15+ Easy Foil Packet Dinners to Serve This Summer

Meghan Splawn
Meghan Splawn
Meghan was the Food Editor for Kitchn's Skills content. She's a master of everyday baking, family cooking, and harnessing good light. Meghan approaches food with an eye towards budgeting — both time and money — and having fun. Meghan has a baking and pastry degree, and spent the first 10 years of her career as part of Alton Brown's culinary team. She co-hosts a weekly podcast about food and family called Didn't I Just Feed You.
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updated May 3, 2022
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Honey citrus chicken and veggie foil pack dinner.
Credit: Photo: Joe Lingemen / Food Stylist: Anna Stockwell
Honey Orange Chicken & Veggie Foil Packets

Foil packets are a busy cook’s best friend. (Same for the person who’s sick of washing dishes.) If you’re not yet acquainted, please let me help you change that. Foil packets go a little something like the following: Wrap some veggies, a protein, and a sauce in a piece of foil and then take your pick between throwing the packet onto the grill or into the oven. That’s it. Really! The beauty of easy foil packet recipes is that they practically make themselves. Plus, with no pots and pans to wash, foil packet dinners make cleanup a total breeze.

So just what can you cook in foil packets? The answer is just about anything. Chicken foil packets are always a hit, plus steak, sausage, fish, and shrimp are all fair game. Beans? Absolutely! And as for the vegetables, anything you have handy has a place in your foil packet. While they are some of the easiest dinners you’ll make this summer, there are a few common foil packet mistakes you’ll want to avoid (like starting with a single sheet of foil rather than a couple pieces, or using the regular stuff rather than heavy-duty aluminum foil).

These are over 15 of our favorite foil packet recipes to try.

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1 / 17
Teriyaki Chicken Foil Packets
Carrots, broccoli, and peppers mingle with teriyaki chicken in this colorful meal. If you'd like, pair it with rice, but it's tasty enough without it, too.
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2 / 17
Steak Fajita Foil Packets
These steak fajita foil packets are fun, practical, and tasty, too. Everyone can customize their own add-ins, they require virtually zero cleanup, and the rice is extra flavorful thanks to all the juices from the meat and vegetables
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3 / 17
Sausage, Potato & Green Bean Packets
Combine cooked sausage, chopped potatoes, and green beans; add some butter and a dash of Cajun seasoning; and wrap in foil for a no-mess dinner in minutes.
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4 / 17
Pineapple BBQ Chicken Foil Packets
These spicy pineapple chicken packs are begging to be turned into sandwiches — I'm thinking piled onto grilled garlic bread with a bit of creamy slaw.
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5 / 17
Southwest Veggie Foil Packets
These spicy, smoky veggie packets are endlessly customizable. Serve them as a main dish with rice, or as a side paired with grilled chicken or steak.
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6 / 17
Lemon Garlic Butter Shrimp and Asparagus Packets
These shrimp packets start with orzo and use some of our favorite fast and fancy staples like lemon garlic butter, frozen shrimp, and quick-cooking asparagus.
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7 / 17
Chicken Fajitas Foil Packets
All you need to do to serve these chicken fajitas is pile the meat and veggies into tortillas and top them with avocado and sour cream.
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8 / 17
The Best Garlic Butter Salmon in Foil
Salmon from a foil packet is special enough for guests, but is also a great choice for meal prepping a bunch of salmon at once. Don't skimp on the garlic and green onions!
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9 / 17
Grilled Shrimp and Vegetable Grain Bowls
Think of grilled grain bowls as the grown-up version of the hobo packets you might have made at sleep-away camp.
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10 / 17
Lemon Garlic Chicken Foil Packets
As these packets cook, the tomatoes burst, creating a simple sauce for the juicy chicken and veggies. The lemon slices release their juices, too, steaming the veggies and chicken while adding bright flavor.
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11 / 17
Spicy Pineapple Chicken Packets
Here, chicken breasts and pineapple are flavored with a spicy, citrus-spiked marinade and cooked in a foil packet for an easy, mess-free meal.
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12 / 17
Caprese Chicken and Zucchini Packets
This recipe combines easy-to-love vegetables with chicken and pesto, and the whole thing is topped with gooey, melted cheese. The only thing that could make these packets better? Serving garlic bread on the side.
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13 / 17
Freezer-to-Oven Shrimp Scampi
Boil some pasta while these packets are in the oven, and you're rewarded with an easy shrimp scampi dinner. You can (and should!) freeze these for future weeknight meals.
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14 / 17
Cheesy Ranch Chicken and Bacon Foil Packs
Juicy, ranch-flavored chicken is covered with cheese and paired with bacon for an easy meal everyone at the table will love.
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15 / 17
Honey Orange Chicken & Veggie Foil Packet
Each packet is filled with juicy chicken and fresh, colorful, seasonal vegetables, all tossed in a delicious citrusy honey sauce and grilled to perfection.
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16 / 17
How To Make Chicken Fajita Freezer Dinner Packets
What's for dinner tonight? Let's ask the freezer. Prep frozen foil-packet meal kits to have a homemade dinner ready for the oven to serve one or more.
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17 / 17
Cheesy Grilled Potato PacketsGo to Recipe
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