Southwestern Chicken & Rice Foil Packets

Simple, healthy and flavor packed chicken, rice, bell pepper, onion and black beans all cooked in foil packets. These foil packets make an incredibly delicious dinner or meal prep with no clean up required! 

Out of all the meals and recipes I’ve worked on since I started this blog, this is one I’m particularly proud of. It’s one of the most effortless dishes you can make and one of the most flavorful too.

Everything is cooked in foil packets for quick and easy clean-up. I use quick brown rice and soak it in water and taco seasoning for a few minutes then divide it into foil and top with chicken, salsa, cheese along with fajita veggies and beans. The foil is then folded and baked for 30-35 (depending on the size of your chicken breasts)  minutes and like magic, a mouth-watering chicken and rice dinner is ready to be served.This recipe makes 3 servings but can be easily doubled for meal-prep. I use a homemade blend of taco seasoning but the taco packets work great too!

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4.86 from 28 votes

Southwestern Chicken & Rice Foil Packets

By: Layla

Prep10 minutes mins

Cook30 minutes mins

Total40 minutes mins

Servings 3

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 3 4 oz chicken breasts, boneless skinless
• ▢ 1 cup quick brown rice, or white
• ▢ 1 cup water
• ▢ 2 tablespoons taco seasoning, 1 packet, see note below
• ▢ 1/3 cup salsa
• ▢ 1/2 cup mozzarella or cheddar cheese
• ▢ 1 cup bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
• ▢ 1/4 cup onion, sliced into thin strips
• ▢ 1/2 cup black beans
• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1 lime cut into wedges, optional

Instructions 

• Pre-heat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with 3 sheets of foil (about 6-8 inches) and set aside.
  
  
• Combine the brown rice, water and 2 tablespoons taco seasoning in a medium bowl and soak for 5 minutes. DIvide rice (and it's water) into 3 sheets of foil.
  
  
• Pound chicken with a meat tenderizer or a rolling-pin until they are even. Seasoning each chicken breast generously with the reaming taco seasoning. Place the chicken on the rice. Top each chicken with a few tablespoons of salsa and a sprinkle of cheese. Add the veggies and beans on the sides of the chicken. Drizzle each packet with olive oil and fold the sides of the foil over the chicken, covering completely; seal the packets closed.
  
  
• Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until chicken's internal temperature reaches 165F. Remove from oven and carefully open up the foils; put the packets under the broiler for 3 to 4 minutes. Squeeze fresh lime juice on each packet, garnish with cilantro and sour-cream if desired and serve.

Video

Notes

To make your own taco seasoning for this recipe: combine 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, 1/4 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black .

For the Rice* I use instant "5 minute" rice (brown or white) for this recipe and have not tried it with regular rice. Some readers have had success with half-cooked rice.

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