Parmesan Chicken Foil Packets contain a complete dinner in one tidy little packet!
Fresh summer zucchini, zesty tomato sauce, and tender chicken breasts are grilled until perfectly cooked and topped with melty mozzarella cheese. This is going to become your favorite summer meal!
Chicken Parmesan Foil Packets are a super easy summer twist on a traditional Chicken Parmesan Recipe! You are going to love how simple both the preparation and the clean up are… and to top it off they are absolutely delicious!
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Not only are these quick to make, you can prepare them well in advance and they cook in about 20 minutes! This makes them the perfect meal to whip up on a hot day or even while you’re camping! Layers of zucchini (or your favorite grilled veggies), tomato sauce and chicken are seasoned and grilled and finally topped with mozzarella cheese just before serving!
Picture this….it has been a long day. The last thing you feel like doing is making a meal! You remember that you have prepared Chicken Parmesan Packets the night before and they are waiting in your refrigerator! Bless! Pop them on the grill or in the oven, prepare your favorite pasta and you have a complete meal ready in minutes!
Tips for Chicken Foil Packets
- Be sure to spray your foil well (or use non-stick foil) so your food doesn’t stick.
- Be sure to seal the packets well to avoid any juices escaping.
- These can be baked 30 minutes at 375 degrees (or until your chicken reaches 165 degrees and is cooked through).
- These packets can easily be modified depending what you have on hand. Here are a couple of my favorite ideas:
- This recipe calls for Italian Seasoning and garlic powder, however use what seasonings you love or have in your pantry. Some ideas are garlic, basil, oregano and parsley. Use fresh herbs if you have them, fresh herbs only make things better!
- If you do not have zucchini use broccoli, mushrooms, asparagus or summer squash instead!
While this would still be great paired with the tomato sauce, you could also use your favorite alfredo sauce. If you choose alfredo sauce, simply cook the chicken, mushrooms, and asparagus in the packet first, and sauce with a heated alfredo sauce once you plate it. You may be asking, “why not add alfredo sauce to the packet?” I fear the creamy sauce may burn in the packet!
While I most often serve these on a bed of pasta, these chicken foil packet dinners are so good, you really don’t need to serve them on pasta at all! Prep a nice fresh side salad and a thick slice of crusty bread to sop up all of that delicious sauce and you’re good to go! Are you looking for a gluten free option? You can use gluten free pasta or skip the pasta all together!
If you’re watching calories and fat, this is still a perfect option, add in some extra veggies and then use low fat mozzarella and parmesan cheese. The taste and texture will still be the same you will virtually never notice the difference.
My absolute favorite thing about this recipe is there is no clean up! It is such a breeze to tossing the foil leaving more time to spend with your friends and family or just to take a few extra minutes to yourself! You definitely deserve it!
If you are looking for something that is tasty, healthy and quick for your dinner tonight, these Chicken Parmesan Foil Packets fit the bill perfectly! The perfect fuss free BBQ idea or even a delicious gourmet idea to take along on your next camping trip. So versatile, super easy and totally delicious it will definitely be top of mind for your summer meal planning.
Parmesan Chicken Foil Packets
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts 5-6oz each
- 3 cups pasta sauce additional for serving if desired
- 2 medium zucchini sliced ½-inch
- ½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder divided
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning divided
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- 1 teaspoon black pepper or to taste
- ¼ cup olive oil
- chopped fresh parsley
- cooked pasta for serving, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the grill to medium heat. Spray four 12x18-inch foil pieces with cooking spray.
- Divide the zucchini among the pieces of foil. Sprinkle with half of the salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.
- Top each with 2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese and ⅓ cup pasta sauce.
- Place a chicken breast on top of the sauce and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with garlic powder and the remaining Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- Seal each packet by folding over the long edges a couple of times and then folding the short edges.
- Place the packets, chicken side down, on the grill and cook for 8 minutes. Flip them over and grill for an additional 8-10 minutes or until the chicken reaches 165°F.
- With the chicken still on the grill, cut a slit into each foil packet with a knife and sprinkle ¼ cup mozzarella cheese. Let rest for 5 minutes to melt the cheese. Garn
- Garnish with fresh parsley if using.
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dinner
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
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Made this tonight! It was terrible! My zucchini never got soft. I had it in the oven for 40 minutes! It didn’t even look good! I would never make this again . Oven temp 375.
I’m sorry this didn’t work out for you, zucchini is a tender vegetable and should definitely have been very soft after 40 minutes. I can’t say for sure what happened to your zucchini.
This recipe was amazing!! I’m going to make it again. Question…how can I cook this without the foil packs? Put in a 13×9? The last time I made a bigger mess using the foil packs and wondered if it would turn out the same in a 13×9 covered with foil? I really loved how it turned out in the foil packs, and want the same, just less mess…is that possible?
I haven’t tried it that way but I’m sure that would work just fine. Please let us know how it works for you if you do try it!
I wonder if you could make this in the crockpot? I dont see why not. Baking chicken always dries out for me.
I made this tonight in the oven 375 degrees 40 minutes and additional 5 minutes for the mozzarella . Excellent, did not have pasta since we are eating low carb. Had left overs for the week!
So glad you enjoyed it Cheryl!
Cheryl, you can check out Holly’s Easy Low Carb website for more low carb recipes!
Can you prepare wrap in foil and then freeze for baking later, if so can you bake from frozen and if so how long at 375/400 degrees?
Thank you.
I haven’t tried it that way but I’m sure that would work just fine. Please let us know how it works for you if you do try it!
I want to make them in the oven what degree to I bake them and how long
These can be baked 30 minutes at 375 degrees (or until your chicken reaches 165 degrees and is cooked through).
I want to make them in a regular oven, what degree do I set my oven to
These can be baked 30 minutes at 375 degrees (or until your chicken reaches 165 degrees and is cooked through).
We cooked this meal on the grill tonight. It was very easy to prepare and extremely tasty! We will definitely be making this again soon!
It was great, even my picky grandson liked it.
Should you put the packets directly on the oven rack or use a baking sheet?
I use a baking sheet in case any of the liquid leaks out.
When you say tomato sauce is it heinz ketchup or do u mean something different???
The tomato sauce is not Ketchup. You’d be looking for a sauce more like these ones here on Amazon.
If your baking larger breasts they won’t cook so quickly. I just learned that the hard way..otherwise I love the idea and I’m excited to try them once they are baked through
So easy and so delicious!!!!!
I made this for dinner tonight. Excellent! Thank you so much for the recipe!
I’m so glad you loved them Beverly!
This was so easy and delicious. I forgot the oil and it did not matter. Also did not serve with pasta. Happened to have fresh basil which I added. Thanks for a good recipe.
holy-Moley! This was a WONDERFUL dinner! The only change I made (due to laziness) was to use “chicken tenders” instead of hammering on the chicken breasts to flatten them. They tasted amazing – cooked in about 40 minutes (total) on the grill set at about 400 degrees. we give it a 5-star rating! Serve a green salad and some garlic bread….excellent!
So glad you loved it as much as we do!
So glad for your suggestions Beverley! I don’t have a grill but will try them in the oven. Chicken tenders are so handy.
I don’t grill, so how long in the oven and at what temp.
These can be baked 30 minutes at 375 degrees (or until your chicken reaches 165 degrees and is cooked through).
Do you mean the thin boneless chicken breasts? The regular boneless breasts are quite large and need to be cooked an hour on 400 to cook thoroughly.
I use regular boneless chicken breasts. They can certainly vary in size so as long as they’re cooked to 165 degrees, they’ll be perfect!
Made this, and loved it! However, I also sautéed some onions and mushrooms… Set them aside, and then put them on the chicken before I added the mozzarella cheese… Oh Sooo Yum! And I only had to cook each foil side for 12 minutes at 400 degrees.
Yummy addition, I love mushrooms! Thank you for sharing!
How long with thighs on an electric outdoor grill?
I haven’t tried this with thighs. You’ll want to cook them long enough to ensure they reach 165 degrees.