Foil Bag Chicken and Root Vegetables
Chicken, potatoes, carrots, and onions sealed in a foil bag over the fire. Nothing to wash after.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 18 oz
- cal / oz
- 34
- protein
- 42 g
- serves
- 6, scales
- prep
- 20 min
- cook
- 60 min
- total time
- 80 min
- water
- 120 ml cold
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Campfire coals
- Grill grate
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- Foil packet
- Grab and go
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Chicken legs and thighs | 12 pieces | dark meat only; white meat dries out at this timing |
|---|---|---|
| Carrots | 6 large | peeled, cut in large chunks |
| Potatoes | 6 medium | peeled, cut in large chunks |
| Onions | 4 large | quartered |
| Button mushrooms | 1 package | optional |
| Garlic cloves | 6 to 8 | peeled, left whole |
| Chicken bouillon cubes | 2 | one per bag |
| Butter | 4 tbsp | |
| Olive oil | 6 to 8 tbsp | |
| Dried thyme | 4 tsp | |
| Salt, black pepper, garlic powder | to taste | |
| Water | 1/2 cup | 1/4 cup per bag |
| Large foil roasting bags | 2 | |
| Cooking spray | a few seconds per bag |
Method
- Build the fire early. You want a bed of coals and a steady low flame under the grate, not a blaze licking up around it.
- Spray the inside of both foil bags. Skipping this welds the skin to the foil.
- Split the chicken between the bags, six pieces each. Add half the carrots, potatoes, onions, mushrooms, and whole garlic cloves to each.
- Into each bag goes one bouillon cube, 1/4 cup water, 2 tbsp butter, 3 to 4 tbsp oil, and 2 tsp thyme. Salt, pepper, and garlic powder over the top.
- Roll the open end shut and crimp it hard. Turn each bag over a couple of times to move the seasoning around.
- Set the bags on the grate over the coals. Cook about an hour, flipping at the halfway mark.
- Open one bag carefully to check: a fork should slide through the potatoes and the chicken juices should run clear. Reseal and give it more time if not.
- Slit the bag down the middle on a flat surface and serve out of it.
The foil bag is a steam oven. The quarter cup of water and the bouillon cube turn into a small amount of hot broth that cooks the vegetables through while the fat browns the chicken against the foil. That is why the water matters and why you seal the bag properly instead of tenting it.
Dark meat is the whole reason this works on a fire you cannot dial in. Legs and thighs sit in that hour-long window without going stringy, and the potatoes need close to the full hour anyway. This one needs a cooler, so it belongs at a car campsite, not in a pack.
Packing
Cut and peel the vegetables at home and pack them in a zip bag in the cooler with the chicken. Bouillon, thyme, and the dry spices go in a small tin. Butter and oil ride in the cooler.
Variations
- Crushed red pepper in each bag if you want heat.
- Swap the potatoes for sweet potatoes; they cook in about the same time.
- A splash of cider vinegar in the bag cuts the richness.
https://camprecipes.com/classic-recipes/campfire-chicken-veggies-no-pots