Foil Baked Santa Fe Chicken is a great hands off dinner option for those who want a simple yet incredibly tasty meal. The chicken breast comes out incredibly tender and the veggies are perfectly cooked, all topped with gooey cheese.
Chicken breasts tend to be a little too thick for my preference when I bake them. You have a few options for this recipe. The first is to tenderize the chicken, the second is to trim the fattest part of the chicken so it lays a little thinner, or you can just bake the full breast as is, but the baking time may be increased around 10 minutes.
Marinate the chicken for an hour with the salt, chili powder, garlic, cilantro, and cumin, olive oil, and lemon juice.
If you can find a New Mexican or Santa Fe chili powder, that would be perfect. But Mexican chili powder works just as well.
Chop the onion and bell pepper in long thin strips. I used a red onion and a yellow bell pepper because I find that they are sweet and even still a little crunchy.
Cut the cherry tomatoes lengthwise and add the corn and beans.
Mix the veggies together and season lightly with salt and pepper.
Place the chicken on a square of aluminum foil and layer half the veggies on each breast. Then top with picante or chunky salsa.
I recommend using a picante because it’s less liquidy. Use your favorite chunky salsa as an alternative.
To wrap the chicken properly, bring together two sides of the foil and fold over twice like above. Then roll the sides up and place on a baking tray to catch any potential leakage.
Bake for 25 minutes (or around 35 if you’re using a full thickness chicken breast). Once it’s baked, open the packets and sprinkle cheese on. Bake with the foil open for another couple of minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
Top with slices of jalapeno and fresh cilantro and enjoy!
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Foil Baked Santa Fe Chicken
Equipment
- Aluminum Foil
Ingredients
Chicken Marinade
- 2 Chicken Breasts lightly tenderized or thinned, refer to notes above
- 1 Clove Garlic, minced or grated
- 4-5 Sprigs Cilantro, finely chopped
- ½ tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 tsp Chili Powder Mexican or New Mexican
- ¼ tsp Cumin
- 1 tsp Olive Oil
- 1 tsp Lemon Juice
Mixed Veggies
- ½ Large Yellow Bell Pepper, sliced
- ½ Red Onion
- ½ Cup Cherry Tomatoes, halved lengthwise
- ½ Cup Fresh or Frozen Thawed Yellow Corn
- ½ Cup Black Beans
- ¼ Cup Chunky Salsa or Picante Sauce
- ½ Cup Shredded Mexican Cheese
Instructions
Chicken Marinade
- Depending on the thickness of your chicken breast, you may want to flatten the fattest bit or even slice some of the thickness off. You want the thickest part of the chicken to be level with the center mass of the chicken. If you don't want to make these adjustments, your baking time may increase up to 10 minutes.
- Season the chicken with the salt, chili powder, cumin, oil, cilantro, and garlic, and lemon juice.
- Cover and let sit in the fridge for an hour.
Assembly
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- In a bowl, mix together the bell pepper, onion, corn, tomatoes, and beans. Salt and pepper lightly.
- Cut two 10 by 10 squares of aluminum foil. Spray lightly with cooking spray.
- Place a chicken breast on each square. On top of a baking sheet (you will need this to catch any liquid that may leak)
- Spoon half of the vegetable mixture over the each chicken breast.
- Scoop ⅛ cup of chunky salsa or picante on each of the chicken pieces.
- Bring two sides of the foil together and fold over twice, refer to photos.
- Seal the foil fully and bake for 25 minutes (may need 35 depending on how thick your chicken is)
- After the chicken is cooked, open the packets and sprinkle on the cheese and bake for another five minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
- Serve and enjoy hot!