Chicken Foil Packets (Printable)
Juicy chicken and vibrant vegetables seasoned with herbs, steamed together in sealed foil packets for an effortless 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
# Directions:
01 - Preheat oven to 400°F.
02 - Cut four large sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil, approximately 12x16 inches each.
03 - Place a 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 - Combine olive oil, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl. Drizzle 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 a small gap for steam circulation.
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 escaping steam. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve with lemon wedges.
# Expert Suggestions:
01 -
- The cleanup is literally just crumpling up foil, which means you get a real dinner on a weeknight without surrendering your evening to the sink
- Everything cooks in its own juices so the chicken stays absurdly tender and the vegetables taste like they came from a restaurant
02 -
- I once sealed my packets too tight with no air gap and the chicken essentially boiled in its own puddle instead of steaming properly
- Letting the packets rest for two minutes after pulling them from the oven gives the juices time to settle back into the meat
03 -
- Spraying the foil lightly with cooking spray before adding anything prevents the chicken skin from fusing to the metal during steaming
- Cutting the chicken breasts in half horizontally to make thinner cutlets reduces the bake time to about 18 minutes and guarantees even cooking