Low-Carb Foil Packet Dinner

This Low-Carb Foil Packet Dinner can be cooked on the grill, in the oven, on a campsite grill, or even near the fire if you’re camping! And clean-up is a breeze for this tasty dinner. See tips in the post if you prefer not to use foil.

PIN the Low-Carb Foil Packet Dinner to try it later!

Years ago I came up with this tasty Low-Carb Foil Packet Dinner. Of course, there are endless variations for dinners cooked in foil. When I was a kid we made them when we were camping and called them Tin Foil Dinners. But those foil dinners had potatoes and carrots, which made them high in carbs.

So I experimented to make foil packet dinners without so many carbs. The dinners here have chicken, bell peppers, red onion, zucchini, and a zesty dressing. I first tried this out at a Denny Family Campout, many years ago. Then a few year later posted it on my brand new food blog. Then many, many years later I finally took better photos to entice you to try it!

Foil packet dinners like this are perfect to cook on a gas grill or those raised charcoal grills that campsites have. They can also be cooked near the coals of a campfire if you’re careful. And dinners wrapped in foil can be cooked in the oven if you don’t have a grill or it’s cold outside. I hope you try it if you like these ingredients

What ingredients do you need?

<(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

• boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• red or green bell pepper
• small red onion
• medium zucchini
• Parmesan Cheese (completely optional, but good)
• Newman’s Own Classic Oil and Vinegar Dressing (affiliate link), or use your favorite no-sugar Italian dressing
• packet of dry Zesty Italian Dressing Mix (affiliate link)
• Spike Seasoning (affiliate link), or other all-purpose seasoning blend
• Salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste

What if you don’t want all these veggies in the foil packet dinner?

You might have family members who don’t care about carbs. Or picky children who won’t eat red peppers, zucchini, or onions. But you can easily make two separate packets and put potatoes and carrots in one. Cut potatoes and carrots into smaller pieces since they take longer to cook.

How to make an easy marinade for the foil packet dinners:

I rarely make marinades with purchased ingredients. But this recipe uses the same two-ingredient marinade that’s used for Completely Foolproof 100% Delicious Grilled Chicken. And that recipe is easy and always a hit! When you’re using purchased ingredients, check for added sugar and also to be sure they’re gluten-free if needed.

Want a vegetarian foil packet dinner?

If you’re cooking for vegetarians, just leave out the chicken from some of the packets. That will be a tasty vegetarian dinner. Add a vegetable protein source to the packets if you like.

What if you don’t want to use that much foil?

You might make foil dinners for camping but don’t like to use foil at home. No problem; just drain the chicken and veggies and cook in a casserole dish. (I’d start with my time for cooking the foil packets in the oven and check while it’s cooking.) You could also cook these ingredients in a Grilling Pan (affiliate link) if you drain off the marinade well. The cooking time will  be a bit shorter than cooking it in a packet.

How low in carbs are the Low-Carb Foil Packet Dinners?

The tasty dinner cooked in foil has only 8 net carbs per serving with 40 grams of protein!

How to Make the Low-Carb Foil Packet Dinners:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. Trim chicken breasts as needed, then cut crosswise into pieces about one inch thick.
2. For the marinade mix Newman’s Own Classic Oil and Vinegar Dressing with Zesty Italian Dressing Mix. Add Spike Seasoning if using, salt, and fresh-ground black pepper 
3. Put chicken in a Ziploc bag and add half the dressing. Let the chicken marinate in the fridge or cooler all day.
4. A few hours before you want to cook, cut up zucchini, red bell pepper, and red onion and put into a Ziploc bag.
5. Pour in the rest of the marinade and let veggies marinate for 1-2 hours.
6. When you’re ready to assemble the foil dinners, drain the chicken and vegetables. (If you’re camping you can just snip the corner of the Ziploc bag and let the liquid drain out. They don’t have to be completely drained. But it makes it easier to assemble the packets if the chicken and vegetables aren’t too wet.)
7. You need a grill that’s preheated to medium high, or a campfire or raised charcoal grill in a campground that’s burned down to coals.
8. To assemble the packets tear 8 large pieces of foil. (We had heavy-duty foil that was 18 inches wide. That was a little bigger than we needed.)
9. Lay out the foil to make four packets with two pieces of foil for each.
10. Put one-fourth of the chicken in the middle of each foil stack. Then put one-fourth the veggie mixture on top of the chicken.
11. Fold over the foil, making a series of small folds at the top and at the ends to seal the edges. Then turn that packet over and fold over the second piece of foil, sealing the ends well again. (This recipe has a good photo of how to fold the packets.)
12. For a home grill or charcoal campground grill where packets are cooking on a grate, cook the packets about 10 minutes with the chicken side down.
13. Then turn and cook about 10 minutes more on the second side. I wish I knew a good way to tell when they’re done without opening one, but that’s really the only way!
14. To cook near the hot coals of a fire, it’s extra important to have heavy-duty foil. I wouldn’t recommend putting packets directly on the coals. Put them around the edge of the fire. I’m guessing cooking time will be shorter for cooking near coals, but it will depend on how hot your coals are. I’d rotate the packets every 5 minutes so the opposite side is near the coals. Then check one of the packets after 15 minutes to see if they need to cook a bit longer.
15. To cook in the oven, preheat temperature to 450F/230C and cook 30-35 minutes.
16. Serve hot in the packets (or not) with some fresh-ground pepper added at serving time.
17. You can also add some coarsely grated Parmesan cheese if you want to take it up a notch; enjoy!

Make the Foil Pack Dinner into a Camping Meal:

When I’m camping I serve this with what I call Camping Salad. Place cut up cucumbers, and black olives in a Ziploc bag and put in the cooler at home. When you want to eat the salad add cherry tomatoes. Then pour in your favorite salad dressing. I’m a fan of Blue Cheese or Ranch dressing, but there are lots of options for this. Serve right out of the bag for no clean up.

Want More Dinners Cooked in Foil:

Check out my collection of Amazing Foil Packet Dinners to see lots more ideas for cooking dinner in foil!

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4.8 Stars (10 Reviews)

Yield: 4 generous servings

Low-Carb Foil Packet Dinner

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Easy and tasty Low-Carb Foil Packet Dinner are perfect to make when you're camping, or cook at home on the grill or even in the oven.

Ingredients

Ingredients:

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• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 2 red or green bell peppers
• 2 small red onions
• 2 medium zucchini
• (You can vary the veggie amounts or ingredients to your own taste)
• Parmesan Cheese to sprinkle on when the foil packet dinners are done (completely optional, but good)

Marinade Ingredients:

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• 1 1/2 cups Newman’s Own Classic Oil and Vinegar Dressing (or use your favorite no-sugar Italian dressing)
• 1 packet (dry mix) Zesty Italian Dressing Mix
• 1 T Spike seasoning (optional but highly recommended)
• Salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Start by trimming the chicken breasts as needed, then cut them crosswise into pieces about one inch thick.
2. Mix the Newman's Own Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing, Zesty Italian Dressing Mix, Spike Seasoning (if using) and a little salt and fresh-ground black pepper to make the marinade. (links are affiliate links)
3. Put chicken in a Ziploc bag and add a little more than half the dressing mixture, saving the rest to use later on the veggies. Let the chicken marinate in the fridge or a cooler all day.
4. A few hours before you want to cook, cut up the zucchini, red bell pepper, and red onion and put the veggies into a Ziploc bag. Pour in the rest of the marinade and let veggies marinate for 1-2 hours.
5. When you're ready to assemble the tin foil dinners, drain the chicken and vegetables. (If you're camping you can just snip the corner of the Ziploc bag and let most of the liquid drain out. They don't have to be completely drained, although it makes it easier to assemble the packets if the chicken and vegetables aren't too wet.
6. When you're ready to cook the packets you need a grill that's preheated to medium high, or a campfire or raised charcoal grill in a campground that has burned down to hot coals. (If cooking in the oven I'd preheat to 400F/200C.)
7. To assemble the packets tear 8 large pieces of foil. (We had heavy-duty foil that was 18 inches wide and our pieces of foil turned out to be a little bigger than we absolutely needed.)
8. Lay out the foil to make four packets with two pieces of foil for each. Put one-fourth of the chicken in the middle of each of the four pieces of foil, then put one-fourth the veggie mixture on top of the chicken. Fold over the foil, making a series of small folds at the top and at the ends to seal the edges together. Then turn that packet over and fold over the second piece of foil, sealing the ends well again. (This recipe has a better photo of how to fold the packets together.)
9. For a home grill or a charcoal campground grill (where the packets are cooking on a grate) cook the packets about 10 minutes with the chicken side down on the grill; then turn and cook about 10 minutes more on the second side. I wish I knew a good way to tell when they're done without opening one, but that's really the only way!
10. To cook near the hot coals of a fire, it's extra important to have heavy-duty foil. I wouldn't recommend putting packets directly on the coals, put them around the edge of the fire. I'm guessing cooking time will be slightly shorter for cooking near coals, but it will depend on how hot your coals are. I'd rotate the packets (so the opposite side is near the coals) every 5 minutes and then check one of the packets after 15 minutes to see if they need to cook a bit longer.
11. I haven't tried cooking these in the oven, but I'd try 400F/200C for 20-25 minutes and then checking one packet to see if the chicken is done.
12. You can sprinkle the Foil Packet Dinners with a little coarsely grated Parmesan cheese if desired!

Notes

I highly recommend the Newman's Own Classic Oil and Vinegar Dressing (affiliate link) and Zesty Italian Dressing Mix (affiliate link) that I use to make this marinade. But if you don't have those any similar dressing (that's low in sugar) and Italian dressing seasoning can be substituted.

The Spike Seasoning (affiliate link) is optional so don't worry if you can't find that or don't want to buy it.

This recipe created by Kalyn sometime before 2005 and first made for one of the Denny Family Campouts years and years ago!

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 261Total Fat 6gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 103mgSodium 1438mgCarbohydrates 11gFiber 3gSugar 6gProtein 40g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Low-Carb Foil Packet Dinner would be great for any low-carb, Keto, or low-glycemic diet plan, including any phase of the original South Beach Diet.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Check out Foil Dinners for more easy recipes to cook outside. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe was first mentioned on the blog as a variation of Completely Foolproof 100% Delicious Grilled Chicken. In 2009 I made it separate recipe and the photos were updated in 2018. The recipe was last updated with more information in 2026.