Have you ever come back from a vacation and wanted takeout for your next week of meals because going to the store to replenish your fridge is just too much? Or, how about this— have you ever been camping and wanted something other than burgers and hotdogs on the fire for dinner? I recently ran into both of these issues, only I thought about it after I had already returned from camping.

Foil packets are the answer!

Did I just stumble onto something that will revolutionize the way I cook? I just might have. This is something you can do with limited counter space, use up some of those veggies (like the ones I just picked up from my CSA share), and it has very little cleanup.  After we ate our easy-to-make-easy-to-clean-up dinner, my husband asked me about how I made it, and he made some of his own requests for experimentation. I started thinking about all of the possibilities and all of the ingredients I already had on hand.

Check out this week’s Lemon Herb Chicken and Green Beans Foil Packet recipe, posted below, and a new one each week this month!

*Disclaimer: When using an Instant Pot, be VERY careful. Read the directions carefully and thoroughly, and use the appliance at your own risk.

Lemon Herb Chicken and Green Beans Foil Packet (Serves 4)

Ingredients

1 lb. chicken breast
8 oz. green beans
4 oz. grape/cherry tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
1 cup minced carrot tops (or parsley)
2 lemons
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tbsp butter of choice, softened
1 tbsp fresh oregano

Directions

1) Make the herb butter by taking the minced carrot tops, oregano, juice of one lemon (you can save wedges to throw into the foil packets), red pepper flakes, 2 minced cloves of garlic, and softened butter and mix them together in a small bowl and set aside.

2) Trim the green beans and toss them into a bowl. At this point, you can also cut the tomatoes in half and add them to the beans, but I personally prefer my tomatoes to be raw.

3) Mix half of the herb butter with the bean mixture.

4) Lay out a piece of foil about the size of a cutting board and put some of the green bean mixture in the middle.

5) Take two slices of lemon and put them on top of the bean mixture.

6) Top the lemon with 4 oz. of chicken breast, adding a smear of the herb butter onto the chicken.

7) Crimp the edges of the foil so that the packet is fully sealed.

8) Put one cup of water in the Instant Pot with the trivet on top. Layer the packets on top of the trivet (they can be on top of each other).

9) Seal the Instant Pot and make sure the pressure valve is sealed. Set to High Pressure/Manual for 6 minutes.

10) When the timer goes off, let the pressure naturally release for about 5 minutes. Just know that your cooking time may vary depending on how thick your chicken pieces are.

11) After 5 minutes, if the pin has not fully gone down, do a quick release. Turn the valve so the steam comes out and the pin drops. Once it drops, it’s safe to open the lid.

12) Remove the foil packets with tongs or something similar. Place each on a plate and open the foil to vent— careful, the food will be very hot! Once the food cools a little, enjoy!

I should mention the reason why I used carrot tops instead of parsley. I had gotten a ton of organic carrots from the CSA and didn’t want to waste them so I looked up what you can do with carrot tops. Turns out, they tasked like a milder version of parsley. Who knew?

The best thing about these foil packets is that it’s so easy to clean up. Now imagine you’re camping— throw some of these packets over the fire! You just need to check on them from time to time to make sure they aren’t burning.

If you don’t have an instant pot, all of these recipes can be made in the oven, too. I would say just set the oven to between 350 and 375 degrees F and cook them for the amount of time you usually cook the type of meat you’re using. You can even throw these on the grill in your yard! I’m really looking forward to experimenting with all of these different foil options!

What ingredients will you try in your foil packets?
Share your comments at the bottom of the page.

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