Chicken, Broccoli, and Rice Foil Packets
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Chicken, broccoli, cheddar cheese, and bacon are served over brown rice in these ooey, gooey chicken foil packets. Grill, bake, or cook over the campfire! You can even make them ahead and freeze for later with our instructions.
Whether you’re going camping or just want an easy, fun meal to throw on the grill or in the oven, everyone loves these individual foil packets! With plenty of protein, a carb, and vegetables, each one is a hearty, one-packet-wonder dinner.
Ingredients In Chicken Foil Packets
These packets only require 5 main ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need…
- Cooked brown rice (Shortcut: Buy Uncle Ben’s or another brand of pre-cooked rice)
- Chicken breasts
- Broccoli florets (Shortcut: Buy the bagged broccoli florets in the produce section.)
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Cooked bacon (Shortcut: Buy bacon bits or pre-cooked bacon from the refrigerated section.)
Other than that, you just need a few ingredients from the fridge and pantry: butter, salt, and pepper. Sounds delicious, right?!
Video Tutorial
Watch this 1 minute video to see how to put together your Chicken Foil Packets…
How to Make Chicken Foil Packs
Make these foil packets in just a few simple steps. See the recipe at the bottom of the post for more details.
1. Preheat a grill to medium-high heat or the oven to 400°F. (See campfire cooking directions below.) Tear off 6 pieces of heavy-duty foil that measure roughly 12×12 inches and set aside.
2. On a cutting board, dice the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Season with salt and pepper on all sides.
3. Assemble the Foil Packets: Spray each piece of foil with cooking spray. To each piece of foil, add a scoop of cooked rice and top it with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add some diced chicken, broccoli florets, shredded cheese, and chopped cooked bacon. Fold up the sides of the foil and seal. (Freezing instructions begin here.)
4. Cook the Foil Packets: You have two options for cooking the foil packs. Either place the foil packs directly on the grill (do not close the lid) or in the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes. (The chicken is done when a thermometer inserted in the chicken registers 165°F or no longer is pink in the middle. The broccoli should be tender, as well.) Remove the foil packs from the heat (using tongs) and let stand for about 5 minutes. Carefully open each pack to release the steam and enjoy!
How to Cook Chicken Foil Packets Over a Campfire
Bonus: You can take these foil packs camping! Keep the prepared foil packets cold in a cooler on ice until you’re ready to cook them. Set them out to warm slightly while you build a campfire in a fire pit. Place a grate over the fire. Once the fire has burned down a little and is nice and hot (needs to be hot enough that you can only hold your hand over the grate for a second or so), you can cook your foil packets on the grate for about 20-30 minutes. Make sure the chicken is completely cooked through (no more pink). Open the packets carefully (steam will release) and let cool slightly before eating.
Can You Freeze This Foil Packet Dinner?
Definitely! This works as a make-ahead and freeze meal. So, be sure to double your batch so you can have one for dinner tonight and freeze one for later. Here’s how:
Freeze For Later: Put your packets together according to the recipe instructions. Then, before cooking them, place the foil packets in a large freezer bag or container. Seal and freeze.
Prepare From Frozen: Thaw completely in the refrigerator. Either grill, bake, or cook over a campfire until done.
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Chicken, Broccoli, and Rice Foil Packets
Chicken, broccoli, cheddar cheese, and bacon are served over brown rice in these ooey, gooey chicken foil packets. Grill, bake, or cook over the campfire! You can even make them ahead and freeze for later with our instructions.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 3 cups cooked brown rice (Shortcut: Two Uncle Ben’s Ready Brown Rice 8.8 ounce packs)
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 4 cups broccoli florets, cut into bite-sized pieces (Shortcut: One 12 ounce package of pre-cut Hy-Vee Broccoli Florets)
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
- 12 ounces bacon, cooked and chopped into bite-sized pieces (Shortcut: Hy-Vee Fully Cooked Bacon)
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Instructions
Make It Now:
- Preheat a grill to medium-high heat or the oven to 400°F.
- Tear off 6 pieces of heavy-duty foil that measure roughly 12×12 inches and set aside.
- On a cutting board, dice the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Season with the salt and pepper on all sides. (If you want, you could add a little onion powder and garlic powder too, but totally optional.)
- Assemble the Foil Packets: To each piece of foil, scoop 1/2 cup of the cooked rice and top it with 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add about 1/2 cup of chicken, 2/3 cup broccoli, 1/3 cup cheese, and about 2-3 tablespoons of the chopped bacon. Fold up the sides of the foil and seal. (Freezing instructions begin here.)
- Cook the Foil Packets: You have two options for cooking the foil packs. Either place the foil packs directly on the grill (do not close the lid) or in the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes. (The chicken is done when a thermometer inserted in the chicken registers 165°F or no longer is pink in the middle. The broccoli should be tender, as well.)
- Remove the foil packs from the heat (using tongs) and let stand for about 5 minutes. Carefully open each pack to release the steam and enjoy!
Freeze For Later: Follow Steps 2-4. Place the foil packets in a large freezer bag or container. Seal and freeze.
Prepare From Frozen: Thaw completely in the refrigerator. Follow Step 1 and then Steps 5-6.
Notes/Tips
Bonus: You can take these camping! Keep them cold in a cooler with ice until you’re ready to cook them. Set them out to warm slightly while you build a campfire in a fire pit. Place a grate over the fire. Once the fire has burned down a little and is nice and hot, you can cook your foil packets on the grate for about 20-30 minutes. Make sure the chicken is completely cooked through.
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How long do you think these will take to thaw in the freezer from frozen? I am trying to make them to give to someone and want my directions to be as complete and thorough as possible.
Do you mean thaw in the fridge (not freezer)? They would probably need 24 hours in the refrigerator to be completely thawed (probably less but just tell them 24 to be sure). Let me know if that doesn’t answer your question.
I really liked the taste (especially when you add the recommended garlic and onion powder) but the cheese got stuck to the top of the foil so I think next time I would mix it all up instead of layering it. I cooked it in the oven but would definitely take these in a cooler to go camping!
★★★★★
Oh that’s a good idea to mix it up. Thanks for sharing, Shannon!
This was delicious! I prepared it in the oven, and it turned out great. My whole family enjoyed it.
★★★★★
Awesome! Glad to know it worked well in the oven for you, too.
The whole family loved
this recipe, it was delicious! I’m glad I doubled it and froze a batch for another time!
★★★★★
Wonderful! Thanks for leaving a review, Amy.
I love this recipe! I’ve made it twice. I intend to put it into our summer meal rotation.
★★★★★
Thanks for the review, Holly. So happy you’re enjoying it!
This was very tasty! Trying to think of other variations I could make. If I substituted the chicken with shrimp, how long do you think it would take to cook
Glad you liked it! I think it’s worth trying with shrimp, however I do think it could get overcooked at this timing. What if you pre-cooked the broccoli (to assure it doesn’t come out hard and crunchy) and then cooked the raw shrimp in the packet for more like 10-15 minutes (check it at the earliest time)?
These were delicious! I can tell you they BARELY fed my family of 4, because 2 people are 2 packets, they were so good! (My children are young hungry adults)
Do you think they can be cooked straight from frozen or do they have to be thawed?
★★★★★
I’m so happy to hear these were a hit! I haven’t tested straight from frozen, so I’m not sure. I’m worried they would cook unevenly and end up with some overcooked areas perhaps. But, please let me know if you ever test it that way.
Is there any way to cook these packets in the crockpot prepared as you directed?
★★★★★
Hi Ashley. I haven’t tested that but it’s an interesting idea. Boneless chicken like this only takes about 3 hours on low in the slow cooker. The broccoli wouldn’t get done in that time, so you would need to steam it first. But I think this method would work if you did that!