Cheesy Campfire Chicken Foil Packets
These Cheesy Campfire Chicken Foil Packets are simple and delicious. Hungry campers get protein, veggies and carbs in each pack. Just wrap the ingredients in foil and cook over a campfire or in your RV oven.
Why I Love This
Foil packs are so easy because you just pile ingredients on a piece of tinfoil, wrap them up and let them steam over hot campfire coals or inside an oven. This is one of my campfire meals in foil that has super easy cleanup too because you cook the food and eat it right out of the packet.
Key Ingredients & Substitutions
- Cooked rice
- Fresh broccoli florets
- Cooked bacon
Cooked rice: You can use any type of cooked rice. It does not have to be hot for this recipe so you can cook it in advance and keep it refrigerated until you’re ready to use it. Or, you can just open a packet of the microwaveable 90-second rice and spoon it onto the foil.
Fresh broccoli florets: I like the texture of using fresh broccoli in this recipe. You can substitute frozen but there is too much moisture generated in the freezing process. So, you’ll need to thoroughly thaw and drain it before placing it in the packet. You want the ingredients in the packet to steam, not boil.
Cooked bacon: The easiest way to prepare the bacon is to cook extra in the morning when you’re already making it for breakfast. Let it cool, crumble it and keep it refrigerated until you’re ready to make this recipe.
Key Equipment
There are only two pieces of equipment I want to mention here.
- Heavy duty aluminum foil
- BBQ tongs
Heavy duty aluminum foil: The weight and strength of heavy-duty foil is important in this recipe because it holds the food securely over a hot campfire without tearing. If you don’t have heavy-duty foil, you can just use regular aluminum foil like I did in my video. You’ll need to double-up, so, tear 8 pieces and layer two pieces directly on top of each other and proceed with the recipe as instructed.
BBQ tongs: I highly recommend using long-handled tongs when cooking over a campfire to keep your hands away from the hot coals. 16-inch or 24-inch tongs are ideal. Alternatively, you can use BBQ grill gloves.
How To Make
Step 1. Preheat for cooking at medium heat, approximately 375 degrees Fahrenheit. You can cook these chicken packs over hot campfire coals, over a grill (charcoal or propane) or in your RV oven. Here’s how to test the heat from a campfire or grill.
Hand Test For Cooking Temperatures
You don’t need a thermometer to determine the temperature of your heat source for cooking. Here are steps for the “hand test”.
- Hold the palm of your hand about 5 inches above the heat source (campfire coals, charcoal briquettes, propane grill etc.) you’re using for cooking. (Make sure nothing is flammable, like clothing or jewelry.)
- Pull your hand away from the heat before it hurts and note how many seconds have passed. Example: 6-7 seconds = medium heat.
| Heat Level | Temperature Range | Time |
| High Heat | 450-550°F (230-290C) | 2-4 seconds |
| Medium-High | 375-450°F (190-230C) | 5 seconds |
| Medium Heat | 350-375°F (175-190C) | 6-7 seconds |
| Low-Medium | 325-350°F (160-175C) | 8 seconds |
| Low Heat | 250-325°F (120-160C) | 9-10 seconds |
Step 2. Prepare foil, lay on flat surface and apply a light layer of non-stick cooking spray.
Step 3. Pile ingredients on each piece of foil.
Step 4. Seal the packet and place over campfire coals.
Step 5. Cook with the seam-side up until chicken is thoroughly cooked, about 25 minutes.
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Step 6. Remove from heat, carefully open the packet (the hot steam can burn you) and serve hot.
Pairings
One of the reasons I like this meal is because it is a main dish (chicken) with two sides (broccoli and rice) all in one packet so it really doesn’t need anything else. When I want to make the meal a little more substantial, I’ll serve it with a simple side salad topped with ranch or Italian dressing.
Meal Planning
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Servings
This recipe makes 4 servings and can be easily scaled up or down. If you’re serving a large group, you can set up an ingredient bar and let each camper prepare their own packet or just create an assembly line to make them with a helper.
More Foil Packets
If you love my Cheesy Campfire Chicken Foil Packets recipe, here are a few other campfire recieps you may want to try.
Watch How To Make It
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Recipe
Cheesy Campfire Chicken Foil Packets
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked rice See note #1
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast cubed into bite-sized pieces
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 4 cloves garlic peeled and smashed
- 1 small onion diced
- 4 cups fresh broccoli florets See note #2
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 4 slices cooked bacon crumbled
- Cooking spray
Instructions
- Get your campfire going to create coals for cooking over medium heat (or preheat grill or RV oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit ). See note #3.
- Tear four heavy duty 12 x 12 pieces of foil (double this if you’re using regular foil) and lay on a flat surface.
- Spray foil with non-stick cooking spray.
- Evenly divide ingredients as you layer them in the middle of each piece of foil in the order they appear in the ingredient list.
- Bring up the sides of the foil and fold at the top. Gently seal the ends of the foil to allow the steam to exit.
- Place foil packs, seam-side up, on grate over campfire coals (or on grill or rack in RV oven).
- Cook for 25 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked. See note #4.
- Remove from the campfire and carefully open the packets, the steam is very hot. Serve hot right out of the packet.
Notes
- I like using 90 second rice in a packet, the kind you normally heat in a microwave. You don’t need to pre-heat it for this recipe, just open the packet and spoon it onto the foil.
- If you use frozen broccoli, thaw and drain the excess water before using it in this recipe. Otherwise, you’ll have too much moisture in the packets.
- Your looking for about 375 degrees Fahrenheit for cooking over your campfire. Hold the palm of your hand 5-inches above heat source, pull it away before it hurts, about 5-6 seconds is approximately 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
- There is no need to turn the foil packs during the cooking process.
What do you think?
Leave me a comment, question or suggestion below. I’d love to hear from you so let’s chat.