Chicken Fajita Foil Packets

Chicken Fajita Foil Packets are easy to make, full of flavor and perfect for busy nights. You can throw them on the grill all at once, or as people are needing to eat (which happens a lot at my house with sport schedules), and they are perfectly portioned! The perfect meal with little clean up!

Fajitas in foil packets with Mexican marinated chicken

Summer is winding down, football has started, school is starting in a few days but it is still hot outside. I find myself needing fast dinners, that won’t heat up my kitchen, but they need to be available for people to eat at different times.

These Chicken Fajita Foil Packets are the answer! I let the chicken marinate using my Mexican Chicken Marinade (click here for the recipe). The marinade gives it the best Mexican flavor with hints of lime, cumin, garlic and a touch of heat from the chili powder and red pepper flakes. The chicken is perfectly paired with peppers and onions. I roll it all up in a flour tortilla with some fresh guacamole, sour cream and shredded cheese (and a squirt of fresh lime if that’s your thing!) and it is a meal that everyone loves!

FAJITA PREP

The chicken needs to marinate for up to 2 hours. I use my Mexican Chicken Marinade. I always cut my chicken in strips or bite sized pieces for marinating so the flavor can immerse itself more in each piece of chicken. The larger the pieces, the less the marinade may sink in. I throw my chicken strips/pieces in a zip top bag and pour the marinade right in with the chicken. Seal the bag and mix it around making sure all of the chicken is evenly covered. Then into the fridge it goes to marinate!

While the chicken is marinating, I will cut my peppers and onions. I use 1 red pepper and 1 green pepper and one small/medium white onion. I also love adding some variety of peppers. I love the heat that can come from some thinly sliced Jalapenos, Green Hatch Chile Peppers or Poblanos. This is just my preference, you can stick to just the green and red peppers but I promise you will love the additional heat and flavor from the variety of peppers! (NOTE: You will be surprised that the “heat” is not too much but adds a great flavor to the fajitas). For the onion, I love the flavor of the white onions but a red onion can be a nice addition to your fajitas as well.

Foil packet fajitas- peppers and onion

I always cut my peppers and onion ahead of time and set them aside while my chicken marinates. Then when I am ready to make the foil packets, they are all sliced and ready to be wrapped up.

FAJITA ASSEMBLY

This recipe will make about 5 foil packets. Each foil packet will make 2-3 fajitas, which are the perfect portions for my family. The amount of foil packets you end up with and servings per packet can vary depending on how much fajita filling you put in each one!

My family loves that they each get their own foil packet dinner. You could easily have a few people share one if you know you have someone that will not eat very much. You can also put less fajita filling in a foil packet and mark it with a marker so you know which one has less. Fajita Foil Packets are easy to customize to taste. Some may not like the peppers and onions and only want chicken, or just chicken and onions. I personally like to add mushrooms to mine, so I mark my foil packet so nobody ends up with the dreaded mushrooms!

After the chicken is done marinating and the peppers and onions are cut, it is time to wrap them up. I always use Heavy Duty foil when I am grilling anything, I always double it up. So I have 2 sheets of foil for each packet. Cut the foil big enough so you can seal the edges tightly and roll them up.

I cut all of my foil, double it up, and lay them out on the counter. Then, I can quickly add the peppers, onions, and then the chicken. Seal up the packets, folding it over or bringing the sides up and rolling/folding them up tightly.

COOKING THE FAJITA FOIL PACKETS

There are 2 ways I make the foil packets. Many times I have cooked them all at once, and then if some people aren’t ready to eat, I throw them back out on the grill to reheat for a few minutes.

You can also have everything ready to assemble them as needed. Just keep the chicken in the fridge and peppers/onions on your counter for fast assembly when ready, then wrap them in foil and on to the grill to cook for about 10 minutes.

You can also make all of the foil packets and keep them in the fridge to throw on the grill as needed. I have never tried this method, I am sure it would work, and if you try it let me know! Just be careful not to let it sit too long in the foil. The marinade on the chicken can react with the aluminum foil and make the meat taste weird (it’s the same reason you never marinade meat in a metal bowl). But if you are going to have it sit in the foil all wrapped up for the short term (like 1-2 hours) you should be just fine!

When ready to grill, heat your grill to medium heat, and throw the foil packets on! They will take 10-15 minutes to be cooked perfectly. Mine are done in about 10 minutes. I can always tell mine are done by 3 things: the foil packets will start to fill up with steam and expand (don’t worry- I have never had one explode!), I can hear the juices from the chicken and veggies sizzling, and I can start to smell the delicious scent of Mexican Chicken and peppers and onions! Take a peek in one around the 10 minute mark. Make sure the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink, the veggies should be crisp-tender, and you will know they are done! You can always use a meat thermometer to check a thicker piece of chicken and make sure the internal temperature reads 165 degrees. If the chicken and peppers need a bit longer, wrap them back up and check them again in 5 minutes! BE CAREFUL OPENING THE FOIL PACKET-STEAM WILL ESCAPE AND IT IS HOT!

Fajita foil packets on grill

EATING

My favorite part is opening the foil packet and smelling the delicious scent of Mexican flavors! The marinated chicken, peppers and onions is a delicious smell that leaves my mouth watering!

You will need tortillas for eating these Chicken Fajita Foil Packets. I love flour tortillas with my fajitas (corn can work too) and I love my flour tortillas grilled. I throw my tortillas on the grill to get some grill marks on them and heat them so they are soft for eating. Then I quickly wrap them in foil to trap in the heat so they stay soft and warm.

Another idea for your tortillas, which I love just as much, is placing the tortillas in foil and placing them on the grill next to the foil packets to be heated. You can even go a step further and wrap up 2-3 tortillas per foil packet so each person has their own foil packet of tortillas with their own fajita foil packets. This works great if people are eating are different times! The tortillas do not need to be on the grill as long as the foil packets- they only need a few minutes to heat! (Yu can see below in the photo some foil wrapped tortillas and some tortillas placed straight on the grill for heating).

Foil wrapped tortillas and tortillas on the grill for foil packet fajitas

For eating the fajitas, I like to top ours with sour cream, fresh guacamole, shredded cheese and a squirt of fresh lime!

Chicken Fajita Foil Packets are easy to make, full of flavor and perfect for busy nights. Everyone will love them!

Foil packet fajitas- easy dinner perfectly portioned on the grill

Leave me a comment below and let me know if you liked my Chicken Fajita Foil Packets!

Here are some other links you may like:

For my Easy and Fresh Guacamole, click HERE.

For my Mexican Chicken Marinade, click HERE.

For my delicious and easy Homemade Flour Tortillas, click HERE.

For my Avocado Cream Sauce (that is a perfect addition to fajitas), click HERE.

Also try my Sheet Pan Chicken Fajitas for an easy one pan meal!

Foil packet fajitas dinner

Chicken Fajita Foil Packets

Chicken Fajita Foil Packets are easy to make, full of flavor and perfect for busy nights. Everyone will love them!
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Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Marinating Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 25 minutes
Servings: 5 foil packets

Equipment

  • heavy duty aluminum foil

Ingredients

Chicken and Chicken Marinade

  • 1 1/2 lbs. chicken, cut into strips or bite sized pieces
  • Mexican Chicken Marinade see notes below for link to my marinade or above in blog post for link

Fajita Toppings/Filling

  • 1 red pepper, cut into strips
  • 1 green pepper, cut into strips
  • 1 white onion, cut into strips (red onion works great too)
  • sour cream
  • fresh guacamole see notes below for link to my guacamole or above in blog post for link
  • shredded cheese
  • flour tortillas *not included in nutritional calculations
  • Other options for veggies are: thinly sliced jalapeno peppers, Green Hatch Chile peppers, poblano peppers or mushrooms.
  • limes (optional) (for a fresh squeeze on your fajita when eating)

Instructions

  • Place your chicken and Mexican Chicken Marinade in a zip top bag and let the chicken marinate in your fridge for up to 2 hours.
  • Slice your peppers, and onions and set aside. Prepare your fresh guacamole (optional).
  • Take your Heavy Duty Foil and cut 10 pieces of foil. The foil needs to be a bit larger than a pile of peppers and chicken. I double up on the foil, so each packet gets 2 pieces of foil.
    (5 packets, 2 pieces of foil each =10 pieces of foil for wrapping).
  • Place foil packets (double layered) on counter. In the center of each piece of foil, place some onions, peppers, and any other veggies you are adding. Then take some marinated chicken and place on top of the peppers and onions, on each piece of foil. Make sure you divide the chicken, peppers and onions evenly according to how many foil packets you are making. Fold up the sides and seal the foil packets tightly around all of the edges. You should have 5 foil packets (unless you made more intentionally). Each foil packet should be enough for 2-3 fajitas, depending on how full your stuff each tortilla.
  • Heat your grill on medium heat. Place the foil packets on the grill. They should only need 10-15 minutes to cook. Open one packet and check the inside at the 10 minute mark to see if it is done. Make sure the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink, and the veggies should be crisp-tender. You can always use a meat thermometer to check a thicker piece of chicken and make sure the internal temperature reads 165 degrees. BE CAREFUL OPENING THE FOIL PACKET-STEAM WILL ESCAPE AND IT IS HOT!
  • Warm your tortillas while the foil packets are cooking.
    Wrap the tortillas in foil and place on the grill along with the foil packet fajitas. Let them heat for several minutes until soft and warm.
    Or, you can take the tortillas and place them straight on the grill to heat them. Heat them over medium heat for about 1 minute per side, just until they get grill marks on each side. Then quickly wrap them in foil to keep them warm and soft until its time to eat!
    If people are eating at different times, you can wrap 2-3 tortillas in foil packets so each person has their own foil packet of tortillas along with their own foil packet fajitas. Just place the foil packet of tortillas on the grill for the last few minutes (they heat fast).
  • Once the foil packets are cooked and tortillas warmed, open the foil packets and fill your tortilla with the chicken, peppers and onions. Add some shredded cheese, guacamole, sour cream, fresh squeezed lime and other toppings of your choice! ENJOY!

Notes

I love my Mexican Chicken Marinade for these fajitas.  Click HERE for the recipe!
These fajitas are delicious with my fresh and Easy Guacamole.  Click HERE for the recipe!
You can also try my Fresh and Easy Avocado Cream Sauce (it is delicious).  Click HERE for the recipe.

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should only be used as an approximation.

Serving: 1Foil packet | Calories: 559kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 44g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 150mg | Sodium: 1353mg | Potassium: 988mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 1537IU | Vitamin C: 58mg | Calcium: 295mg | Iron: 1mg

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