Foil Packet Chicken

The BBQ is the dinner star when we are camping.  Is it just me or does everything taste better when you’re camping?  Relaxing in the woods smelling a tri-tip on the grill is something I will never tire of.

But we can’t eat tri-tip every night on each and every trip; our doctor would not be happy with our blood work or the scale. Why must everything that tastes so very good be so very bad.  Sigh.  Onto other tasty BBQ meals.

This chicken recipe fits the bill perfectly with the added bonus of almost zero clean up.  Since we do a lot of dry camping, I’m always on the hunt for something tasty that doesn’t require a lot dishes for prep and has minimal clean up.  The picture of it first caught my eye; I could almost smell and taste it through the screen.  As I read through it I knew I had to try it.

Maiden voyage for this recipe was a quick weekend to Lost Dutchman State Park with our friends Bill & Deb and my dad.  When I say quick, I mean quick.  Total drive time was 35 minutes; a far cry from our normal 5+ hour drives.  We were just far enough out of the city to really feel “away.”   We were roughing it, let me tell you. We had the beautiful Superstition Mountains to our east and the city lights to our west with playoff baseball on the outside TV.  People walking their dogs asked for scoring updates while they walked the campground loop.

 

 

I need to brag on our State Park System as they were recently awarded the Gold Medal for being the best-managed state park system in the nation.  We’ve stayed at several state parks in our camping life and have never been disappointed; they are always clean with very pleasant camp hosts.  Plus the price is right.

I have these giant Reynolds foil oven bags in the RV and use it as one giant foil pack.  You can also make individual foil packs as well. When we are dry camping, I put the meat, potatoes, mushrooms and oil in a Ziploc bag to eliminate a bowl to clean.  I add the seasonings and give it a good shake, making sure the yummy herbs are all over everything before dumping it all in the foil bag.  Once in the bag, I arrange it so the chicken is sitting on top and seal it tight.

Be sure to slice the potatoes very thin  since potatoes take so darn long to cook.  Pre-sliced mushrooms add to the fast, easy and minimal clean up of this recipe that I love.  Of course you can add any other veggies to your packet.  I think carrots or quartered onions would add great color and flavor but I’d have to use my own foil packet for that.  Carrots and onions have a prominent spot on Mark’s “will not eat” list.

The large foil bag doesn’t give the chicken the cool charred look like an individual foil packet; I think the larger bag makes a roasting pan of sorts.  But, it tastes delicious nonetheless.

 

 

Seal the packet real well and grill for 15 minutes then turn over and grill for another 5-7 minutes, checking the chicken for doneness.

Most times we pair this dish with a piece of Texas Toast and salad.  The toast cooks super fast on the grill and a bag salad is just the ticket for a no-clean up meal.  You should check out the salad kits that Dole offers.  Their southwestern mix is fantastic.

Print Recipe

Foil Packet Chicken

Recipe Credit:  Creme de la Crumb

• 6-8 boneless skinless chicken thighs OR 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon dried dill
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 1 – 1 1/2 pounds thinly sliced red potatoes, about 2 cups potato slices
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms

1. Stir together seasonings and set aside. Add oil to a bowl or Ziploc along with chicken, potatoes, and mushrooms and toss to coat everything in the oil.

2. My way:  Add seasoning to Ziploc bag and toss to evenly coat all chicken, potatoes and mushrooms.  Put in large foil bag, making sure chicken is resting on top of potatoes and mushrooms.

   Her way: Lay out 4 12×12 sheets of nonstick foil on a flat surface. Divide chicken, potatoes, and mushrooms between each of the foil sheets. (If using thighs there should be 1-2 per foil sheet, if using breasts there should be 1 per foil sheet) Sprinkle with seasoning mixture.

3. Fold foil over the chicken-potato-mushroom mixture and scrunch the ends of the foil together to close off the foil pack.

4. Place foil packs on preheated grill and cook for about 10-15 minutes, then flip and cook another 5-7 minutes. Check the chicken for doneness, once cooked through, garnish with fresh herbs if desired (such as thyme, rosemary, or oregano) and serve immediately.