45 Creative Grilled Chicken Recipes That’ll Shake Up Your Summer Dinners
Love a weeknight chicken dinner? Us too, so this summer, we're taking them to the grill.
Perfect for an stress-free weeknight dinner, there's just so much that you can do with endlessly-versatile chicken. Coupled with our summertime desire to be cooking outside as much as possible while it’s nice out, it was a no-brainer to figure out ALL the best ways to grill our favorite lean protein. Check out our list of 44 grilled chicken recipes for ideas—with a few easy marinades, fruit, and spices, you'll happily be eating grilled chicken all summer long too.
Let’s start with our top tips for how best to grill chicken. We bet you’ve got a favorite cut of chicken, like thighs, breasts, or wings, and luckily, you can put them all on the grill. Simple marinades made of ingredients like balsamic vinegar, pineapple, or soy sauce make chicken extra flavorful, and only really need 20 minutes or so to soak in (though overnight is best!). If you do marinate overnight, bring your chicken to room temperature before grilling to avoid the cold meat seizing and becoming tough. Make sure your grill is super hot too, and once your chicken is on there, resist the urge to flip it around a bunch—once midway through should be enough.
While tasty, the simple act of cooking chicken on your grill doesn't necessarily make a full meal, so we’ve also included all our favorite ways to serve them, from summer salads to pizzas to tacos. Check out our grilled chicken Cajun pasta salad, our elote (Mexican street corn) tacos, or our chicken avocado Caprese salad for ideas. Not looking for a full sit-down meal? Try one of our skewered chicken recipes, like our cilantro-lime chicken skewers, our hoisin chicken kebabs, or our chicken satay. They make a great healthy summer appetizer or side, or can be easily turned into something more substantial if served over rice or in a pita.
On the other hand, there is one way to cook chicken on your grill that guarantees a complete meal—foil packs! Toss together our Santa Fe chicken foil packs, our honey mustard chicken & vegetables foil packs, our Tex-Mex chicken fajita foil packs, and more to see just how versatile they can be. Swap in and out the marinades and veggies, and you'll have enough chicken dinners to last you all season long.
Want even more summertime inspiration? Check out our top 100 grilling recipes, our best summer BBQ salads, and our favorite summer side dishes too.
Harissa Grilled Chicken
In the world of powerhouse pantry staples, harissa is a flavor bomb. We’re no strangers to its magic here at Delish—we've already stirred it into clams and aioli, and used it to spice up turkey breast and meatballs—and now we’re tapping it again for this easy, throw-together marinade for grilled chicken.
Get the Harissa Grilled Chicken recipe.
Cilantro-Lime Chicken Skewers
Get your grill out: This is a chicken dish that goes with everything! Get the grilling technique down, then turn these cilantro-and-lime chicken skewers into a variety of meals, each with different flavor profiles so they never get boring. The only problem? These super-tender chicken bites won’t last long.
Get the Cilantro-Lime Chicken Skewers recipe.
Spicy Coconut Grilled Chicken
Get these spicy coconut chicken thighs on the grill ASAP; you won’t regret it. They're super-tender thanks to a tasty duo of coconut milk and tenderizing pineapple juice in the marinade. Hot tip: Boil the marinade down into a sauce to drizzle on top for extra flavor.
Get the Spicy Coconut Grilled Chicken recipe.
Butterflied Grilled Chicken Drumsticks
Served with a tangy creamy Alabama white sauce, these grilled drumsticks are the perfect blend of spicy, smokey, and sweet that will impress the guests at your next backyard BBQ.
Bruschetta Grilled Chicken
While we've got plenty of weeknight chicken dinners in our arsenal, this bruschetta grilled chicken is one of our favorite ways to celebrate fresh summer flavors all season long. It turns classic bruschetta into something worthy of a main course, thanks to a little char from the grill and lots of mozzarella cheese.
Get the Bruschetta Grilled Chicken recipe.
Caprese Chicken Foil Packs
This recipe combines three things we love—Caprese, chicken, and foil packets—for a SUPER-easy and bright chicken dinner that only takes about 30 minutes to make. Whether you're throwing a BBQ or having a chill family meal, everyone will love them!
Get the Caprese Chicken Foil Packs recipe.
Grilled Chicken Sandwich
Grilling the red onions and buns is totally optional but will take this chicken sandwich over the top. Serve it with some homemade French fries, and you have a restaurant worthy meal right at home.
Get the Grilled Chicken Sandwich recipe.
Best Grilled Chicken Breast
Grilled chicken breasts can be the epitome of boring—too often they're dried out or rubbery. But when soaked in a super-quick marinade with balsamic, brown sugar, and dried thyme, you're guaranteed deliciousness.
Get the Best Grilled Chicken Breast recipe.
BBQ Chicken Salad
Juicy grilled BBQ chicken sits alongside festive South-of-the-border-inspired toppings like black beans, corn, cheese, and tortilla strips. Put that on top of some crunchy romaine and drizzle it with BBQ sauce and ranch dressing, and you’ve got yourself a hearty meal you’ll look forward to eating again and again.
Get the BBQ Chicken Salad recipe.
Jamaican Jerk Chicken
Serve this Jamaican jerk chicken with traditional callaloo and rice & peas, or up the sweet factor with some coconut rice or sweet plantains.
Get the Jamaican Jerk Chicken recipe.
Grilled Chicken Salad
This grilled chicken salad—filled with cucumbers, tomatoes, and avocado—is the healthy summer dinner we make again and again.
Grilled Chicken Kebabs
Many cookouts are plagued by folks using breasts and not knowing how to grill them. Chicken thighs like we've used here, however, are a lot more forgiving due to their natural tenderness and flavor. They taste even better when slid on skewers alongside bok choy and scallions, then glazed with a hoisin BBQ sauce.
Get the Grilled Chicken Kebabs recipe.
Grilled Persian Chicken
This Persian-spiced grilled chicken with tomatoes and lemons, served with tons of fresh herbs over fluffy jasmine rice is our new favorite chicken dish. It's got flavor and textures for days.
Get the Grilled Persian Chicken recipe.
California Grilled Chicken
♫ California looove ...♫ Balsamic vinegar, garlic powder, honey, oil, and Italian seasoning come together here for a lovely marinade that goes perfectly with in-season tomatoes and creamy avocado.
Get the California Grilled Chicken recipe.
Elote (Mexican Street Corn) Tacos
Wondering what you’re going to make tonight? These grilled chicken tacos are the answer. They've got all the deliciousness of elote or esquites in taco form, and you don’t even have to fire up the grill. Oh, and did we mention you can get them on the table in 30 minutes?
Grilled Pineapple Chicken
Move over Hawaiian pizza! This tropical chicken has become our new favorite savory pineapple dish. The acidity from the pineapple marinade will help to tenderize the grilled chicken breast and the sugar works to caramelize the meat while grilling.
Get the Grilled Pineapple Chicken recipe.
Yakitori (Grilled Chicken Skewers)
Yakitori (Japanese for "grilled chicken") is one of the oldest and most popular traditional Japanese dishes. Though you'll often find it served from flat tops by street vendors, it's easy to make at home on your grill. alt (shio) or yakitori sauce (tare). You can add ginger and other ingredients, but we kept things minimal for authentic flavor.
Chicken Avocado Caprese Salad
To make this salad, we stuck with the simplicity of a Caprese, just adding grilled balsamic chicken, creamy avocado, and a little romaine for crunch. The result is a simple salad that is still refreshing and light, but also satisfying enough to be dinner all summer long.
Get the Chicken-Avocado Caprese Salad recipe.
Grilled Chicken Cajun Pasta Salad
Warning: If you make this Cajun-seasoned, spicy pasta salad at your next summer cookout, be prepared to have everyone asking for the recipe.
Grilled Chicken Street Tacos
Nothing beats a street taco—super-juicy, tender grilled meat in a quick grab-and-go format, typically made possible by doubling up two smaller corn tortillas. This makes them easier to eat on the side of the street, in the car, anywhere! They're no frills yet tend to be some of the most craveable tacos around.
Get the Grilled Chicken Street Tacos recipe.
