Easy foil packet meals for camping with chicken, beef, pork, Shrimp in Foil Packets or vegetarian. Easy recipes for campfires or barbecue you’ll love.
Starting with this chicken foil packet recipe and continuing on to others, we will help you plan a few foil packet meals for camping here. Easy to throw together and enjoy when you’re away from home. We road trip a lot and make them all! (affiliate links present)
Campfire Foil Packet Recipe
Sometimes we travel by car and in hotels, other times in an RV and if we can find places to camp free we’ll pitch a tent. For the latter it is nice to have a few days worth of dinners to take with you. If everything is canned and all you have to keep cold is the meat that is easy.
You can include all sorts of meat, veggies and sauce in aluminum foil to cook over a campfire. We have made grilled stuffed peppers using poblanos that we love and that is where it all started. Think of stuffed green peppers but made in aluminum foil that you can make when you’re away from home. I know, YUM. Just freeze it all in a separate cooler and only open when necessary.
These are great if you are taking a group out camping. Boy and girl scout adventures require some prep work beforehand but as easy as possible. Plus it has to be kid friendly so you might want to leave out the veggies for them. Dutch oven recipes are great too cooked over an open flame with a grate.
That will keep it cold for a good couple of days this way. If you freeze water bottles and include that in your cooler it will stay even longer. Just a few camping hacks you might want to take advantage of. 😉 Plan easy RV meals for days I tell you.
What do you put into chicken foil packets?
Canned vegetables work well because they are already softened. A bit of sauce will add flavor, and smaller chunks of meat. This is one of the best day one meals. I say this because chicken and pork get eaten first when we are traveling. If you do have an outlet available I would suggest a cooler so meat will stay cooler even longer.
Ingredients
- Small chicken breast, boneless skinless is best
- Canned corn, drained
- A can of black beans, drained
- Jar of salsa or 1 1/2 cups of our pico de gallo
- Diced bell peppers
- Taco seasoning
- Cheese is optional
Once you have all of your ingredients ready you want to lay as many large pieces of foil set down on the counter. Fold the sides up so any liquids will stay contained. Then roll up ends, seal at top and sides.
For this chicken and veggies meal here are quick step by steps on how they’re created. Should take less than 30 minutes to prep them with approx. a 20 minute cooking time.
How do Make Chicken Foil Packets
- Preheat grill to medium high heat. Cut foil in rectangular shapes. Spray each with some non stick spray. Season meat with taco seasoning or just salt and pepper, lay in the middle.
- Mix together the remaining ingredients and divide evenly. Fold so that the pockets are sealed well to create steam and don’t leak out.
- Place on to the hot grill and cook this way for about 15 minutes or until meat reaches a safe internal temperature to eat.
- Halfway through rotate so they cook evenly.
- Before serving sprinkle tops with cheese and close foil for 5 minutes to melt. Garnish with green onions, sour cream avocado etc..
How to Keep Foil Packet Meals Cold
You can prepare these before you leave or when you’re out. If you want to prep everything that is great. Make sure the ends are sealed well so there isn’t any leaking. Put ice packs on the bottom of a cooler with these set flat on top. If bringing the ingredients keep the chicken in freezer bags packed with ice the same way. Don’t forget a can opener too!
Here are a few foil packet dinners that aren’t chicken you may want to bring on your camping trip. The first one uses frozen shrimp but you could use fresh. Read about that one here in our grilling shrimp in foil packets post (linked at top).
Foil Packet Meals for Camping
- We do have a variety of easy camping recipes here to choose from. For foil specific ideas there are:
- Steak packets with potatoes are great while grilling at home or at the campsite. You could also make steak bites using our steak dry rub with cubed taters cooked over a grill.
- Grilled Vegetables in foil work well if you want something vegetarian or want to make grilled pork chops or smoked beer can chicken separate.
- Shrimp foil packets are kinda’ like our shrimp boil in a bag but in foil and cooked outside.
Chicken Foil Packets
Equipment
- 1 aluminum foil
Ingredients
- 6 small chicken breasts, or larger ones can be sliced in half lengthwise
- 3 tbsp taco seasoning
- 1.5 c salsa
- 1 can black beans, 15 oz, drained
- 2 bell peppers, seeded and diced
- 1 lime, juiced
- 1/2 c cheese, shredded
- 1/2 c green onions, diced
Instructions
- Set grill to medium high heat. Cut six 12-18" pieces of foil in rectangular shapes. Spray each with some non stick spray.
- Season both sides of chicken with taco seasoning and lay in the middle of the foil.
- Mix together the remaining ingredients EXCEPT cheese in a bowl and divide evenly between the 6 packets on top of the meat.
- Fold the pockets; bring the long sides of the aluminum foil to meet over the chicken. Fold the ends of the foil together folding twice to create a seam. Roll up the shorter ends at least twice to create a sealed pocket/packet.
- Place on to the grill and close lid for 15-20 minutes. Halfway through rotate packets so they cook evenly. Use thermometer in thickest part of meat to ensure middle is 165F or more before consuming.
- Before serving sprinkle tops with cheese and close foil for 5 minutes to melt. Garnish with green onions, sour cream avocado etc..
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How can I eat cheap when camping?
This is what we do: Bring protein or Cliff bars to eat for either breakfast or lunch. Prepare a few hiking meals like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, tuna fish and crackers or other throw together ideas. Then prepare a protein packed actual meal like we’ve shared here.
That way it is cheaper, you’ll still feel full all day long, and you’re only cooking once a day. After the 3rd or 4th day eat all the leftovers from the days before that have been stored in the cooler and reheated in cast iron skillets over the grill or campfire.
Plan easy RV meals where there aren’t a lot of items that need refrigeration. Whether you’re tent camping, in a travel trailer or otherwise, it’s easier to travel with canned and dry goods. Dutch oven recipes are great.
Can you freeze foil packet meals?
You could but you’d need heavy duty foil. This will prevent freezer burn and/or leaking out the sides when defrosted and cooking. It is almost twice as thick and worth the extra couple of dollars per roll.
How does foil cooking work?
Whether you’re using an oven, fire or charcoal grill it works well to conduct heat. The foil is also a good barrier so food inside doesn’t burn or overcook. Just like our oven baked teriyaki salmon in foil each of these are great on a bbq or oven.
Is a HOBO dinner a foil packet meal?
Tin foil dinners is what some people call this and other campfire dinner recipes, they are just different ways of saying the same thing. If you want added veggies you could poke, rub olive oil over some sweet potatoes or russets and smoke baked potatoes on the side too.
Question about pressure cooking: Do you drain the liquid off before air frying.
In the Ninja Foodi?? I have done it both ways and it hasn’t made a huge difference. I would say if it is convenient yes I would drain