Pineapple Chicken Rice Packets (Printable view)

Juicy chicken breasts, pineapple, vegetables, and rice cooked together in foil packets on the grill.

# What You Need:

→ Protein & Grains

01 - 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, approximately 6 ounces each
02 - 1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice, rinsed

→ Fruits & Vegetables

03 - 1.5 cups fresh pineapple chunks or canned pineapple, drained
04 - 1 red bell pepper, diced
05 - 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
06 - 1 cup sugar snap peas, trimmed
07 - 2 green onions, sliced for garnish

→ Sauce & Seasonings

08 - 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce or tamari for gluten-free
09 - 1/4 cup pineapple juice
10 - 2 tablespoons honey
11 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
12 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
13 - 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
14 - 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
15 - 1/2 teaspoon salt

→ Others

16 - Nonstick cooking spray or olive oil for foil coating

# How To Make:

01 - Preheat grill to medium-high heat at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
02 - In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, pineapple juice, honey, olive oil, minced garlic, grated ginger, black pepper, and salt until well combined.
03 - Lay out 4 sheets of heavy-duty aluminum foil, each measuring approximately 12 by 16 inches. Lightly coat the center of each sheet with nonstick cooking spray or olive oil.
04 - Evenly divide uncooked rice among the foil sheets, spreading it in a thin layer in the center of each packet.
05 - Place one chicken breast on top of the rice layer in each foil packet.
06 - Arrange pineapple chunks, diced bell pepper, sliced red onion, and sugar snap peas around and over the chicken in each packet.
07 - Drizzle each packet with an equal portion of the prepared marinade, distributing evenly over the contents.
08 - Fold the foil over the ingredients and crimp the edges tightly to seal each packet completely and prevent liquid from leaking.
09 - Place foil packets on the grill with seam side facing up. Grill for 25 to 30 minutes, turning packets once halfway through cooking, until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit and rice is tender.
10 - Carefully open packets, watching for escaping steam. Garnish with sliced green onions and serve immediately while hot.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • Everything cooks in one foil packet, so there's basically no cleanup beyond tossing the packets afterward.
  • The combination of sweet pineapple, savory soy, and aromatic ginger tastes like you spent hours on this when it actually takes barely 15 minutes to prep.
  • You can prep these packets in the morning and pop them on the grill whenever you're ready, which feels like a small miracle on busy days.
02 -
  • Rinse the rice before using it; unrinsed rice released too much starch in the foil packet and turned the whole thing into a gluey situation that taught me a valuable lesson about that extra 30 seconds of prep work.
  • Heavy-duty foil really does matter here because regular foil can puncture under the heat and let all your precious marinade escape, so don't try to save a few cents on this one.
03 -
  • Heavy-duty foil is non-negotiable because it won't tear under the intense direct heat, and a punctured packet means a lost sauce situation that's genuinely disappointing.
  • Opening the packets over the plate rather than above your face prevents the steam from leaving a temporary red mark on your forehead, which I learned the hard way and my family still teases me about.
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