Chicken Foil Packets (Printable Version)
Juicy chicken and vibrant veggies steamed in foil with herbs for an easy, flavorful meal.
# What You Need:
→ Meats
01 - 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 5 oz each)
→ Vegetables
02 - 1 red bell pepper, sliced
03 - 1 yellow squash, sliced
04 - 1 zucchini, sliced
05 - 1 small red onion, sliced
06 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
→ Spices & Seasonings
07 - 2 tbsp olive oil
08 - 2 tsp Italian seasoning
09 - 1 tsp garlic powder
10 - 1 tsp paprika
11 - 1/2 tsp salt
12 - 1/2 tsp black pepper
13 - 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)
14 - Lemon wedges, to serve
# Method:
01 - Preheat oven to 400°F.
02 - Cut four large sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil, approximately 12x16 inches each.
03 - Place one chicken breast in the center of each foil sheet.
04 - Distribute sliced bell pepper, squash, zucchini, onion, and halved cherry tomatoes evenly around each chicken breast.
05 - In a small bowl, combine olive oil, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and black pepper. Drizzle the mixture evenly over the chicken and vegetables in each packet.
06 - Fold the foil sides up and over the chicken and vegetables, sealing each packet tightly while leaving some room for steam to circulate inside.
07 - Transfer the sealed packets to a baking sheet and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender.
08 - Carefully open each packet watching for hot steam. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and serve with lemon wedges.
# Expert Tricks:
01 -
- Everything cooks in one sealed packet so flavors intensify instead of escaping into the pan
- Cleanup takes roughly ninety seconds and involves crumpling foil into a ball
- The chicken stays impossibly moist because nothing can evaporate past that seal
02 -
- Opening the packets toward your face is a mistake you will make exactly once because that steam is no joke
- Swapping Italian seasoning for Cajun spice turns this into an entirely different meal that is worth trying the second time you make it
03 -
- Assemble the packets up to six hours ahead and keep them in the fridge until you are ready to bake
- Use a meat thermometer instead of guessing because chicken that looks done inside a steamy packet can still be undercooked in the center