Chicken Packets

This is an easy recipe that allows you to cook more than one thing at a time with very little effort. I'd call that a win.

Preliminary work:
If I were you, I'd check to make sure you actually have the ingredients you're planning on using. There's nothing like being halfway through cooking something and discovering that you're missing the key ingredient. I always get exactly everything I'll need set out and measured before I start any cooking. It may seem silly, but it's efficient, it saves time, and it prevents catastrophic failure, which is something I know at least a few of you need all the help you can get with.

In this case, you'll want about one cup of side item per chicken breast. Anything more will take too long to cook. One packet should be enough per person.

Cooking utensils needed: Tablespoon, sharp knife, baking pan or dish (a cheap foil one will do nicely.

Note: All these recipes require an oven temp of 350F. Remember to preheat.

Cook time: 15 minutes prep, 45 to cook. This is not a meal for the desperately hungry.

Mediterranean Chicken Packets
This is something I pulled out of one of my favorite cookbooks. The great thing is that it's easily customizeable, so if you've got a random assortment of stuff lying around, chances are you can make it work. And since it all cooks at once, this is pretty easy for how tasty it is.

Base recipe:
Take a thawed chicken breast and cut three slashes into it. Insert slices of cheese into each wedge. (If you're lazy, just top them with cheese, but be warned that it will slide off and form a sort of half-assed cheese sauce.) Take a piece of aluminum foil that is large enough to cover the chicken breast+ stuff you want to add into it completely. Place the chicken breast on the shiney side of the foil. Top the chicken with some basil, oregano, and pepper.

Here's where it gets fun. Basically anything can go in that chicken packet as long as it hasn't been pre-cooked. Remember to place the chicken on top of the other ingredients to really let it take on the flavor!

1) Pineapple rings with 2 tablespoons juice. Keep in mind this is going to end with a very sweet citrus flavor. Leave out the olive oil on this one, but keep the cheese and other seasonings.

2) Bell peppers. Place the chicken on top of a bed of bell pepper slices and do as stated above. This will give your chicken a little more kick, and I'd leave off the black pepper.

3) Zucchini and tomato, in a little olive oil. A lot of people like baked zucchini and tomato. I'm not one of them. Top the veggies with the basil and oregano and save the pepper for the chicken.

4) Green beans. Don't add any oil, or they will turn out greasy and nasty. After it's all done baking, you'll probably want to salt them. Add 2-3 TBSP water to help them steam and keep the chicken moist.

5) New potatoes. Cut them into 1-1/2 inch cubes so they cook quickly. I like mine with olive oil and a little rosemary, so leave out the basil and oregano and just double up on this spice. If you have any thyme lying around, toss that in too.

Yes, I realize most of those are veggies. GET OVER IT.

Next, you want to seal the packets so the contents don't leak. Fold up the sides to make a container, and then roll the top shut to seal it. The goal is to get a good inch of foil on all sides to keep everything in and keep all the seams above liquid level. It's like a little boat. A boat that contains YUMMY.

Place these packets in a baking dish or on a baking sheet and put them in the oven for about 45 minutes. I hope you remembered to put the shiney side of the foil in, because if not it will take longer to cook-- the foil will reflect the heat!