Fun and Easy Foil Pack Dinner Idea
Winner, winner chicken dinner! This bacon ranch chicken foil pack turn into an eye-catching main dish with a special ingredient that is sure to add a smile to everyone's face - BACON! Bacon is a staple food in most American diets. It is mainly enjoyed in the morning for breakfast, but bacon can also be enjoyed during lunch or dinner. Today, we're going to show you how!
At MPOF, we love offering simple ways to eat healthy without sacrificing flavor. This low-carb and gluten-free bacon ranch chicken meal is a delicious start! The meal prep time is only 15 minutes but you end up with four separate meals. Each serving has 25 grams of protein and only 6 grams of carbohydrates.
Our Bacon Ranch Chicken and Veggies recipe are a gluten-free, low-carb, and high-protein recipe. Not to mention it is colorful and smells divine! Your family will want to devour it in minutes. We bet you're hungry now, so let's get right into the recipe!
BONUS: Here is a recipe to make your own, Homemade Ranch Dressing
This Bacon Ranch Chicken and Veggie Foil Packets recipe come together in no time at all and packs in the flavor with a healthy dose of veggies to boot!
How long will Chicken Foil Packets last?
Although the star of the dish is bacon, it is a chicken dish. Chicken can last in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Up to four days of storage is okay for this dish since you will have four prepped meals.
Can Chicken Foil Packets be frozen?
The ingredients for this meal prep recipe are meant to be cooked all together. This yields a simple 4 portions so it can be used up in less than a week depending on the size of your family. The goal of our meal prep recipes is to make your life easier. We recommend that you avoid freezing this particular meal prep recipe.
If you're looking for freezable chicken recipes, try our hearty & belly-warming chicken soups and stews.
How do you make Dinner Foil Packets?
Wash and chop the veggies. Toss them in some olive oil, salt, and some black pepper. Once all the ingredients are prepped, place everything into foil packets. Ensure the packets are sealed before transferring them onto the baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees to 30 to 35 minutes.
How do you portion Chicken Foil Packets?
Our favorite part about this bacon meal prep idea is that it portions itself! All you have to do is prepare the meal and place it in the separate aluminum foil packets (thus, the recipe name). After baking and cooling, voila! You have four portioned out high-protein meals. Easy, right?
If this meal prep idea is for dinner when returning home from a busy day, then store in a one-compartment glass container. Glass can go into the oven for reheating. We highly recommend this or similar glass meal prep containers.
More Chicken Bacon Ranch Recipes?
Oh yes, of course! We love this combination so much and figure you do too. These healthy, delicious, and simple meal prep ideas are totally gluten-free. Here are more Chicken Bacon Ranch meal prep recipes:
This recipe features only bacon. We all love bacon 🙂
Other tips for making Bacon Ranch Chicken and Veggies Foil Packets?
- Meal prep containers for storage and heating - If our Bacon Ranch Chicken and Veggies Foil Packets meal are for lunch on the go, then store in a plastic container. Plastic containers are light and convenient. When taking this dish with you, use a single or dual-compartment meal prep container.
- Use a variety of cheeses and sides - Our Bacon Ranch Chicken and Veggies recipe calls for shredded cheddar cheese. But we like to make healthy eating and meal prepping fun & adventurous! You can substitute cheddar cheese for:
- Mozzarella
- American
- Monterey Jack
- Gouda - if you're feeling fancy.
This is such a beautiful and abundant main dish, but we don't mind a little something extra on the side. The sides should be light and flavorful that compliment the dish. Something like:
- Sweet potatoes wedges with tahini
- Roasted kabocha squash quinoa salad
- Vegetarian Cobb salad meal prep
If you want to keep it simple, serve this Bacon Ranch Chicken and Veggies on a bed of spinach.
Bacon Ranch Chicken and Veggies Foil Packets Ingredients:
- 1 Lb. Chicken Breast (boneless; skinless), cut into 1" pieces
- 4 Bacon Strips
- ¾ of 1 Packet Ranch Dressing Powder Mix
- 2 C. Fresh Cauliflower Florets
- 2 C. Fresh Broccoli Florets
- ¾ C. Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- 2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil (divided in half)
- ½ tsp. Ground Black Pepper
- ¼ tsp. Himalayan Pink Salt
- 2 Cups Fresh Spinach
- 2 ears corn on the cob, halved
Ingredients
- 1 Lb. Chicken Breast boneless; skinless, cut into 1" pieces
- 4 Bacon Strips
- ¾ of 1 Packet Ranch Dressing Powder Mix
- 2 Fresh Cauliflower Florets
- 2 Fresh Broccoli Florets
- ¾ Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- 2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil divided in half
- ½ tsp. Ground Black Pepper
- ¼ tsp. Himalayan Pink Salt
- 2 Cups Fresh Spinach
- 2 ears corn on the cob halved
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375℉ and cut 4 sheets of foil that are ~6"-8" wide - set aside.
- Place bacon strips on a foil-lined baking sheet - bake until crispy, then remove from oven.
- While the bacon crisps up, prepare the veggies by tossing cauliflower and broccoli in 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper until coated. Place an equal amount of veggies onto each pre-cut foil sheet. Set aside.
- Next, toss chicken breast in remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil until coated. Then, add ranch dressing powder mix and toss until chicken is coated. Place an equal amount of chicken on top of the veggies.
- Top with cheddar cheese and tear up or cut up bacon strips (roughly one strip per foil packet and sprinkle on top.
- Pull up foil edges and pinch/roll together edges to make a seal for the packet. Place sealed foil packets onto a baking sheet, on middle oven rack. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165℉ and is cooked through. Be careful as you unwrap finished foil packets as there will be lots of steam! **Alternatively: Place foil packets on a grill heated to medium/high and let cook for 20-25 minutes, or until chicken has cooked through (internal temperature 165℉). Again, be careful as you unwrap finished foil packets as there will be lots of steam!
- Serve with optional sides, store, and enjoy!
Emma says
Oven baking doesn’t work - ruins the bacon and you have to cook 3x as long as suggested. The oven suggested directions need to be severely modified.
Sarah Kesseli says
Hi Emma, We are sorry to hear that the recipe didn't work for you. We have tested this several times and others have made it without a problem. Each oven does cook differently, so we would expect the cooking time to vary slightly, but 3x as long does not seem right.