Low-Carb Foil Packet Dinner
This tasty Low-Carb Foil Packet Dinner is perfect to make on the grill, but you can also cook the foil packets in the oven! And clean-up is a breeze for this tasty dinner. See tips in the post if you prefer not to use foil.
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There are endless variations on dinners cooked in foil, and when I was a kid we always called these Tin Foil Dinner or Hobo Dinners, and this was something my family always made when we were camping. But that type of dinner almost always had potatoes and carrots, which wouldn’t work for people who were watching their carbs.
So after I started my carb-conscious eating journey I came up with this idea for a tasty Low-Carb Foil Packet Dinner. I first made this recipe at a Denny Family Campout, and posted it on my brand new food blog! Then years later I finally realized the recipe had to have some photos before anyone would be tempted to try it!
Foil packet dinners like this are perfect to cook on a gas grill or one of those handy little raised charcoal grills that lots of campsites have, and they can be cooked near the coals of a campfire if you’re extra careful. And dinners wrapped in foil can also be cooked in the oven too if it’s cold outside or you don’t have a grill.
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 some people don’t want these veggies in their foil packet dinner?
If you have non low-carb eaters in the family (or picky children who won’t eat red peppers, zucchini, or onions) you could make two separate packets of the veggie mixture and put some potatoes and carrots in one batch for the kids. Cut potatoes and carrots into smaller pieces since they take longer to cook.
How to make the easy marinade used for the foil packet dinners:
I don’t have many marinade recipes made of purchased ingredients, but this recipe is a variation of the ultra-easy and popular Completely Foolproof 100% Delicious Grilled Chicken, so if you like this idea you might also want to try that recipe when you’re looking for something easy to grill at home. When you’re using purchased ingredients like this, be sure to check for added sugar and also to be sure they’re gluten-free if that’s needed at your house.
Want a vegetarian foil packet dinner?
If you’re cooking for some people who want a plant-based meal, just leave out the chicken from some of the packets for a tasty vegetarian dinner. You could add a vegetable protein source if you like.
What if you don’t want to use that much foil?
Some people might be willing to make foil dinners when they’re camping but reluctant to use this much foil at home. No problem; just drain the chicken and veggies and cook it in a casserole dish. (I can’t tell you for sure about the timing for that, but I think it would be easy to use my suggestion for cooking the foil packets in the oven and just check a few times while it’s cooking.) You could also cook the ingredients for the foil packet dinner in a Grilling Pan (affiliate link) if you’re careful to drain off the marinade well. The cooking time for that will probably be a bit shorter.
How to Make this Low-Carb Foil Packet Dinner:
(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.)
- Trim chicken breasts as needed, then cut crosswise into pieces about one inch thick.
- Mix Newman’s Own Classic Oil and Vinegar Dressing (affiliate link), Zesty Italian Dressing Mix (affiliate link), Spike Seasoning (affiliate link)) if using, and a little salt and fresh-ground black pepper to make the marinade.
- Put chicken in a Ziploc bag and add a little more than half the dressing mixture. Let the chicken marinate in the fridge or a cooler all day.
- 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.
- 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 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.)
- 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 just coals.
- 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.)
- 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 foil stack; 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 good photo of how to fold the packets together.)
- 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!
- 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.
- To cook in the oven, preheat temperature to 450F/230C and cook 30-35 minutes.
- Serve hot in the packets (or not) with some fresh-ground pepper added at serving time.
- 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’d serve this with “camping salad”. Place cut up cucumbers, black olives and cherry tomatoes in a Ziploc bag. Pour your favorite salad dressing over (ranch or blue cheese is good). Serve right out of the bag for no clean up.
More Dinners Cooked in Foil:
- Greek Chicken Foil Packets
- Baked Fish in Foil with Pesto and Tomatoes
- Salmon Packets with Tomatoes and Olives
- Sausage Foil Packets with Vegetables
Low-Carb Foil Packet Dinner
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:
- 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:
- 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
- Start by trimming the chicken breasts as needed, then cut them crosswise into pieces about one inch thick.
- 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)
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.)
- 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.)
- 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.)
- 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!
- 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.
- 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.
- You can sprinkle the Foil 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 definitely optional so don't stress over it if you can't find that or don't want to buy it.
This recipe created by Kalyn sometime before 2005 and made for one of the Denny Family Campouts years and years ago.
Nutrition Information
Yield
4Serving Size
1Amount 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.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
With the ingredients used here this 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 2023.
11 Comments on “Low-Carb Foil Packet Dinner”
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Wow, it doesn’t seem that the Italian Sausage Tin Foil Dinner is very low in carbs, is it? I am new to this way of eating, so I am still trying to get it figured out, LOL! Thank you for the recipes. 🙂
I am confused by this comment. This recipe doesn’t have Italian sausage. And If it is this recipe you’re referring to, I don’t know where you are getting that information? Chicken, zucchini, red peppers, and the dressing used have very few carbs. Onions have some carbs, but not enough to make the whole recipe high in carbs.
Anyone who’s concerned about foil can certainly use parchment paper, although that option won’t work on the grill or near a campfire. But your choice obviously. I’m not going to get into the foil/no foil argument with anyone. Everyone gets to make their own food choices; that has always been my philosophy.
Could I put them in the oven? If so how long do you think I should cook and on what temp ?
Under instructions in the recipe #11 says “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.” That is my best guess for how long they’ll take in the oven; would love to hear how that works if you try it.
Yes, this could definitely be cooked on top of a grill.
Looks like a great recipe. Not planning to go camping anytime soon, but I think this would work great on the grill.
THANK YOU so much for posting this! We are camping this weekend, and I am on Phase 1- and was totally worried about what to cook for everyone (we are going w/a few families)! This looks yummy!