REAL Turmat Kyllingsuppe (Chicken Soup) Review

Overview

The REAL Turmat Kyllingsuppe is a freeze-dried chicken soup featuring slow-cooked Norwegian chicken, gently seasoned with ginger and garlic.

It’s lighter than a stew and lower in calories, and it’s crafted in Norway with local ingredients.

It sits firmly in the “trail lunch” category — not a calorie-bomb dinner, but a warm, genuinely flavored bowl that takes the edge off a mid-day stop.

Key Specs

Spec	Value
Net Weight	59 g
Prepared Weight	370 g
Calories	331 kcal
Protein	10.5 g
Carbohydrates	17.2 g
Fat	24.1 g
Salt	2 g
Water Required	310 ml
Rehydration Time	8 min (hot) / 30+ min (cold)
Shelf Life	5 years
Allergens	Gluten, Soy
Dietary Notes	Lactose-free, dairy-free
Made In	Norway
Comparison	See how Kyllingsuppe compares to similar gear

Performance

Flavor & Texture

Don’t come in expecting a classic European kyllingsuppe. The soup is flavored with ginger and garlic alongside coconut milk, which puts it closer to a Southeast Asian-inspired broth than a traditional Norwegian chicken soup — and that’s actually a good thing. The coconut milk adds body and rounds out what could otherwise be a flat, watery bowl. Users consistently describe it as a tasty soup with large chunks of chicken meat, which for a freeze-dried product is worth noting — the chicken pieces are recognizable and hold their texture after rehydration.

Buyer feedback across multiple retailers backs this up. Verified buyers note it “really tastes like real chicken soup” and call it “appropriately lighter for lunch.” One user on the GR5 thru-hike went as far as adding pasta to the soups to boost their calorie count — a pragmatic workaround I’d borrow without hesitation.

The Drying Process

REAL Turmat uses a unique drying process that removes only the water from the original dish, securing a nutritious and lightweight meal that’s easy to prepare without stripping out flavor.

The result holds up in practice: the broth rehydrates evenly and you don’t get the chalky or gummy texture that plagues cheaper freeze-dried meals.

Preparation

Add warm water (310 ml) up to the level marker, stir well, close the bag with the ziplock, and let it rest for 8 minutes.

That’s it. The bag stands on its own, you eat straight from it, and cleanup is zero.

It can also be prepared with cold water — just extend the soak time to more than 30 minutes

, which makes it a viable option for stoveless hikers.

Caloric Density

Here’s the honest rub: at 331 kcal from 59 g dry, the caloric density is about 5.6 kcal/g. That’s actually decent for a soup, but it’s nowhere near enough for a standalone backpacking meal. Compare it to REAL Turmat’s own heavier main meals (their Chicken Curry clocks in at ~700 kcal) and this one is clearly a side or a light lunch. If you’re running high daily mileage and need 400–500 kcal per meal minimum, you’ll need to supplement — either with the pasta trick above or by pairing it with crackers, cheese, or nuts.

Allergens & Dietary

Allergens include gluten and soy.

It is lactose-free and milk-free, and made in Norway.

Shelf Life

The product has a 5-year shelf life from the manufacturing date

, which makes bulk-buying for long expeditions or resupply caches a sensible option.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Genuinely good flavor — coconut milk, ginger, and garlic create a broth with real complexity
• Large, recognizable chicken pieces that rehydrate well
• Extremely light at 59 g dry weight; barely noticeable in a pack
• Eat straight from the bag — no dishes
• Cold-soak compatible for stoveless setups
• Lactose- and dairy-free
• 5-year shelf life

Cons

• 331 kcal is too low for a standalone trail meal — requires supplementing for active hikers
• Not a traditional kyllingsuppe in flavor; the ginger/coconut profile may surprise some
• Contains gluten and soy — not suitable for celiac or soy-intolerant hikers
• Availability outside Scandinavia and the UK can be limited and pricey

Who Should Buy This

This is a strong pick for hikers who want a hot, genuinely satisfying mid-day meal without the weight or prep overhead of a full entree. It works well as part of a larger lunch spread — pair it with high-calorie snacks, or add a handful of dry pasta or noodles to the bag before rehydrating if you need more fuel. It also earns a spot in cold-weather kits where a warm broth mid-hike does as much for morale as it does for energy. Anyone with a gluten or soy intolerance, or those expecting a calorie-dense main, should look elsewhere.

Verdict

REAL Turmat’s Kyllingsuppe is one of the better-tasting freeze-dried soups on the market — the coconut-ginger-garlic broth is noticeably more complex than what most competitors serve up, and the chicken pieces hold their texture well. The 331 kcal ceiling means it can’t anchor a meal plan on its own, but as a lightweight lunch option or a warm opener on a cold night, it earns its place in the pack. I’d rate it 7/10 — docked not for what it is, but for what it isn’t: calorie-dense enough to carry the day alone.