Open one of these chicken foil packets and it’s a loaded baked potato with chicken: red potatoes and chunks of chicken cooked in seasoned butter, topped with melted Colby Jack, bacon, and chives.

A fork lifts a cheesy, bacon-topped potato chunk from a foil packet, with melted cheese stretching, over more Chicken Foil Packets filled with potatoes, cheese, and bacon sizzling on the grill—perfect for any chicken foil packets recipe.

Everyone gets their own, there’s no pan to wash, and they can be cooked in the oven, on the BBQ grill, or over a campfire.

Use Chicken Breast, Not Thighs

People often reach for chicken thighs in foil packets because they stay juicy during longer cooking. Here, chicken breast works just as well because it isn’t in the oven long enough to dry out.

The only tricky part is that you can’t see the chicken while it’s cooking. Open one packet and check the biggest piece.

Four Chicken Foil Packets are placed on the grates of an outdoor grill, ready to be cooked. The grill lid is open, and the background shows greenery—a perfect setting for this easy chicken foil packets recipe.

If it isn’t cooked through yet, fold the foil back over and cook it for a few more minutes.

When I want fish instead, I make salmon in foil the same way, though it needs less time than the chicken.

Boil The Potatoes First

The thing that makes these chicken foil packets work is in the first step, and it’s easy to read past. The potatoes get boiled before they go into the foil. Raw potatoes and chicken don’t cook in the same amount of time, so if they go in together, the chicken is done before the potatoes are.

Boiling the potatoes first fixes that. By the time everything is wrapped in foil, you’re really just cooking the chicken.

A pot filled with sliced red potatoes soaking in water sits on a light wooden surface, ready to be used in your favorite Chicken Foil Packets recipe.

Don’t stop boiling the potatoes too soon or you’ll end up with potatoes that are still firm when the chicken is done. A fork should slide in easily, but the potatoes should still hold their shape. Soft, not falling apart.

Soft Potatoes Need A Gentle Hand

Once the potatoes are boiled, they’re soft, and soft potatoes fall apart if you stir them too hard. I had my independent recipe tester, Teresia, test this recipe in June 2026 and it was the first thing she noticed.

A hand stirs marinated raw chicken pieces, onions, and yellow vegetables in a large metal pot with a wooden spoon on a light wooden surface—perfect prep for a tasty Chicken Foil Packets recipe.

She stopped tossing everything together and folded it gently instead, so the potatoes stayed whole. Her note at the end was exactly what I’d hoped for: it tasted like a loaded baked potato with chicken.

Drain The Foil Packets Before The Cheese

Before adding the cheese, carefully pour the cooking liquid out of each foil packet. Butter, chicken juices, and moisture from the potatoes collect in the bottom as everything cooks.

Four Chicken Foil Packets on a baking sheet, each filled with seasoned chicken strips and diced potatoes, are baked to perfection and arranged on a wooden surface—a delicious chicken foil packets recipe for an easy meal.

If you leave it there, the Colby Jack melts into the liquid instead of staying on top of the chicken.

Four chicken foil packets filled with sliced potatoes and topped with shredded cheese sit on a baking sheet on a wooden surface, ready to be baked—a delicious chicken foil packets recipe in the making.

Draining it first keeps the cheese where you want it, with the bacon and chives over top.

Four Chicken Foil Packets filled with diced potatoes, chicken, melted cheese, bacon bits, and chopped chives sit on a baking sheet atop a wooden surface—an easy chicken foil packets recipe for any night.

Making The Foil Packets Ahead

You can assemble the chicken foil packets several hours ahead of time and keep them covered in the refrigerator until you’re ready to make them. They cook well in the oven, on the barbecue grill or over a campfire.

And once the fire’s going it’s a short step to a whole cookout. I put grilled asparagus in foil on beside them for a green side, and campfire apple crisp goes on for dessert once dinner comes off.

Baked Chicken Foil Packets recipe: chicken breast in foil topped with melted cheddar cheese, bacon bits, and chopped chives, with a fork taking a bite; wooden table background.

This post was first published in June 2021, it was updated with new photos in July 2026.

Food Round Ups

The Best Summer Grilling Recipes For Easy Dinners

Food Round Ups

50+ Summer Dinners That Are Fast, Fresh, and Filling

Chicken Foil Packets

5 from 52 votes

This chicken foil packet recipe is great for summer and can be made in the oven, grill, or over a campfire. Whichever cooking method you choose, this is a great way to make an easy meal for the whole family to enjoy!

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 40

Total Time 1

Servings

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Ingredients

3 chicken breasts, each cut into 4 long pieces
1 lb petite red potatoes, quartered (8-ounce bag)
½ chopped yellow onion, fine pieces
6 tbsp melted butter
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp smoked paprika
½ tsp chipotle chili powder
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
2 tsp garlic powder
6 strips cooked bacon, chopped
3 cups shredded Colby Jack cheese

Optional Garnish

¼ cup chipped chives

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Cut 4 long pieces of foil, and fold each piece in half to make it stronger and prevent leaks. Set aside.
Cut the petite red potatoes into quarters.
Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with cold water.
Bring water to a boil over medium-high heat and allow to cook for 6 minutes.
Drain potatoes, return to pot, and let cool.
Add chicken pieces, chopped onions, melted butter, minced garlic, smoked paprika, chipotle chili powder, salt, ground black pepper, and garlic powder to the pot with the potatoes.
Gently stir to coat all pieces of chicken and potatoes. Be careful not to break up or smash the potato pieces.
Remove the seasoned chicken pieces from the pot and set aside.
Place about 1½ cups of seasoned potatoes, onion and garlic in each foil packet (you’ll want to divide the potatoes equally between the 4 foil packs).
Top each foil pack with 3 chicken pieces.
Bring up the two lengthwise pieces of foil and fold over to seal. Roll the two edges of foil together. Place the foil packets on a baking sheet.
Bake in the oven at 400°F for 30-35 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender and the chicken reaches 165 degrees.
Remove the foil packets from the oven and carefully open each of them.
Carefully drain the liquid from each packet (the packets are hot to handle and the steam can burn you when opening the packets) and place the packets back down on the baking sheet, still open.
Divide the Colby Jack cheese evenly between each packet and sprinkle directly on top of the chicken.
Add cooked and chopped bacon to the tops of the cheese and place back in the oven for 2-3 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
Top with chives and serve in the foil or scoop the chicken and potatoes out of the foil and onto a plate.

Video

Notes

This recipe can be cooked on the grill. Preheat the grill to 400°F (medium heat), and follow the easy baking directions.
You’ll want to let your potatoes cool before adding your chicken pieces to the bowl with potatoes.This is so that the chicken stays food safe and does not rise to an unhealthy temperature before placing in the oven.
You don’t need to drain the chicken foil packet before adding cheese and bacon. It’s just a personal preference and you can definitely leave it in the pack if desired.
Before putting in the oven, double-check to make extra sure you seal edges well so you don’t have any leaks.