Monday, August 11, 2008

Chicken en Papillote


This is a recipe that was inspired by one that I found in a Betty Crocker cookbook. The original recipe was for fish, but I've altered it for boneless, chicken breasts. The original recipe also calls for sliced red pepper. I have used fresh red pepper as well as jarred, roasted pepper in the past when I didn't have fresh on hand. Either is tasty and adds a lovely burst of color. However, last night when I prepared this dish, I didn't have any pepper of either variety on hand. So, I used yellow squash instead with wonderful results. I would imagine that you can use whatever vegetables that you prefer. This is a great way to prepare chicken -- it stays moist and the flavors are quite good. This is the recipe for how I prepared it this evening.

Chicken en Papillote

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
pepper
1 large carrot, grated
1 zucchini, sliced
1 yellow squash, sliced
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
½ teaspoon salt
dried onion flakes

Directions:
  1. Heat oven to 375. Cut two 12-inch squares of aluminum foil.
  2. Place a chicken breast on each piece of foil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  3. In a bowl, mix remaining ingredients. Spoon half of vegetable mixture on top of each piece of chicken. Fold up the sides of the foil and seal by turning and folding tightly 2 or 3 times. Twist each end several times to secure.
  4. Place packets on cookie sheet and bake for about 30 minutes or until veggies are crisp tender and chicken is cooked through. Be careful when opening the packets – there will be hot steam.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yummy. I think I'll try it tomorrow. :)

Janel said...

Let me know how it turns out and if you varied it at all! I've done it a couple of times in the past two weeks and I've enjoyed them both. I think the thyme is what really makes it taste good -- it's one of my new favorite spices.

My mom reminded me that when we were younger, she'd do chicken with spaghetti sauce, zucchini and cheese (parmesan?) on top in the packets. I guess we really loved that too.