These Southwest Chicken Foil Packets with Veggies are a tasty BBQ idea. Throw everything in a foil packet and say goodbye to dirty dishes!
Ingredients and substitutions
- Olive oil – any neutral oil can be used like grapeseed oil, canola oil or avocado oil.
- Chili powder – cayenne pepper, chili flakes or paprika will provide a similar flavour.
- Garlic powder – use fresh or jarred minced garlic in place of garlic powder.
- Seasoning salt – to taste.
- Baby potatoes – use any variation of baby potatoes or fingerlings that you like.
- Red, yellow and green pepper – use all three or only one colour depending on your preferences. You can also add in orange peppers.
- Shredded cheddar cheese – shredded marble, mozzarella or Tex Mex blends will also work well.
- Cilantro – feel free to use parsley or fresh basil instead.
- Salsa – jarred salsa or pico de gallo will both work.
- Sour cream – plain Greek yogurt is a low-fat alternative to sour cream.
Chicken marinade
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- Chicken breasts – chicken thighs or legs would also work but have a higher calorie count.
- Lime juice – use fresh or bottled lime juice. Lemon juice can be used in a pinch.
- Taco seasoning – use store-bought taco seasoning or make your own blend with spices you have at home.
- Salt – to taste.
How to make chicken foil packets
- Marinade the chicken.
- Create four foil packets.
- Add veggies and chicken to each packet.
- Spoon some marinade over top.
- Cook on the BBQ.
- Add on cheese.
- Serve with cilantro, salsa and sour cream.
Why you should wrap your chicken in foil
Wrapping chicken in foil has so many benefits! It reduces the cleaning time that comes with cooking chicken breasts. It's important to be careful when cooking raw chicken. Anything that touches raw chicken needs to be cleaned and wiped down immediately to reduce the chance of salmonella or any other bacteria. By wrapping the chicken in foil, you're limiting what the chicken comes in contact with and all you have to do is toss the foil packets once you're done!
Another reason why you should wrap your chicken in foil is that it ensures the chicken breast you're cooking remains juicy and tender. Using foil seals in the natural juices that are released from chicken breasts when they've been cooked. This allows that stereotypically “dry” chicken to stay juicy, tender and moist.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! This recipe calls for you to grill the foil packets on the BBQ. You’ll need to cook them for about 20-25 minutes at medium-high heat until the chicken is fully cooked through. I find that cooking on the BBQ versus in the oven results in even less clean-up time.
No, you don’t need to flip these foil packets.
The best part of this recipe is how moist the chicken breasts are. Since they’re wrapped in foil, they’re cooking in their own natural juices while they cook, resulting in the juiciest and most tender chicken!
Storing and reheating
This chicken foil packet recipe will last in the fridge for up to 4 days. Dump the packets into glass meal prep containers in individual servings to make them easy to microwave straight out of the fridge.
To reheat, simply sprinkle some water over top so the chicken doesn't dry out, then microwave for 2-3 minutes. A quick tip: I prefer to slice the chicken and sprinkle with 1-2 tsp of water so that the chicken reheats more evenly.
Freezing the chicken
I don't recommend freezing this meal with the veggies and potatoes because the peppers will get really soggy while reheating. However, you can freeze the chicken once it's been cooked if you want to make this dish at a later date!
To freeze the chicken, transfer the chicken to a glass container or freezer bag once it has cooled. You can freeze the chicken for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight then reheat in the oven for 20-30 minutes at 350° Fahrenheit.
More easy chicken recipes
Meal prep tools for this recipe
- Grab some glass meal prep bowls if you plan on turning this recipe into your weekly lunches.
- I get all my free-range chicken from Butcher Box, conveniently delivered to me frozen.
- Get a meat thermometer to make sure your chicken is cooked through.
Southwest Chicken Foil Packets + Veggies {No Dishes!}
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp seasoning salt
- 1 package baby potatoes, sliced in half
- 1/2 each red, yellow and green pepper, diced
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Cilantro, salsa and sour cream to serve
Chicken marinade
- 1 lb chicken breasts
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tbsp taco seasoning
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat BBQ to med-high heat. Mix together ingredients for chicken and let marinate for 10 min. Meanwhile, toss veggies and potatoes with olive oil, chili powder, garlic powder and seasoning salt.
- Create four foil packets and add veggies and chicken to each, spooning a bit of marinade over the chicken. Create foil covers for each foil packet, then cook on BBQ for 20-25 minutes until chicken is fully cooked. Remove from heat and remove foil cover, then top chicken with cheese. Place cover back on gently and let sit for 3-4 min until cheese is melted. Serve with chopped cilantro, salsa and sour cream. Enjoy!
Britt says
I can not find the passion fruit condiment anywhere. What else would you recommend as substitution?
Taylor Stinson says
Hey Britt – you can substitute lime juice for the marinade. Hope that helps 🙂
Kathryn says
The southwest foil chicken looks yummy, id love to make that