These Southwestern Chicken Packets are an easy and delicious tin-foil dinner recipe you can cook with a fire (while camping), on a grill, or in an oven.
I’m way excited to share this Southwestern Chicken Packets recipe with you today! Not only is it flipping delicious, but I get to tell you all about my friend Jesseca’s new cookbook FOILED! that’s completely devoted to camping recipes. Plus, I’ve teamed up with some bloggers to give away some wicked awesome summer swag!
My friend Jesseca blogs at One Sweet Appetite and if it wasn’t for her, my photography would be nowhere near where it is today. One day a couple of years ago, Jesseca offered to let me come to her house and watch her work. I hardly knew her at the time. We had chatted a little bit online and briefly met once in person at that point in time, but I went anyway because I loved her photography and wanted to learn. I’m so glad I did!
Jesseca is the NICEST person you will ever meet, and even though she doesn’t think she helped me very much that day, I have been improving leaps and bounds from how I used to photograph things with my point-and-shoot camera back in the day. I’m so grateful for her!
Photographing food is one thing, but photographing tin-foil meals, is another! It’s hard guys! This post was tricky for me. Jesseca makes it look so easy in her book FOILED! : Easy, Tasty Tin Foil Meals. She has four mouthwatering categories of recipes to choose from: Breakfast, Main Dish, Sides, and Desserts. Just browsing the categories gets you hungry with her stellar photography.
As I was flipping through FOILED!, there was one recipe, that I just had to try right away. The Southwestern Chicken Packets had my name all over them, but I didn’t have plans to go camping anytime soon. Lucky for us, Jesseca shares ways to make all of the recipes in her book with coals (briquettes or campfire), a gas grill, or a conventional oven, so I made these southwestern chicken packets in the oven and they were perfection!
First things first, Jesseca’s recipes are easy! You literally toss it together, cook, and eat! I love a good no-fuss meal! This one reminds me of chicken parmesan, but Mexican style, so I just slightly altered her recipe and used taco seasoning instead of just cumin in the beans and corn. So yummy!
I didn’t have to turn my packets in the oven since the heat is 360 degrees, and I opened the foil the last 10 minutes to brown the cheese. We are so ready to make these again, like tomorrow! These are going on the regular menu! So whether you camp or not, you have to try this recipe! It’s amazing!
Pick up a copy of your own FOILED! Cookbook on Amazon today!
Southwestern Chicken Packets
These Southwestern Chicken Packets are an easy and delicious no-fuss dinner recipe you can cook with a fire (while camping), on a grill, or in an oven.
Ingredients
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 (15oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 tsp taco seasoning
- 2 chicken breasts or 4 chicken tenders
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup salsa or pico de gallo
- 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
- cilantro, to garnish
- sour cream, optional
- avocado, mashed, optional
Instructions
- Pull off 4 sheets of heavy-duty tin foil (8-10 inches) and layer to create 2 packets. Lightly mist with cooking spray.
- Stir together the corn, black beans, and taco seasoning. Divide between the 2 foil packets. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Place 1 chicken breast or 2 chicken tenders in each packet. Top the chicken with salsa and shredded cheese.
- Bring the two longer edges of the foil together above the food. Fold the edges down twice, creating the top seal. Press the side edges together and fold, creating a secure packet.
- Cook on hot coals, a gas grill, or in a 375 degree oven for 30 to 45 minutes until chicken is cooked through. (*See notes for cooking with coals or a grill.)
- Top with fresh cilantro, sour cream, and avocado before serving.
Recipe Notes
*If cooking on COALS make sure to carefully turn the packet 2 or 3 times to prevent burning.
**If cooking on a GRILL make sure to carefully turn the packet once, about halfway through the cook time to ensure even cooking.
© DESSERT NOW DINNER LATER All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-create the recipe, snap YOUR OWN PHOTO and re-write the recipe in YOUR OWN WORDS, or link back to this post for the recipe.
*Video added 7/12/18
Now, for the giveaway! One lucky winner will get this amazing summer prize pack!
- > 7 piece walker Edison patio dinning set
- > 1 Char-Broil Classic 4 Burner Gas Grill
- > $50 gift card to the grocery store of winners choice
- > Bayou 3 piece cast iron skillet set
- > 1 copy of Foiled! Easy, Tasty, Tin Foil Meals
- > 1 Copy of Sun And Sizzle
Enter through the rafflecopter. Good luck! a Rafflecopter giveaway Bloggers Participating in this Giveaway: One Sweet Appetite // Housewife Eclectic // The Baking Fairy // Like Mother Like Daughter // Life’s Ambrosia // Color Me Meg // Cupcake Diaries // Dessert Now Dinner Later // Among The Young // The Adventure Bite // Just Between Friends // My Fabuless Life // Rae Gun Ramblings // Tried and Tasty // Bombshell Bling // Creations by Kara // Clark’s Condensed // Our Thrifty Ideas // Cooking With Ruthie // The Creative Mom // A Bountiful Kitchen // A Dash Of Sanity // The Happy Scraps
aimee @ like mother like daughter says
June 19, 2016 at 1:43 PMThese look so amazing Amber (and Jess!) I think they need to be the recipe I try next! YUM!
Amber says
June 19, 2016 at 3:28 PMThanks Aimee! You MUST try it! We are making it again soon!
Jesseca Hallows says
June 20, 2016 at 10:49 AMThese were one of our favorites! The photos look amazing and I am so happy you could fit my book in for a review!
Amber says
June 20, 2016 at 2:29 PMI was happy to! Love you Jess! I hope your book sells well! My husband was really excited about it! And we are having these for dinner again this week! Haha.
Jonelle says
June 23, 2016 at 2:47 PMThanks for sharing, I am a busy working mother and always looking for new ideas. Will be trying this tomorrow. Intimidated by campfire cooking too, will be purchasing the book for sure also.
Amber says
June 24, 2016 at 9:55 AMI hope you love it Jonelle! And I’m happy to hear you will be buying the book! Jesseca (the author) will be thrilled!
Jessica @ A Kitchen Addiction says
June 24, 2016 at 10:00 AMI love foil packet meals! I know this would be a hit with my family!
Amber says
June 26, 2016 at 3:42 PMThanks Jessica! It is a great dinner!
Randy says
May 8, 2018 at 10:01 PMMade these last night… just wow. My salsa was a bit hot (perfect) and it made for great chicken and corn.
Amber says
May 9, 2018 at 9:41 AMHi Randy! So glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks for your comment!
Kayla says
February 23, 2019 at 5:50 PMIs there any reason I couldn’t use canned corn (drained) for this recipe?
Amber | Dessert Now Dinner Later says
February 25, 2019 at 4:43 PMThe corn may overcook and shrivel, but you can try it.
Michael Priest says
June 2, 2019 at 6:31 AMI assume you could cook these and then store them in the refrigerator to eat later. Your thoughts?
Amber | Dessert Now Dinner Later says
June 3, 2019 at 7:45 AMSure! We try to have leftovers for my husband to take to work. Just be sure to transfer the food to a microwave safe dish.