Foil-Packet Italian Chicken
Packet chicken over coals, topped with a shelf-stable tomato and herb mix.
- calories
- 420
- weight
- 8 oz
- cal / oz
- 53
- protein
- 42 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 20 min
- total time
- 30 min
- water
- none
- 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
- Pre-mix at home
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Boneless chicken breasts | 4 | packed frozen in the cooler, thawed by dinner |
|---|---|---|
| Sun-dried tomatoes in oil | 1 cup | drained and chopped; replaces 2 cups fresh |
| Shelf-stable mozzarella or hard aged cheese | 2 cups shredded | vacuum-packed keeps in a cooler for days |
| Dried basil | 1 tbsp | or 5 fresh leaves if you brought a sprig |
| Olive oil | 2 tbsp | |
| Salt and pepper | to taste | |
| Heavy-duty foil | 4 sheets |
Method
- Stir the chopped sun-dried tomatoes, cheese, basil, oil, salt, and pepper together in a mug or bag. Set it aside so the dried basil softens in the oil.
- Let the fire burn down to coals. Flames scorch the foil and leave the middle raw.
- Salt and pepper each breast, wrap it in its own doubled sheet of foil, and seal the edges with a folded seam.
- Set the packets on the grate or directly on coals. About 8 minutes per side for a 6 oz breast, longer for thick ones.
- Open one packet and check that the center runs clear with no pink. Reseal and return it to the coals if not.
- Spoon the tomato mix over the hot chicken and let it sit a minute so the cheese slumps.
The original is a home dish that leans on fresh mozzarella and ripe tomatoes, neither of which survives a weekend outdoors. Sun-dried tomatoes in oil do the same job with no refrigeration and more concentrated flavor, and vacuum-packed aged cheese holds in a cooler far longer than a fresh ball does. Dried basil replaces the leaves; giving it a few minutes in the oil is what keeps it from tasting like dust.
Cooking the chicken in its own sealed foil packet is the point. The meat steams in its own juices instead of drying out over open flame, and there is no pan to scrub. Wait for coals, not flames — a foil packet over live fire chars the outside while the center stays underdone, which with chicken is a real problem rather than a texture complaint.
Packing
Mix the tomato, cheese, and herbs at home in a screw-top jar and it goes straight in the cooler. Chicken travels frozen in a zip bag at the bottom of the cooler and thaws over the drive.
Variations
- Swap the chicken for firm tofu or halloumi and cook the same way, cutting the time to about 6 minutes a side.
- A splash of red wine vinegar in the tomato mix cuts the oil.
- No cooler: use a foil pouch of cooked chicken and just warm the packet through.
https://camprecipes.com/classic-recipes/italian-chicken-2