Foil-Pack Chicken Fajita Rice
Instant rice, salsa, and canned chicken sealed in foil and set on the coals.
- calories
- 620
- weight
- 9 oz
- cal / oz
- 69
- protein
- 34 g
- serves
- 2, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 20 min
- total time
- 30 min
- water
- 300 ml boiled
- 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
- Shelf stable
- Basic
Ingredients
| Instant white rice, uncooked | 1 1/2 cups | |
|---|---|---|
| Hot water | 1 1/2 cups | boiled or near-boiling |
| Taco seasoning | 1 tbsp | check the label if you need it gluten-free |
| Canned or pouched chicken | 2 pouches, about 10 oz total | drained |
| Thick and chunky salsa | 1/2 cup | a shelf-stable jar or single-serve cups |
| Dried bell pepper strips | 1/2 cup | or fresh peppers if you are car camping day one |
| Shredded taco cheese | 1/2 cup | cooler item, or use a hard cheese cut small |
| Heavy-duty foil | 2 sheets, 18 by 12 in | |
| Oil or cooking spray | 1 tsp |
Method
- Fold a one-inch rim on each foil sheet and wipe the inside with oil so nothing welds itself down.
- Stir the rice, taco seasoning, and dried peppers together, then split the mix between the two sheets.
- Pour about 150 ml of hot water over each pile. Do not eyeball this high; extra water turns to paste.
- Top with the drained chicken and the salsa. Cheese goes on last.
- Bring the long sides up, double fold the seam, and double fold both ends. The packet has to hold steam.
- Set the packets on a grill grate over a bed of coals, not flame, for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Pull them off and let them sit five minutes. Cut a slit to vent, then open away from your face.
The original used raw chicken breast and thirty-five minutes in an oven. On a fire that is a long time to guess at, so this version uses cooked pouch chicken and dried peppers instead. Nothing in the packet needs to reach a safe temperature; it only needs to get hot enough to steam the rice, which is why it comes off the coals in twenty minutes.
Water is the part people get wrong. Instant rice wants roughly equal parts water by volume, and the salsa adds more, so measure rather than pour. Coals matter too. Open flame scorches the bottom of the foil before the middle ever steams, so rake a flat bed and cook on that.
Packing
Rice, seasoning, and dried peppers premix into one bag. Chicken pouches, salsa cups, and foil ride separately. Cheese goes in the cooler or gets swapped for hard cheese.
Variations
- Swap the chicken for a can of black beans and leave the cheese off for a vegan packet.
- A squeeze of lime and a spoon of hot sauce at the table wakes the whole thing up.
https://camprecipes.com/classic-recipes/foil-pack-chicken-fajita-dinner