One-Pan Wonder: 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. 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!

Photo byThriving Home

Why We Love This Recipe

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 kid-friendly, and easy to put together like Chicken Penne Pasta, Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole, and Easy Chicken Fried Rice.

Ingredients In Chicken Foil Packets

These packets only require 5 main ingredients. Here’s what you’ll need…

Photo byThriving Home

• 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)

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

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.

Photo byThriving Home

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!

Photo byThriving Home

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:

Photo byThriving Home

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.