Cooked in the oven or on the grill, these amazing Honey Dijon Chicken Foil Packets are a quick and easy 30-minute meal filled with fresh and colorful seasonal vegetables, juicy chicken breasts, and a delicious sweet and tangy honey dijon sauce.
One of my favorite summertime meal prep options, prepare these healthy Chicken Foil Packets the morning and pop in the oven or the grill 30 minutes before you’re ready to sit down for dinner. You may also enjoy these Cajun Shrimp and Asparagus Foil Packets.
Easy Chicken Foil Packets
With so many activities happening over the summer, the last thing anyone wants to think about is cooking dinner and doing the dishes. Fortunately, foil packets are here to save the day!
And save you from loads of last-minute and unhealthy fast food stops.
Prepare ahead of time for easy weeknight dinners or take along on your next camping trip, foil packet dinners have been increasing in popularity over the years thanks to their flexibility and easy cleanup. Forget about the pots, pans, and plates, all you need are a few of your favorite ingredients and a large piece of tin foil, seal it up into a tight little package and cook in the oven or on the grill whenever you’re ready.
Filled with my favorite seasonal vegetables and lean chicken breasts smothered a delicious sweet and tangy whole grain honey dijon sauce, these honey dijon chicken foil packets burst with flavor. Enjoy right out of the packet or serve with a scoop of brown rice, boiled noodles, and an ice-cold cocktail such as a mojito, margarita, or gin and tonic.
Ingredients in Honey Dijon Chicken Foil Packets
There are two main ingredient parts – the filling and the sauce. Fortunately, all parts are flexible, so if you don’t like one part, feel free to trade it for something you do. For example, if you really dislike tomatoes or asparagus, swap it out and add vegetables you actually love. The same can be said about the honey dijon sauce. But, for today’s post, this is all I got. You can always use these other sauces instead – Cilantro Lime Marinade and Sauce, Peanut Sauce, or Chimichurri.
For the Sauce:
- Garlic – Since this sauce has so few ingredients, it’s pretty important to pick fresh, quality, ingredients (translation- fresh garlic is a must).
- Honey – There are no substitutes for honey in honey mustard sauce. It is the most important ingredient in this sauce, so please use a good one.
- Whole grain mustard – Mustard with the little seeds in it. Guys, it’s so delicious. Unless you dislike mustard, then you’ll probably hate it. Anyway, I purchase my whole grain mustard from Trader Joe’s and it’s fantastic.
- Lemon juice – Remember what I said about the garlic? The same applies to the lemon juice. Fortunately, you only need 2 tablespoons, so you don’t have to worry about having to purchase an entire lemon tree.
- Salt + Pepper – to taste.
For the Foil Packets:
- Oranges – In this particular foil packet recipe, I placed the chicken on a few orange slices. The flavor of the orange complements the honey dijon beautifully without overwhelming the sauce. It also helps keep the chicken breasts juicy as they cook.
- Vegetables – I added zucchini, yellow squash, cherry tomatoes, and asparagus. These are a few of my favorite summer vegetables. Other recommendations include,
- Sliced bell peppers
- Pineapple
- Red onion
- Carrots (cut into thin matchsticks)
- Mushrooms
- Chicken – I love adding chicken breasts to foil packets since I don’t have to worry as much about the chicken drying out when compared to barbequing directly on the grill. That said, boneless chicken thighs would also work if you prefer darker meat.
- Olive oil – I like to drizzle my chicken with just a little olive oil just before closing up the foil pack. It’s not completely necessary, but there’s so little fat in the other ingredients that a little buffer will help keep things moist and juicy.
- Fresh herbs – to garnish. This is optional, of course, but a hint of added freshness is a great way to tie in all the different flavors.
How to make Honey Dijon Chicken Foil Packets
There are two ways to cook foil pack dinners – grill and oven. I’ll explain both methods but FIRST, you need to prepare your foil packets.
- To get started, whisk together all ingredients for the honey dijon sauce in a medium mixing bowl. Season to taste the divide the sauce in half and transfer to two separate bowls. One bowl will be for cooking while the other will be for later use (do not confuse the two).
- Cut 4 sheets of heavy-duty foil into sheets approximately 12 x 18 inches each.
- Place 3 orange slices in a line directly in the middle of each sheet of foil and place one chicken breast directly on top of the oranges. Divide the vegetables into four equal portions and arrange on both sides of the chicken breasts. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, to season.
- Spread approximately 1 tablespoon of Honey Dijon Sauce over the top of each chicken breast followed by 1 tsp olive oil.
- Fold the foil over the chicken and vegetables to close off the pack. Fold in the sides.
How to cook Chicken Foil Packets in the oven
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Transfer prepared foil packets to a large baking sheet and bake for approximately 25-35 minutes, or until nearly cooked (cooking time will vary depending on thickness).
- Carefully remove baking sheet from the oven, peel back the top of the foil so that the chicken is exposed, and set the oven to BROIL.
- Return chicken packets to the oven and broil for 2-3 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken registers 160 degrees F with a digital meat thermometer.
- Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
How to cook Chicken Foil Packets on the grill
- Preheat grill to medium-high heat.
- Very carefully transfer each foil pack directly to your grill. Grill for approximately 20-25 minutes, or until or until the internal temperature of the chicken registers 160 degrees F with a digital meat thermometer (cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of your chicken). Carefully peel back the top of the foil so that the chicken is exposed. Continue to cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, and carefully remove from the grill.
- Allow the chicken to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
How to fold a foil packet
To start, grab your heavy-duty aluminum foil and cut into sheets that are approximately 12 x 18 inches. Measurements do not need to be exact, but it’s easy to get carried away and imagine you’ll need the entire roll.
That said, if you know you’ll be cooking on a campfire, or packing them away in an ice chest, you may want to double the size, 12 x 36 and fold it in half, so that you have a double layer.
Next, place your ingredients in the center, with the ingredients that take longest to cook on the outside so that they are exposed to more direct heat.
Once all ingredients are set, bring together the two long edges (in this case the 18-inch sides) in the center of the food, creating a sort of hammock should you decide to pick it up (don’t pick it up). Fold the edges together and down twice, taking care not to fold things too tight- you need room for air to circulate and steam to build.
Once the top seal has been formed, fold the side edges together 2 (maybe three) times, creating a secure packet. Again, be careful not to fold too tightly.
Love Chicken Foil Packets? Check out,
- The Best Italian Pasta Salad Recipe
- Tandoori Chicken Gyros with Curried Yogurt Sauce
- Grilled Greek Chicken Salad Recipe
- Chimichurri Chicken Recipe
- Jamaican Jerk Chicken Recipe
- Creamy Pea Salad Recipe with Bacon
If you try making this Chicken Foil Packet Recipe, please leave me a comment and let me know! I always love to hear your thoughts.
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Honey Dijon Chicken Foil Packets
Tools
- Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil
Ingredients
For the Honey Dijon Sauce
- 4 cloves garlic - minced
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/4 cup whole grain mustard
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- Salt + Pepper - to taste
For the Chicken Foil Packets
- 2 oranges - sliced
- 2 zucchini - sliced
- 2 yellow squash - sliced
- 1/2 pound asparagus - chopped into 2-inch pieces
- 10 ounces cherry tomatoes
- 4 chicken breasts - (approximately 2.5-3 pounds total)
- 4 tsp olive oil
- salt + pepper - to season
- Fresh thyme and parsley - to garnish
Instructions
For the Honey Dijon Sauce
- In a small bowl whisk together the garlic, honey, whole grain mustard, fresh lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Season to taste.
- Divide the sauce in half and transfer to two seperate bowls. Set each aside.
For the Chicken Foil Packets
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F or heat grill to medium heat.
- Cut 4 sheets of heavy-duty foil, approximately 12 x 18 inches each.
- Place 3 orange slices in a line directly in the middle of each sheet of foil and place one chicken breast directly on top of the oranges.
- Divide the vegetables into four equal portions. Arrange the vegetables on both sides of the chicken breasts. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, to season.
- Using sauce from the same bowl each time (this is to prevent cross-contamination), top each chicken breast with approximately 1 tablespoon of Honey Dijon Sauce. Spread the sauce over the top of the chicken, spreading it evenly over the top. Drizzle with approximately 1 tsp olive oil over each chicken breast.
- Fold the foil over the chicken and vegetables to close off the pack. Fold in the sides.
- To cook in the oven. Transfer foil packets to a large baking sheet and bake for approximately 25-35 minutes, or until nearly cooked (cooking time will vary depending on thickness). Carefully remove baking sheet from the oven, peel back the top of the foil so that the chicken is exposed (careful! there will be steam!), and set oven to BROIL. Return chicken packets to the oven and broil for 2-3 minutes, or until internal temperature of the chicken registers 160 degrees F with a digital meat thermometer. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
- To cook on the grill. Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Very carefully transfer each foil pack directly to the grill. Grill for approximately 20-30 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken registers 150-160 degrees F with a digital meat thermometer (cooking time will vary depending on thickness of your chicken). Carefully peel back the top of the foil so that the chicken is exposed. Continue to cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Carefully remove from the grill.
- Serve garnished with fresh chopped parsley, thyme, and additional honey dijon sauce, if desired.
