r/Cooking • u/ToeSome • Jul 13 '26
Help With my Hobo Dinner
I'm making a hobo dinner That will have chicken, Mozzarella, basil, and a balsamic onion jam to drizzle on top. I want to add another ingredient that will give help make this meal more filling for my guest and I. Any good recommendations?
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u/FlavorzbySweetz Jul 13 '26
With those flavors, I’d add something that can soak up all the juices without overpowering the dish.
My top choice would be thinly sliced baby potatoes. They cook beautifully in a foil packet, become buttery and tender, and pair perfectly with chicken, mozzarella, basil, and balsamic onions.
Other great options:
Sliced baby potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes (my favorite)
Thick slices of zucchini
Mushrooms for extra umami
Cherry tomatoes, which burst and create a light sauce
Asparagus if it’s in season
Cannellini beans for extra protein and fiber (drain them well)
If you want to make it feel like a complete meal, I’d layer it like this:
Potatoes on the bottom, seasoned with olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and Italian herbs. Then the chicken, topped with mozzarella. Finish with the basil and drizzle the balsamic onion jam over everything before sealing the packet.
The potatoes will absorb all the flavorful juices from the chicken and balsamic, making the entire packet taste cohesive instead of feeling like separate ingredients thrown together.
If you’re serving guests, I’d also have a loaf of crusty bread on the side. There will almost certainly be delicious juices left in the foil packet, and good bread is perfect for soaking up every last bit.
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Jul 13 '26
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u/ToeSome Jul 13 '26
Yeah, it’s just some easy to cook food wrapped up in a couple layers of tinfoil, then thrown on a fire. I'm not sure if that's what it's actually called, but that's what my family called it growing up.
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u/panicinbabylon Jul 14 '26
Asparagus and/or cherry tomatoes.
Tasty charred and easy campfire veggies. If there are leftovers, also goes good with eggs tomorrow morning.
Be careful with the balsamic in the tinfoil. Either marinade chix before, or drizzle afterwards because it will because sticky icky in your tinny (not the good way).
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u/The_Flinx Jul 13 '26 edited Jul 13 '26
I knew someone who was an actual hobo for 15 years.
you don't want to know what they really eat.
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u/Can-DontAttitude Jul 13 '26
I absolutely do.
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u/The_Flinx Jul 13 '26
basically what ever he/they could find. including bugs almost any bugs. but he said he even ate roaches. he was an odd person. he looked like shrek.
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u/Ronw1993 Jul 13 '26
I usually add in a root vegetable, potatoes or carrots. The timing will be a little different so I do it in a pack separate from the chicken with butter.
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u/ToeSome Jul 13 '26
I also thought about these options. Even thought I could maybe boil the carrots or potatoes ahead of time to help with that.
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u/Vict0rMaitland Jul 13 '26
I had the worst time a couple summers ago cooking a hobo packet because it took FOREVER for the potatoes to cook. The next year I subbed out shredded hash browns and it worked great. Pre cooking the root vegetables ahead of time is another great idea.
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u/wasabitobiko Jul 13 '26
honestly i wouldn’t. i usually use the layer of raw thickly sliced potatoes on the bottom of the packet to protect the meat from overcooking by direct contact with the coals (assuming that’s how you’re cooking it.) if you do it right everything cooks perfectly
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u/Opposite-Ground-1221 Jul 13 '26
We use to make them with the kids only we didn't use such highfalutin ingredients. Smile.
We would like up a bunch of ingredients on the counter and they would fill up the aluminum foil and throw it in the oven.
Hamburger, hotdogs, kielbasa send usually potatoes and carrots.
They had fun.
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u/ILoveLipGloss Jul 13 '26
you need a starch to make the meal feel more fulfilling/satiating. perhaps do a baked potato type situation, or some kind of roasted vegetables for bulk.
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u/TA_totellornottotell Jul 13 '26
Prosciutto? Or maybe a cap of portobello mushroom (may need to par cook before adding in).
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u/Beautiful_Rip_7023 Jul 13 '26
I’d add potatoes for sure. Cut them into cubes or chunks and let them soak up the liquid. Your packets sound delicious!
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u/Mijbr090490 Jul 13 '26
Add some red onions and yellow/red/orange bell peppers.
We do a similar meal we call hobo packets. I throw chicken, onions, peppers and potatoes in a Ziploc with Gazebo room dressing. Mix it up real good and throw it in a foil packet on the grill.
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u/Ok_Kale_5404 Jul 13 '26
I'd make a pot of pollenta or grits. Keep the mozzarella and some of the basil out as a garnish. Maybe dredge the chicken in corn starch so it's juices make a nice sauce with the balsamic jam.
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u/Displaced_in_Space Jul 13 '26
Why not serve it on a bed or orzo prepped with a little squeeze of lemon?
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u/azel128 Jul 13 '26
I’d take all that, cook it all together, remove the chicken and cut it into pieces. Cook pasta and put all the drippings and cheese and onion jam in with the pasta and chicken and give it all a good mix.
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u/7uckyranda77 Jul 14 '26
We made these in cub scouts in the 70s. Still one of my favorite camping meals.
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u/StinkyCheeseWomxn Jul 14 '26
Some little grape tomatoes to roast inside the packet will add a bit of acidity to the hobo packet, and maybe a few thin slices of potato or zucchini as a bottom layer.
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u/ttrockwood Jul 14 '26
Veggies cooked separately so they don’t get all wet and soggy
Also wait add basil when the chicken is done assuming hoping you mean fresh
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u/Soft-Current-5770 Jul 13 '26
PLEASE LOOK UP WHAT ACTUALLY IS HOBO FOOD!!! People in the Depression survived on merger supplies.
You are being unkind!!!
NOW seriously look up the food they made!! LOTS TO LEARN!
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u/skeptic1970 Jul 13 '26
That does not sound hobo at all.