Chicken and Vegetables in Foil Packets
Jan 18, 2022, Updated Jan 09, 2024
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Chicken and Vegetables in Foil Packets offer an ideal combination of ease, deliciousness, and nutrition for your dinner. This dish features flavorful, juicy chicken and seasoned veggies, all conveniently cooked together in foil packets, creating a wholesome and family-favorite meal.
This is one of my favorite chicken dinner ideas, perfect for those last-minute meals with minimal mess. It’s incredibly simple to make, combining healthy protein with fresh, crisp-tender vegetables. Far superior to a fast-food or junk food night, this Chicken and Vegetables in Foil Packets recipe features tender, juicy cubes of white meat chicken and crisp, colorful veggies seasoned to perfection. It’s a versatile dish that busy cooks can adapt using almost any veggies and protein on hand. Plus, cooking everything in foil means cleanup is a breeze, making it a practical and delicious choice.
Ingredients Needed
- Chicken: Cut the chicken into 1-inch cubes. Try to avoid leaving larger chunks of chicken, because they will not cook evenly in the oven.
- Vegetables: I like to use a mix of two different color bell peppers, as well as some zucchini, garlic, and onion. You can substitute whatever tender vegetables you like, though!
- Olive Oil: A good quality extra-virgin olive oil will have the most flavor.
- Paprika: Made from dried, ground peppers, paprika isn’t spicy, but does add a deep, sweet, earthy taste.
- Italian Seasoning: Italian seasoning is a great way to add balanced flavor, fast!
- Garlic and Onion Powder: These two basics are a great way to boost the umami flavor in a recipe.
- Salt and Pepper: To taste.
- Red Pepper Flakes: For serving, optional.
- Parsley: For garnish.
How to Make Chicken Foil Packets with Veggies
Okay, let’s take a look at the method for putting the foil packets together. It’s a super-simple technique that gets even easier every time you make it!
- Prep the Oven and the Foil Sheets. Preheat the oven to 450˚F and set out four large sheets of foil, about one square foot each.
- Combine the Packet Ingredients. In a mixing bowl, combine the chicken, vegetables, olive oil, and seasonings.
- Assemble the Packets. Divide the chicken mixture evenly onto the four sheets of foil, fold up the edges of the foil, and seal them closed.
- Bake. Place the foil packs on a baking sheet and bake them for 20 to 25 minutes. The chicken should be cooked through and veggies should be tender. Chicken is cooked through when the internal temperature registers at 165˚F.
- Open, Season, and Serve. Remove the cooked packets from the oven. Carefully poke a hole in the top of the packets to let some of the steam out, and then open the packets away from your face. Taste the dish for salt and pepper, and adjust as needed. Garnish with pepper flakes and chopped parsley, and serve.
Recipe Tips And Variations
- Grilling Option: If you like, you can cook your foil packets on a grill. To grill, preheat your grill to 400˚F. Place the foil packet on the grill, seamed side up, and grill it for 15 minutes. Turn the packet, and grill for another 10 or 15 minutes. Make sure to test the chicken for doneness with an instant-read thermometer before serving.
- Protein Swap: If you don’t want to use chicken breast, you could also use chicken thighs, ground beef patties, or sausage links. Make this a vegetarian feast with your favorite vegan meat, seitan, potatoes, or drained canned beans.
- Veggie Swap: Onions, bell peppers, and zucchini are just the start! This dish would be excellent with green beans, snow peas, summer squash, mushrooms, green onions, or thinly sliced eggplant. Make it your own, but choose vegetables that cook around the same amount of time.
- Use Heavy-Duty Foil: Thin aluminum foil is fine for covering a bowl of leftovers, but for this recipe, you should reach for the heavier weight foil. That way, you can avoid tears and rips. You may even want to use two layers.
- Safety First: Since the foil packets will be hot and full of steam when cooked, be very careful moving them and opening them. Steam can burn you, so I recommend poking a hole in the top or side of the packet to let some of the steam out before carefully opening the packet away from your face.
What Goes with this Foil Packet Dinner?
To serve, you can simply place the foil packets on dinner plates, open them, and eat, but if you’d like a side or two, the juicy chicken and tender veggies go beautifully with Classic Creamy Mashed Potatoes. This easy Instant Pot Mexican Rice would be great! Also, a side of my Garlic Honey Roasted Sweet Potatoes might just be what your chicken dinner needs.
Can I Make the Foil Packets In Advance?
Yes, you can! Foil packet meals are great for packing in the freezer and thawing out another time. Just assemble the foil packets as directed, but instead of cooking them, place them in gallon-sized freezer bags and press out as much air as possible. Freeze for up to 4 months, and thaw in the refrigerator overnight before heating.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- To store, remove from foil and place the leftovers in an airtight container, and keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days or in the freezer for 2 to 3 months.
- To reheat, place the desired portion in a covered skillet and add a splash of water or broth if it looks dry. Heat on medium-low until everything is piping hot.
More Quick and Easy Dinner Ideas
- Quick Beef Stroganoff
- Pan Seared Salmon with Creamy Dill Sauce
- Creole Backened Chicken Pasta
- Chicken Tortellini Alfredo
- Honey Garlic Pork Chops
Chicken and Vegetables in Foil Packets
Ingredients
- 1 pound skinless boneless chicken breasts,, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 2 bell peppers,, chopped (I used 1 red bell pepper and 1 yellow bell pepper)
- 1 large zucchini,, sliced or chopped
- 1 small yellow onion,, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic,, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt,, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper,, or to taste
- crushed red pepper flakes,, for serving, optional
- chopped fresh parsley,, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450˚F.
- Cut out 4 sheets of foil, each measuring about 12”x12”. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl combine the chopped chicken, peppers, zucchini, onion, and garlic.
- To the chicken mixture add olive oil, paprika, Italian Seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper; mix well until thoroughly combined.
- Spoon mixture evenly onto the 4 foil sheets.
- Fold all sides of the foil over the ingredients and seal it closed.
- Transfer the foil packs to a large baking sheet and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and veggies are tender. Chicken is cooked through when internal temperature registers at 165˚F.
- Remove from oven.
- Carefully poke a hole in the top of the packets, to let some of the steam out. Open the packets away from your face because of the remaining steam inside.
- Taste for salt and pepper, and adjust accordingly.
- Garnish with pepper flakes, if using, and chopped parsley.
- Serve.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
I love how healthy and easy this is. Those are two big ones for me. It looks so delicoius.
Thank YOU! I hope you’ll enjoy it! ๐
This is my kind of dinner! I love that we can all customize our packets! Bring on all of those veggies.
I hope you’ll enjoy it! Thank YOU! ๐
This is a delicious and easy dinner idea! A must make it for sure!
Thank you so much! Please enjoy! ๐
This is so good!! Quickly became a favorite meal for my family!
That’s wonderful! I’m very glad everyone enjoyed it! Thank YOU! ๐
Haven’t done a foil packet dish in years, so I really appreciated the tips!
I hope you’ll enjoy it! Thank YOU! ๐
Super flavorful and perfect for busy weeknights. A new staple in my rotation.
That’s great! I hope you’ll enjoy it! Thank YOU! ๐
This was very good. I have made a lot of foils dinners and theyโre pretty much the same. What I donโt understand is why the pictures present these toasty roasted looking food when there is absolutely no way it would brown like that all sealed up in foil where it steams! You must put it under the broiler to get any kind of color! Still good but put it in the instructions to put it under the broiler for a few minutes! Professional chefs opinion!
Oh wow! It’s so delicious ๐
Thank you the healthy dinner.
Thank YOU! I’m very glad you enjoyed it! ๐
Can you use boneless thighs?
Yes, but you will have to use boneless, skinless thighs.
Any conversion on time using a convection oven?
Hi!
When using a convection oven, you typically reduce the cooking time by about 25% or lower the temperature by 25 degrees Fahrenheit (about 15 degrees Celsius) compared to a conventional oven. Here are some general guidelines:
Reduce Temperature: If a recipe calls for a cooking temperature of 350ยฐF (175ยฐC) in a conventional oven, set your convection oven to 325ยฐF (160ยฐC).
Reduce Cooking Time: If you prefer to keep the original temperature, reduce the cooking time by about 25%. For example, if a recipe says to bake something for 40 minutes, start checking for doneness at around 30 minutes.
It’s always a good idea to start checking for doneness a little earlier than you think, as convection ovens can vary. Use these guidelines as a starting point, and adjust based on your specific oven and recipe.
I hope this helps! Thank you! ๐