approximately 1-2 servings of your favorite soup, sauce, or chili. The unit gets hot as soon as you plug it in, so make sure it is on a stable flat surface, and away from fabrics. Since you will be cooking liquid ingredients, I would not recommend using this appliance while driving.

I wanted to test the Portable Saucepan with an easy family favorite recipe…White Chicken Chili! This recipe is good to warm up to in cold months, or great to add spicy heat to the summer months. It also can easily be made milder by limiting the jalapeños and red pepper flakes.

White Chicken Chili
Use RoadPro Saucepan

• 1 – 12.5oz can Chicken Breast, with juices
• 1 can Evaporated Milk
• 1 can Great Northern Beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 – 4 oz can diced Green Chili, with juices
• ½ - 4 oz can (or less) diced Jalapeños
• 2 tsp Garlic powder (or 2 cloves of Minced Garlic)
• ¼ cup diced Onion (or half as much Onion Flakes)
• 1 tsp Cumin
• ½ tsp Oregano
• ½ tsp Red Pepper *optional
• Salt and Pepper to taste

 

This recipe is so easy! All you have to do is open cans and mix it all in the pot. You can plug in the saucepan just before or just after adding the ingredients.

After 30 minutes plugged in, the chili temperature was still too low to eat (110 degrees). The safety zone for preparing food is cooking it above 165 degrees for chicken and casserole style foods. This kills any bacteria that may be in the food.

At 1 hour, the temperature was plenty hot to serve (160 degrees). It had an adequate time to meld all the flavors together. Enjoy!

Let’s talk about a little nutrition… This recipe is naturally low in fat with use of the evaporated milk. The recipe could be changed to using 4 oz of Heavy Cream or Cream Cheese if you need more fats or more calcium. Also, by rinsing the can of beans, half the sodium is rinsed away, however, if you leave the natural juices from the can there is no reason to add the salt to the chili.

Now let’s talk about Spiciness… 2 oz of diced Jalapeños was quite spicy for me, but I normally like to eat mild sauces. This seemed to be more of a medium hotness. Next time I will probably only use 1 oz of Jalapeños. But others like more spicy foods. Just be careful, spicy foods eaten close to bedtime can cause acid reflex or complicate GERD.

Lastly, let’s talk about cost… This recipe cost me $6.60 to buy the canned goods. However, if you can find the cans for less than $1 each, the price will be significantly lower. Be cautious of cheap chicken cans though. Cheaper cans tend to contain less meat and more water. Name brands (like Kirkland Signature from Costco, or store brands like Kroger) tend to be mostly meat.

This meal is as easy as 1-2-3 with the help of RoadPro Saucepan. Enjoy!

Photo credit: Casey Hayes