Foil Packets

Chinese-Style Foil-Wrapped Chicken (the campfire version of a pupu-platter classic)

Foil Packetseasy1 packet per person (or share as a starter) servings· Prep 10 min + marinate (1 hr to overnight)· Cook 15–20 min

This is the granddad of every other packet on this site. Paper-wrapped chicken — the little foil envelopes off the old pupu platter, back when a flaming hibachi came to the table — has all but vanished from menus. The restaurant version was deep-fried; this is the camp version, same marinade and same wrap, cooked on the coals. You trade the crispy edges for woodsmoke, which is a fair deal at a campsite. Marinate it at home the night before and it's one of the best make-ahead camp dinners there is. Build one packet per person.

Ingredients

Heavy-duty foil (2 sheets per packet)
Boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2-bite pieces (about 1 thigh per packet — thighs stay juicy, breast dries out)
Soy sauce
Oyster sauce
Sesame oil
A little sugar or honey
Chinese five-spice
Fresh ginger, grated
Garlic, minced
Scallions, sliced
A splash of dry sherry or Shaoxing wine (optional)

Steps

Heavy-duty foil (2 sheets per packet)
Boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2-bite pieces (about 1 thigh per packet — thighs stay juicy, breast dries out)
Soy sauce
Oyster sauce
Sesame oil
A little sugar or honey
Chinese five-spice
Fresh ginger, grated
Garlic, minced
Scallions, sliced
A splash of dry sherry or Shaoxing wine (optional)
Marinate ahead, at home: whisk together the soy and oyster sauce, sesame oil, sugar, five-spice, ginger, garlic, scallions, and the splash of sherry. Toss the chicken in it and let it sit — an hour minimum, overnight is better. This is the perfect thing to do the night before and keep cold in the cooler.
At camp, spoon a few pieces of chicken and a little marinade onto doubled heavy-duty foil per packet — small envelopes, don't overfill.
Assemble and seal — full foil-packet method covers the dome-of-air seal, coals not flames, and the flip.
Cook 15–20 min on coals at the edge, foil tail up as a handle, flipping once halfway. Count them going in.
Pull out by the foil tail with campfire tongs. When the packet's puffed, cut-and-peek — raw chicken went in, so no pink. Re-seal and give it more if needed.
Open it carefully and lean in — that first hit of five-spice and sesame steam is the whole reason you made it.

Tips & variations

$## The original (and what we traded) This is paper-wrapped chicken — the foil envelopes off the old pupu platter, from the era when a flaming hibachi came to the table. The restaurant version was deep-fried, so the marinade caramelized and the edges crisped. On the coals you lose the fry and gain woodsmoke — a fair trade at a campsite, and a dish you genuinely can't order anymore.

Make it yours

Thighs over breast — they stay juicy through the steam where breast goes dry. No oyster sauce on hand? More soy and a touch of hoisin. Honey instead of sugar. A pinch of white pepper is the secret-weapon move. And marinate overnight if you can — it's a make-ahead dream: done at home, cold in the cooler, on the coals in two minutes at camp.

New to packets? How to cook foil packet meals covers the seal and the coals. Campfire tongs for the lift-out.$df$,

Common questions

Why not deep-fry it at camp like the real one?

You can, in a deep skillet of hot oil if you're set up for it — that's closer to the original. But the foil-on-coals version is the campsite-friendly one: no oil to haul, no mess, nothing to dispose of. Different texture, same soul.

Breast or thigh?

Thigh. The steam in a packet is forgiving of thigh and punishing to breast — breast turns dry and stringy. If breast is all you have, slice it thin and don't overcook.

Can I marinate ahead?

You should. Overnight is best, and it's the ideal make-ahead camp dish — marinate at home, keep it cold, and the packets come together in two minutes at the fire.

Dragonfly Supply is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission — at no extra cost to you.