- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1-1/2 pounds total or 6 ounces each)
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and well drained*
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can fire roasted tomatoes or diced tomatoes with green chilies, well drained
- 2 cups corn, frozen (no need to thaw; may use fresh in season)
- 1 packet taco seasoning mix**
- 1/2 cup shredded Mexican blend or sharp cheddar cheese
- Optional for serving: cooked rice; chopped avocado or guacamole; fresh cilantro or parsley; sliced scallions or snipped chives; crumbled tortilla chips, hot sauce; salsa; and/or sour cream
Easy Taco Chicken Foil Packets
Yield: 4 complete meal servings (You could divide the mixture among 6 packets, which would be perfect if serving with rice or another side dish.)
For added ease, these flavorful packets can be prepared several hours in advance and stored on a baking sheet in the fridge.
For added ease, these flavorful packets can be prepared several hours in advance and stored on a baking sheet in the fridge.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F, and tear 4 pieces of foil that are roughly 12” x 18”. Spray or lightly oil them, and set aside.
- Mix the drained beans, tomatoes, and corn in a large bowl. Sprinkle with the taco seasoning, and toss to evenly distribute.
- Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces, and evenly distribute the pieces in an even layer in the center of the four pieces of prepared foil (on the side you sprayed).
- Spoon 1/4 of the bean mixture over each pile of chicken. Bring the long sides of the foil together, and fold them at the top. Then bring the short sides together and fold again. Avoid folding the packets too tightly; you want a little air space at the top of each packet. You do, however, want a tight seal to keep in the juices.
- Place the packets on a rimmed baking sheet, and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken is just cooked through. (I cut the chicken pieces fairly small and the packets take exactly 15 minutes in my oven. Feel free to carefully open one packet, check a piece of chicken for doneness, and reseal the packet and return to the oven if a few more minutes are needed until you know how long this takes in your oven.) Carefully open the packets so the steam doesn’t burn you. Place about 2 tablespoons of shredded cheese over the mixture in each packet, and then reclose the packets for a minute or two to allow the cheese to melt.
- Open the packets and turn onto a plate or enjoy right out of the foil with or without a scoop of rice and/or toppings of choice.
Notes
- *Try placing the beans in the colander and letting them drain while you are prepping the foil. Then give them a good shake and dump them into your mixing bowl. Follow suit with the tomatoes (but don’t rinse the tomatoes), allowing them to drain as you prep the chicken. This will give these ingredients time to drain well.
- **Before I sped up the recipe by flavoring it with taco seasoning (store-bought is fine; or you can try this homemade recipe), I used the following combination of spices, which you can try if you are without the taco seasoning: 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon each paprika, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder (not onion and garlic salt), 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper.