The Author Cooks: Chicken packets, my new love

Lately, I've fallen in love with cooking chicken in packets.  If you're unfamiliar with this method, it's one of the easiest and tastiest methods for making chicken and fish, and it's open to endless possibilities.  You can use either parchment paper or foil to make the packets, but I've always used foil, so I'm not sure how the cooking temps and time vary when using parchment. 

All you need to do is take your roll of foil and cut off around 10-11 inches.  Spray the foil with nonstick spray and add your seasoned chicken or fish.  Load it up with some fruit and/or veggies, take the edges of the foil and fold them up to make a packet, and throw the packets on the grill or in your oven.  In about 20 minutes, you have dinner.

Here are two versions that I tested and of which my family approved:

Southwestern Packet

2 large bell peppers (I used red and orange, but any color will work), sliced in thin strips

2 Roma tomatoes, chopped

1/2 sweet onion, sliced in thin strips

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

Juice of 1/2 lime

1-2 tbsp chipotle extra virgin olive oil (or regular EVOO and some dried chipotle powder)

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

Mexican blend cheese

1. Preheat grill over medium high heat. 

2. Combine first six ingredients in a bowl.  Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.  Mix well.

3. Place one 4 oz piece of chicken on foil coated with nonstick spray. (My chicken was one large breast, which I cut in half and then sliced horizontally, creating four thin pieces.)  Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper.

4. Spoon vegetable mixture over the chicken.

5. Top with cheese and fold edges of foil over the mixture to create a packet.  Repeat steps with the remaining chicken.

6.  Grill at around 350-375 degrees for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

7. Serve with sour cream, if desired.

Tropical Packet

2 mangoes, cubed

1/2 fresh pineapple, cubed

1 medium jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped (or leave the seeds in if you want extra heat)

Juice of 1/2 lime

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp dried cilantro

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

1. Preheat grill over medium heat. 

2. Combine the first six ingredients in a bowl.  Mix well.

3. Place one 4 oz piece of chicken on foil coated with nonstick spray.  Season both sides of the chicken with salt and freshly ground pepper.

4. Spoon fruit salsa over chicken and fold foil over mixture to create a packet.  Repeat steps with the remaining chicken.

5. Grill at around 350-375 degrees for 20 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.

6. Serve with whole wheat couscous prepared with vegetable broth.

Bon appétit!