Chicken often dries out if overcooked, but you can avoid this by baking chicken breasts in foil packages in the oven, which results in delicious, moist chicken steamed in its own juices.

Kids like their chicken baked plain, but you can provide them with a variety of dipping sauces to experiment with, and then increase their flavor-levels as they get older.

For an easy adult-friendly version, just make the same recipe, but choose your own toppings to sauce over the chicken breasts before wrapping and baking them.  And bonus:  no clean-up!

Tin Foil Chicken Recipe

Ingredients

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1.5 lbs)
• Salt
• Olive Oil

• Optional Toppings for an Adult-friendly Mediterranean Version:
  • 4 sun-dried tomatoes, oil-packed, cut into thin strips
  • 5 black olives, brine-cured, finely chopped, or pre-made olive tapenade
  • 2 tablespoons finely chopped basil or minced parsley
• Other Optional Toppings for ‘Create-your-own’ Adult Versions:
  • whole-grain mustard, tarragon, white wine – for a French Version
  • Italian dressing – for an Italian Version
  • teriyaki sauce – for an Asian Version
  • barbecue sauce – for a Southwest version
  • honey or orange marmalade – for the ‘Paddington Bear’ version
  • curry paste, yogurt, paprika – for the Indian version
  • even just…Tequila and lime!

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 450F. (A hot oven works best, as the tin foil will seal in the juices.)
2. Tear four 18-inch pieces of aluminum foil, and lightly oil one side with olive oil.
3. Place one chicken breast on the foil. Season with salt (Not pepper, or most kids will say yucky!)
4. For the adult version:  Spoon your optional topping on top the breast, about 1-2 tablespoons.
5. Loosely fold the foil over the chicken, then tightly seal the edges with a crimp.
6. Place the foil packets on a baking sheet, and bake for 20 minutes, until the foil packets puff.
7. Open carefully by piercing packet with a knife, to avoid being burned by the steam.

Note:  Since the kid chicken is not browned directly in the oven, without toppings, their cooked chicken will look anemic, completely white. This is why most kids love it!

Yield

Makes approximately 4 servings.

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