Easy Lemon Garlic Foil Packet Chicken and Asparagus involves little prep and hardly any cleanup! BBQ them on an outdoor grill or bake them in the oven for an easy main dish!
In the latest edition of crazy easy healthy meals, we’re diving into the wonderful land of foil packet chicken.
You might be wondering why one would want to cook food in foil packets. Well, I can tell you it has its utility.
For my own life, foil packets are particularly useful when I’m barbecuing a lot of food at the same time, as they don’t take up much space, and they don’t require direct heat. Here are some other benefits of chicken foil packets.
Why Cook in Foil Packets:
- Low clean up – the mess is confined to the foil, which gets tossed out.
- Easy prep – make it ahead of time and cook when you’re ready.
- Perfect for camping or for barbecuing at home when grilling a high volume of food.
- Versatility – mix it up with your favorite flavors, meats and vegetables.
- Delicious – there’s no arguing with tender meat and snappy veggies!
Ingredients for Foil Packet Chicken:
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts or Thighs: Our lean protein source. I recommend using breasts for tender chicken and al dente asparagus, but boneless skinless chicken thighs work too.
Fresh Asparagus: Bringing a little fiber and freshness to the meal!
Lemon Zest: Zest up two lemons and add it in for some citrus flavor.
Fresh Garlic and Red Onion: Because we know how to party! Use garlic powder or onion powder to replace fresh if desired.
Sea Salt, Black Pepper, and Paprika: The simple seasonings to level up the flavor.
Avocado Oil: Needed for richness and a little lube to ensure the chicken doesn’t stick together too much.
Feel free to get creative! Here are some great options for changing up flavors and ingredients of your foil packet dinner.
Recipe Customizations:
- Add in your favorite fresh vegetables, including broccoli, zucchini, yellow squash, bell peppers, snap peas, tomatoes, green beans, red potatoes, etc.
- Drizzle in some teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, barbecue sauce, hot buffalo wing sauce, lemon juice, etc.
- Use any dry rub or seasoning you love. Lemon pepper, Cajun seasoning, Italian seasoning, and chili powder are great options.
Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s make dinner!
How to Make Lemon Garlic Foil Packet Chicken:
Get out two to four long sheets of foil and lay them on a flat surface such as a counter top or a cutting board. Fold up the sides of the aluminum foil, creating a boat.
Chop off the barky ends of the asparagus stalks and discard. Chop the remaining spears into 2-inch pieces and place in a large mixing bowl.
Similarly, chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces, slice the onion, and mince the garlic. Add these ingredients to the large bowl with the asparagus.
Add the avocado oil, lemon zest, paprika, sea salt, and black pepper to the bowl.
Toss everything together until the ingredients are combined and everything is coated in oil and seasonings.
Divide the chicken and asparagus mixture between the two to four sheets of aluminum foil laying on a flat surface. Fold the edges and sides of the foil, creating a sealed packet.
Baking Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit while preparing the foil packets.
Place the foil packets on the baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes, until the chicken breasts reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit (or 180 for thighs).
Remove the foil packets from the oven. Carefully open the packets using tongs to prevent hot steam from getting a hand.
Insert a digital thermometer into the center of several pieces of chicken to spot check their temperature.
Use a spoon to separate some of the pieces of chicken as they tend to stick together during the baking process.
Serve chicken and asparagus foil packs with any additional side dishes such as salad or roasted veggies, and enjoy!
Grilling Instructions:
Preheat a gas grill to a medium-high heat setting (350 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit). If using a charcoal grill, heat the coals 20 minutes before you intend to cook. Spread the hot coals over one section of the bottom of the grill.
Divide chicken and asparagus mixture between 4 foil packets (rather than two) and use two layers of aluminum foil for easy flipping.
Grill over indirect heat with the lid down on the grill for 8 minutes. Flip the packets and grill for another 5-6 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
The exact cooking time depends on the heat of the grill and the temperature of the ingredients going into the packets. The foil pack meal requires less time over very hot grills or if cooking less volume.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Recipe Tips:
- Use heavy-duty aluminum foil to prevent tears while grilling for the best results.
- Use one sheet of foil for baking, and two layers of foil for grilling. Again, this makes flipping while grilling easier and prevents the foil packet meals from falling between the cracks.
And that’s it! The next time you’re grilling, camping, or simply aiming for an easy oven-baked meal, whip up tasty lemon garlic foil packet chicken and asparagus.
This healthy recipe is a quick dinner, ready in 30 minutes or less.
If you enjoy this cooking method, also try my Lemon Garlic Foil Packet Shrimp!
Need help with dinner? Here are some easy healthy dinner recipes to get food on the table in a jiffy.
Easy Dinner Recipes:
- Pan-Fried Cod
- Chicken Burger Patty Recipe
- Thai Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- Cranberry Pecan Chicken Salad
- Chicken Caesar Wrap
- Amazing Spring Mix Salad
Easy chicken dinner coming right up!
Foil Packet Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 1.5 to 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts chopped into bite sized pieces
- 1 pound asparagus trimmed and chopped
- ½ cup red onion sliced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon zest 2 lemons, zested
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp sea salt to taste
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Get out two to four long sheets of foil and lay them on a flat surface such as a counter top or a cutting board. Fold up the sides of the aluminum foil, creating a boat.
- Chop off the barky ends of the asparagus stalks and discard. Chop the remaining spears into 2-inch pieces and place in a large mixing bowl.
- Similarly, chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces, slice the onion, and mince the garlic. Add these ingredients to the large bowl with the asparagus.
- Add the avocado oil, lemon zest, paprika, sea salt, and black pepper to the bowl.
- Toss everything together until the ingredients are combined and everything is coated in oil and seasonings.
- Divide the chicken and asparagus mixture between the two to four sheets of aluminum foil laying on a flat surface. Fold the edges and sides of the foil, creating a sealed packet.
Baking Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit while preparing the foil packets.
- Place the foil packets on the baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, until the chicken breasts reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit (or 180 for thighs).
Grilling Instructions:
- Preheat a gas grill to a medium-high heat setting (350 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit). If using a charcoal grill, heat the coals 20 minutes before you intend to cook. Spread the hot coals over one section of the bottom of the grill.
- Divide chicken and asparagus mixture between 4 foil packets (rather than two) and use two layers of aluminum foil for easy flipping.
- Grill over indirect heat with the lid down on the grill for 8 minutes. Flip the packets and grill for another 5-6 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.
Serve Foil Packet Chicken:
- Carefully open the packets using tongs to prevent hot steam from getting a hand.
- Insert a digital thermometer into the center of several pieces of chicken to spot check their temperature.
- Use a spoon to separate some of the pieces of chicken as they tend to stick together during the baking process.
- Serve chicken and asparagus foil packs with any additional side dishes such as salad or roasted veggies, and enjoy!
Nutrition
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