If foil packs are your go-to for summer meals, then you’ve gotta also try my Lemon Herb Shrimp and Broccoli Foil Packs, Garlic Steak and Potato Foil Packs, and Herb Butter Salmon and Asparagus Foil Packs. I grew up on what we called “tin foil dinners.” Being the youngest of nine we didn’t travel much, but we did go camping a lot, as well as cabin-ing at my great uncle’s log cabin. Year after year we camped and cabined and I looked forward to those trips all through winter and spring. I couldn’t wait to go fishing and hiking and back-woods exploring, and you better believe I looked forward to my mama’s tin foil dinners. Sometimes on a camping stove, sometimes in the cabin oven, and many-a-time over the open flames of a legitimate rock-ring, wood-crackling fire. These Herbed Chicken & Potato Foil Packs are loaded with really yummy flavors and are incredibly simple to make. If you’re planning a camping trip, you MUST make these part of your adventure. And if you’re not the camping type (no judgement here, I married one of you not-so-happy-campers), please say you’ll still make these in your backyard on the grill. Heck, if you’re really anti-outdoorsy, I’ll even support you in baking these babies in the oven right in the safety and cleanliness of your bug-free kitchen.
WHAT INGREDIENTS ARE IN HERBED CHICKEN & POTATO FOIL PACKS?
Boneless skinless chicken thighs OR boneless skinless chicken breasts Garlic powder Onion powder Dried oregano Dried basil Dried dill Salt and pepper Oil Potatoes (red or gold potatoes work best) Mushrooms
HOW DO YOU MAKE HERBED CHICKEN & POTATO FOIL PACKS?
The first thing you want to do is pack up your gear and go camping. I kid, I kid…sorta. No, but seriously, if you’re camping or just making these packs at home, the result will be the same I promise! Just as delicious, less bugs. Mix up all the seasonings then set those aside. Next, add the chicken, potatoes, and mushrooms to a bowl and toss to coat with the oil. Tear out 4 12 x 12 pieces of nonstick foil and lay them on a flat surface (or on a baking sheet if you are cooking in the oven). Divide the chicken, potatoes, and mushrooms up evenly among the foil pieces. Sprinkle the contents of each packet with the seasonings and then fold the foil over the chicken-potato-mushroom mixture and scrunch the ends of it together to close off the foil pack. Place all the packets onto a preheated grill and cook for about 10-15 minutes, then flip and cook another 5-7 minutes. Check the chicken for doneness. Once it’s cooked through, you can garnish with fresh herbs if ya like, and serve right away. Alternately, if you want to back these packs, pop them in the oven at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes. No need to turn them.
WHAT CAN I SEASON CHICKEN WITH?
What can you season chicken with? The better question is what CAN’T you season chicken with? Chicken is like the blank canvas of the meat world. In addition to the Italian spices I feature in these chicken foil packs, here are some other ways I’ve spiced up my chicken:
Try a tasty chicken marinade or dry rub. Love some Mexican seasonings? These Meal Prep Bowls will win you over. We even get down with some Argentinian Chimichurri now and again. Is Thai more your wheelhouse? We got that too! Or do you prefer chicken with an Indian flare? How about Korean? And of course, stir-fries are a great way to season chicken with some milder Asian spices too!
DO YOU SEASON CHICKEN BEFORE OR AFTER COOKING?
I ALWAYS season chicken before cooking it. This way, the flavors are locked in (seared, sauteed, steamed, however it’s cooked, same result). If you seasoned chicken after you cooked it, the spices would simply fall off. That is, of course, unless you are doing something like a chicken wing, (for a great chicken wing recipe check out my Crispy Baked Chicken Wings Recipe,) in which you need to sauce the whole entire piece of meat or some other dish that has a glaze or dip that the chicken needs to be coated in before serving. But even then, those are glazes and sauces, and not spices so much. All that is to say, spice first, cook second, dip third.
