Chicken, Broccoli, and Rice Foil Packets
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Chicken, broccoli, cheddar cheese, and bacon are served over brown rice in these chicken foil packets. Grill, bake, or cook over the campfire! You can even make them ahead and freeze for later with our instructions. Everyone loves these individual foil packets!
Why We Love This Recipe
- Versatility – Cook them over the campfire, on the grill, or in the oven.
- Nutritious & Tasty – With simple, whole food ingredients, these foil packs are filled with nutrients AND big flavor.
- One Dish Wonder – Dishes that include veggies, protein, and things like rice or pasta all in one are such a time saver! We have several others that are easy to put together like Chicken Penne Pasta, Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole, and Easy Chicken Fried Rice.
- Freezer-Friendly – You can prep these ahead and freeze for later. (Perfect freezer meal to take on vacation!)
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. If you have extras, did you know you can freeze rice?
- Chicken breasts – Chicken thighs work well, too. We get all our chicken from ButcherBox.
- Broccoli florets – Shortcut: Buy the bagged broccoli florets in the produce section.
- Shredded cheddar cheese – Or experiment with other kinds of melty cheeses like shredded Swiss, Gruyere, or Monterey Jack.
- 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?!
How to Make Chicken Foil Packs
Find the full, printable recipe at the very bottom of this post.
Prep
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.
On a cutting board, dice the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Season with salt and pepper on all sides.
Assemble
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.
Cook
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 Make These Over a Campfire
- 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.
Want More Grilling Recipes?
We’ve rounded up our best grilling recipes just for you! Steak, burgers, peaches, side dishes, and more.
FAQs
Unfortunately, no. There isn’t enough liquid to cook the rice in these packets. You could take a shortcut and buy packages of cooked rice at the store. Or this is a great time to use up frozen cooked rice.
Sure. Just remember that broccoli cooks pretty quickly compared to other veggies so you may need to microwave or saute veggies depending on your desired texture. Other ideas include cauliflower or onions and bell peppers.
Yes! Just sub olive oil for the butter and leave out the cheese or use dairy-free “cheese”. If I was omitting the cheese, I’d personally add a lot more bacon. 🙂
How to Video
Chicken, Broccoli, and Rice Foil Packets
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 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)
Instructions
- 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.
- 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!
Freezer Instructions
Notes/Tips
- How to Make Over a Campfire: When 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.
- Dairy-Free Option: Sub olive oil for the butter and leave out the cheese.
- Other ideas you could use in place of broccoli include cauliflower, onions, and/or bell peppers.
Nutrition
Made these for my grandpa who has been struggling to find easy meals to eat that don’t bother his tastebuds. He LOVED it! Yummy, easy, and flavourful. A great new addition to our freezer meal rotation!
Love to hear this Charlotte. Thanks for much for taking the time to leave a review!