Foil Pack Dinners are perfect when you need a meal that comes together easily with minimal cleanup! There are so many ingredient combinations, and we’ve got four tasty foil packet recipes to get you started - beef and potato, teriyaki chicken, salmon, and shrimp boil.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Versatile: These foil packet meals (also called hobo dinners or tin foil dinners) are easy to customize with your favorite proteins, veggies, and seasonings.
- Individual-Sized Portions: Everyone gets their own perfectly portioned packet for easy serving and cleanup.
- Maximum Flavor: Cooking the food in foil locks in moisture, making every bite full of flavor. We love these grilled shrimp tacos too for a flavor-packed meal.
- Convenient: Everything cooks together in one packet right on the grill! And then you just toss the foil when you’re done!
For more grilling recipes, check out these steak kabobs and grilled lamb chops next!
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Ingredients
- Protein: Ground beef, chicken, salmon, kielbasa, and shrimp all work well for hobo packets and cook up quickly on the grill.
- Vegetables: The sky’s the limit when it comes to veggies, but here are some of the ones we like using in our foil packs - potatoes, carrots, broccoli, asparagus, corn, bell peppers, and onions.
- Sauces & Seasonings: Each packet has its own flavor profile, using simple seasonings like salt and pepper, seasoned salt, dill, Old Bay, etc. Butter, oil, or teriyaki sauce helps keep everything moist and flavorful as it cooks.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
How to Make Foil Pack Dinners
While individual instructions vary for each foil pack flavor, here are the basic steps you'll need to follow.
- Step 1: Prep the ingredients. Gather everything you’ll need for the flavor variety you’ll be making. Portion out the protein, and wash and chop the veggies.
- Step 2:Assemble the packets. Lay out the foil and add the protein and vegetables. Drizzle on butter, oil, or sauce and top with seasonings.
- Step 3:Seal them up. Tightly wrap up each packet, ensuring the edges are sealed.
- Step 4:Grill. Place the packets on a grill heated to medium-high. Cook until the protein reaches a safe internal temperature and the vegetables are tender, about 5-7 minutes per side depending on the variety.
Enjoy your foil meals with summer drinks like a cold Brazilian limeade or refreshing coconut lime spritzer.
Expert Tips
- Double wrap the foil: Wrapping each packet in a second layer of foil helps prevent burning and ensures everything cooks evenly.
- Avoid overfilling the packets: Be sure to leave enough room to fold and seal the foil securely. Overstuffing can cause steam to escape or lead to uneven cooking.
- Storing: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven, microwave, or in a skillet until warmed through.
Serving Suggestions
- You can’t go wrong with a side of bread! Try this Sizzler cheese toast or these cheesy breadsticks to accompany your meal.
- Serve up some rice alongside your protein and veggie dinner. Cilantro lime rice or coconut rice are great options.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Preheat your oven to 400°F and place the packets on a baking sheet. Cook until the protein is fully cooked and the vegetables are tender. The beef and chicken varieties will take around 25-35 minutes, while the seafood will take less time, approximately 15-20 minutes. Be sure to use a thermometer to check the internal temperature for doneness.
Absolutely! Foil packs are a camping favorite! You can prep them at home, keep them chilled in a cooler with ice, and cook them over indirect heat like a campfire grate or on hot coals. Flip halfway through and check for doneness with a meat thermometer.
Sure! Foil packs can be assembled up to a day in advance. Store them in the fridge until ready to grill.
Of course! Feel free to swap proteins or use a completely different one like chicken thighs, cod, steak, or tofu. You can also switch up the veggies based on what’s in season or what you’ve got on hand. Try experimenting with different sauces like BBQ, pesto, Italian dressing, etc. as well as your favorite seasonings. Just be sure to adjust the cooking time depending on what protein you’re using.
More Delicious Dinners
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Foil Pack Dinners
Equipment
- 4 large sheets of aluminum foil
Ingredients
Beef and Potato Foil Pack
- 2 lb ground beef divided into 4 patties
- 1 large russet potato sliced thin
- 2 medium carrots sliced thin
- ½ medium onion diced
- 4 tablespoon butter sliced into 4 tabs
- perferred seasonings like salt pepper, seasoned salt
Teriyaki chicken Foil Pack
- 4 chicken breasts
- 1 crown broccoli cut into florets
- 1 cup pineapple fresh or canned cut into chunks
- 1 red bell pepper sliced
- 1 onion diced
- 1 cup teriyaki sauce store bought
- salt and pepper
Salmon Foil Pack Dinners
- 4 salmon filets
- 1 lemon sliced
- 1 bunch asparagus
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill
- salt and pepper
- 1 clove garlic minced
Shrimp Boil Foil Pack
- 1 lb jumbo raw shrimp shelled and deveined
- 1 lb kielbasa sliced into 1 inch pieces
- 4 ears corn sliced into 1 ½ inches pieces
- 8 red potatoes cubed
- ½ cup butter sliced into 1 tablespoon pads
- 4 tablespoon old bay seasoning
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
Beef and Potato Foil Pack
- Lay out 4 sheets of foil. To each sheet at 1 patty of ground beef. Season with salt and pepper.
- Divide onion, potatoes, and carrots evenly between each foil pack. Top with butter and season to your liking.
- Wrap each foil pack up tightly, making sure the edges are sealed. Do this by wrapping the sides of foil inward over food then fold on top and bottom of foil to enclose.
- Place on a grill heated to medium high and cook 7 minutes each side, or until internal temperature of ground beef reaches 165 and carrots and potatoes are softened.
- Serve topped with shredded cheese, ketchup, or bbq sauce.
Teriyaki Chicken Foil Packs
- Lay out 4 sheets of foil. To each sheet at 1 chicken breast. Season with salt and pepper.
- Divide onion, broccoli, bell pepper and pineapple evenly between each foil pack. Top with teriyaki sauce.
- Wrap each foil pack up tightly, making sure the edges are sealed. Do this by wrapping the sides of foil inward over food then fold on top and bottom of foil to enclose.
- Place on a grill heated to medium high and cook 7 minutes each side, or until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165 and veggies are softened.
- Serve topped with additional teriyaki sauce.
Salmon Foil Pack Dinners
- Lay out 4 sheets of foil. To each sheet at ¼ of the cleaned and prepared asparagus.
- Top the asparagus with 1 salmon filet. Add ¼ tablespoon of olive oil to each salmon filet and season with garlic, dill, and salt and pepper. Top salmon with sliced lemon.
- Wrap each foil pack up tightly, making sure the edges are sealed. Do this by wrapping the sides of foil inward over food then fold on top and bottom of foil to enclose.
- Place on a grill heated to medium high and cook 5 minutes each side, or until internal temperature of salmon reaches 165.
- Open carefully and transfer to a plate.
Shrimp Boil Foil Pack
- Boil potatoes until fork tender - about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Divide shrimp, corn, sausage, and potatoes between 4 sheets of foil. Top with 2 tabs of butter each, and sprinkle seasonings evenly over each foil pack. fold up and seal.
- Place on a grill heated to medium high and cook 7 minutes each side.
- Open carefully and transfer to plates or to parchment lined table.
Video
Notes
- Be sure to seal the packets tightly. For best results, double wrap to avoid leaks or burning.
- The packs can also be baked in a 400°F oven if preferred. Salmon and shrimp will take around 15-20 minutes, while beef and chicken will take between 25-35 minutes.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
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Linda says
I made these tonight for dinner my husband was in his glory. Next time u make them though I'm cutting back on the old Bay, it's was just a little too much for my liking, but over all these are totally awesome!
Zayna [Measuring Cups Optional] says
Oh my gosh! This looks amaze ... I love grilling, especially in the summertime and I love myself some shrimp boil. Thanks so much for sharing, I've got to try this out.
Debbie Andrews says
This is a totally awesome idea. I've started saving my shrimp shells in my freezer for the broth I can make from them. I'm going to do this, but boil the potatoes in the shrimp broth.
Thanks for this great idea. There are many times I want this to eat, but not the huge amount that goes with an all- out shrimp, crab, or crawfish boil.
Beach Home Products says
What an awesome site. We cook crawfish in a similar way being from Mississippi. We were looking for candle warmers when we came across your site. Good stuff! We recently published a website http://www.beachhomeproducts.com
It may make a nice addition to your page. Keep up the awesome work.