Parchment Packet Chicken

This zero-cleanup technique delivers tender, juicy chicken and is perfect on its own yet especially helpful for all those recipes calling for precooked chicken. Works with one chicken breast or many and offers endless flexibility with flavors.

Welcome to another edition of Fountain Avenue kids! Joey is in the house today, and this spunky 10-year-old loves school, soccer, and music. More recently, cooking has also become a favorite activity. Chicken Alfredo is his favorite meal, and that dish (as well as many others) becomes infinitely easier with the following technique. It’s like a fun origami project too!

I’ve long said that a recipe doesn’t have to be difficult to be delicious. And delicious and wholesome aren’t mutually exclusive!

This simple recipe illustrates both of those points quite well. It can be your go-to technique for tender, juicy chicken, and as a bonus, cleanup is practically nonexistent.

As Joey once said, “If dirty dishes are your enemy, this chicken will be your friend! And in the video, Joey, shows us how truly simple it is.

As a side note, Joey and I worked together on another recipe – Chicken Alfredo – which happens to be Joey’s all-time favorite dish and calls for precooked chicken. The Alfredo recipe is also a more wholesome variation of a classic dish, and we’re pretty excited about it.

The details: The parchment packet locks in moisture, which results in a texture that’s similar to poached chicken. The versatile method can be paired with favorite sauces (like barbecue), spice rubs (taco seasoning tends to be popular, and my family loves Sazón), or basic salt and pepper and a sprinkle of dried herbs (Joey and I both like oregano and Italian seasoning).

Great for kids who like to help – the sprinkling and folding are fun – as well as adults who appreciate a super easy, reliable recipe that’s scalable. One packet accommodates one to four pieces of chicken, and more than one packet may be cooked at one time, making the technique ideal for families of all sizes and those who like to prep meals for the week ahead.

This zero-cleanup technique delivers tender, juicy chicken and is perfect on its own yet especially helpful for all those recipes calling for cooked chicken. Works with one chicken breast or many and offers endless flexibility with flavors.

Sazón seasoning is one of my favorite ways to season this chicken. It’s easy and loaded with flavor yet incredibly versatile. A multitude of other spices and sauces may be used, from curry powder and taco seasoning to barbecue sauce and harissa. One of my other go-to seasonings is salt, pepper, and dried oregano. It’s simple but sublime!

The technique is quick and easy: Place the chicken on one side of a big piece of parchment paper and add your sauce or seasonings of choice. Then fold the paper over like a book, and make small, overlapping folds all the way around, crimping to seal.

I bake the packet(s) on a rimmed baking sheet, just in case there’s a leak.

Flavored with your sauce or seasoning of choice, the easy chicken will form a building block for so many meals.

I also like that this chicken is tender enough to shred, making it perfect for stirring into soups, stews, and casseroles, as well as whipping up speedy shredded chicken tacos or pulled chicken sandwiches. Another super simple meal is to toss the shredded chicken with BBQ sauce, stuff into a baked potato, and top with cheddar cheese (or smoked Gouda!) and chives.

Parchment Packet Chicken Tips:

How to gauge the cooking time? I’ve provided times based on size of the chicken breasts (small, medium, or large). But since that’s a somewhat subjective call, and one oven varies from the next, I recommend double-checking with a quick-read thermometer the first time or two you use this method. And conveniently, there’s no need to open the packet. Simply poke the thermometer through the paper into the thick end of one of the breasts. Rest assured, if you go a little over, the chicken will still be tender thanks to the steamy, enclosed cooking environment.

The chicken is shreddable. The packets keep the steam in, mimicking the environment of a slow cooker, albeit in a much quicker way. As such, when the meat is cooked, you can pull it apart with two forks—or your fingers. Of course, chopping, slicing, or serving whole works too.

You can vary the flavor: Use your favorite spices, herbs, dry rub, sauce, or basic salt and pepper to add flavor and variety over time. The recipe’s inherent flexibility means that the resulting chicken can stand alone as the main protein on a dinner plate or be used in burrito bowls, pasta dishes, soups, casseroles, sandwiches (pulled chicken sandwich, perhaps?), and your favorite chicken salad.

Experiment: Once you try the basic chicken packets, feel free to experiment by adding vegetables that will cook in roughly the same time, like chopped broccoli, thinly sliced carrots, bell pepper, etc. You could get fancy and add artichokes, olives, and cherry tomatoes, and then add a sprinkle of crumbled feta at the end…

…or pick a theme like Mexican, flavoring the chicken with taco seasoning and adding extras like black beans, corn, and peppers, topping with cheddar cheese and avocado when done.

Just remember to leave space in the packets. If they’re too full, they may take longer to cook and may not cook evenly. A side of rice or another grain of choice is perfect for soaking up the natural juices.

The most important tip: If for any reason your chicken seems tough or dry, shorten the cooking time the next time. (And do make again!) Chicken often cooks more quickly than we may think.

Think of parchment packet chicken when prepping school and work lunches. The task of creating protein-rich meals, often for multiple kids and adults, may suddenly feel a whole lot easier.

Chicken in Parchment offers a convenient option in these recipes as well:

Parchment Packet Chicken makes delicious DIY burrito bowls a breeze.

Parchment Packet Chicken makes burrito bowls a breeze: Start with a base of rice or another grain (or greens) of choice, and then pile on ingredients like black beans, corn, tomatoes, avocado or guacamole, salsa, shredded cheese, red onion or scallions, and/or crumbled tortilla or corn chips. A drizzle of sriracha mayo is a nice touch, as is the speedy Spicy Crema in this recipe for Sheet Pan Chicken Fajita Bowls.

This zero-cleanup technique delivers tender, juicy chicken and is helpful whenever a recipe calls for precooked chicken. Works with one chicken breast or many and offers endless flexibility with flavors!

In my experience, I have found that kids really love to help with this recipe, and it’s a great way for them to truly be helpful in the kitchen. The positive feelings that come from that are self-reinforcing, and that’s always a good thing.

I’d love to know if you try this recipe. Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo @fountainavenuekitchen on Instagram and Facebook. Your feedback is always appreciated.