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30 Best Grilled Chicken Recipes

There are just about as many ways to use grilled chicken as you can think of. When you’re not sure of what kind of grilled chicken dish to make, we’ve got some great suggestions. Why not try one of these grilled chicken recipes tonight?

Grilled Chicken Recipes

If you have some chicken parts in your freezer, try out some of our grilled chicken breast recipes as well. You never know, your new favorite recipe for grilled chicken might be on this very list.

Work your way through it, and you may come up with several favorites. We hope you enjoy all these ways to cook grilled chicken.

1. Grilled Chicken Breasts

This recipe for Grilled Chicken Breasts is all about the perfect balance of the right marinade and spice blend, and the proper preparation of your boneless chicken breasts.

Pound out your boneless, skinless chicken breasts to ensure that all pieces are of relative size for even cooking times.

Then prepare your marinade.

The secret ingredient in this recipe is lemon zest. This gives the marinade some acid balance and a lot of lemon flavor without making your chicken breasts too rubbery or dry.           

Tip: Clean and oil your grill, and make sure it’s nice and hot, and you can grill those chicken breasts in just a few minutes per side.

2. Grilled Chicken Sandwich

Sandwiches are a tasty and fun summer lunch choice for BBQs and beach days. This recipe for Grilled Chicken Sandwiches is easy to prepare in advance.

Simply marinate the pounded chicken breasts and prepare your grill.

These chicken breasts grill up in just a few minutes on each side and are easy to serve with all the fixings on your choice of bread.

These sandwiches pair well with chips, salad and all the picnic favorites. Try some grilled corn on the cob for another tasty side. 

3. Grilled Chicken Salad

Grilled Chicken Salads are in our top ten grilled chicken recipes for a reason.

There’s nothing quite as fresh and tasty as a summer salad, and the addition of some grilled chicken as an added protein put it over the top.

The secret ingredient in this recipe is the delicious marinade that also serves as the dressing for the salad.

It’s the perfect combination of lemon juice, Dijon mustard and herbs.

The result is like a deconstructed BLT. Of course, you can substitute other salad ingredients for what you may have on hand, but this mixture of greens, tomato, bacon and avocado lends itself perfectly to the tasty grilled chicken.

4. Grilled Chicken Wings

This recipe for Grilled Chicken Wings might be our favorite BBQ chicken recipe.

Why wings? Because they’re finger foods that cook up quickly and can be paired with all manner of sauces for grilling or dipping.

This recipe is perfect for game day, a summer cookout or anytime you feel like firing up the grill. The spice rub gives them a delightful flavor, and paired with the dipping sauce,

you’re sure to have a winner.

The secret ingredient in this recipe is horseradish. Increase or decrease according to preference but don’t omit it, it really gives the sauce a kick.

5. Chicken Marinade

The basis for the best-grilled chicken recipes is a good marinade. Too much acid, either vinegar or citrus juice, and your chicken can be rubbery and chewy.

Not enough, and you don’t get the juicy taste you want.

That’s why this recipe for Chicken Marinade is the perfect balance of all those elements.

Done right, your marinade should give a crisp and bright flavor with the subtlety of the herbs and the umami taste of the Worcestershire and soy sauce.

We recommend that you use a low sodium soy blend, or reduce the amount of salt added to avoid over-salting.

6. Easy Grilled Chicken Burgers

These Easy Grilled Chicken Burgers are the perfect meal for a summer cookout or game day.

This is one of the more healthy grilled chicken recipes

Start with boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Coat in olive oil and then season before grilling.

Boneless breasts should cook to temp in just about 4 minutes per side. Use a probe thermometer to verify the temperature.           

Serve with burger toppings such as lettuce, tomato, onion and guacamole on your choice of bread, or serve as a wrap for a lower carb option.           

Tip: For best results make sure your grill is very hot, cleaned and oiled before grilling.

7. Grilled Chicken Thighs

Many chicken recipes for the grill begin with boneless and skinless chicken breast meat, but we’ve got a Grilled Chicken Thighs recipe that may just change your mind.           

As always, the secret to great grilled chicken is the marinade. With boneless, skinless thighs, you want to marinate for at least 30 minutes, but making these ahead and leaving them in the fridge overnight makes entertaining easier.

Simply prepare your grill by cleaning and oiling it so the chicken won’t stick, and grill these thighs to temperature in about ten minutes.

Serve with your favorite BBQ sides for a memorable meal.

8. Grilled Chicken Wraps

Grilled Chicken Wraps are a lower-carb alternative to sandwiches and are a good grilled chicken recipe for light summer lunches. They’re simple to make and easy to put together.

This grilled chicken can be made on a grill pan or outside on the BBQ, even at the beach! Simply slice your boneless chicken into cutlets; season, and grill on a clean and oiled grill.

Let your chicken rest for a few minutes then slice and assemble your wraps.           

The secret ingredient in this recipe is smoked paprika. This spice, combined with garlic and your favorite ranch or other dressing gives the chicken a delightful smoky flavor.   

        

9. Grilled Chicken Tenders

These Grilled Chicken Tenders are going to be your family’s favorite chicken on the grill recipe.

You can’t go wrong serving chicken tenders to the kids, after all, isn’t that what they order most when you go out to eat?

The best thing about this recipe is how quick and easy it is to prepare. Since you’re starting with small pieces, they don’t need to marinate very long, and you can quickly get to the fun part, grilling!

Whether you use an indoor grill or the real thing outdoors, you can be sure that this recipe will soon be on repeat on your summer grilling menu.

10. Grilled Chicken Tikka

There’s nothing like meat on a stick to get your appetite going. This Grilled Chicken Tikka is no exception.

Start with boneless, skinless chicken cut into cubes. Mix up an amazing marinade with yoghurt, ginger, turmeric and spices.

This is a great recipe to make ahead of time, as you can marinate the chicken overnight, leaving only the grilling to be done.

Thread your marinated chicken onto skewers and grill up to perfection.

This is a perfect dish to serve at any get-together, summer cookout or any time you want something quick and easy to feed a hungry bunch.

11. Marinated Grilled Teriyaki Chicken

As with most of our grilled chicken dinner ideas, this Marinated Grilled Teriyaki Chicken starts with a fabulous marinade.

This sweet and savory Asian-inspired recipe uses either thighs or breasts, and you’ll need to adjust your cook time accordingly.

Tip: Reserve some of your marinades to brush the chicken pieces just before serving according to the recipe directions.           

Tip: Make sure your grill is clean and oiled so that the chicken won’t stick to the grill.

Pair with rice and some steamed vegetables for a delightful meal that is sure to be a winner.

12. The Best Grilled Chicken for Tacos and Burritos

Here’s a grilled chicken recipe for all of you meal prep fans. This is the Best Grilled Chicken for Tacos and Burritos, and can also be a great addition to rice, salads or wraps.

The combination of garlic, taco seasoning and a spritz of lime juice is the perfect addition to your Mexican lunch or dinner.

Use boneless and skinless chicken breasts or thighs, seasoned and grilled to temp on your BBQ or indoor grill.

Slice or cube your chicken, and mix with your burrito or taco ingredients to produce an easy and tasty filling that works well with just about everything.

13. Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad

This take on the traditional Caesar salad will have you wanting to try it again. The Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad has you grilling not only the chicken but the lettuce as well!

Yes, we’re sure, and it’s going to change the way you think about lettuce forever.

Try it with halved romaine hearts, a bit of oil and salt and pepper. Just a few minutes on the grill and you’ve got grilled lettuce!

This recipe will also have you grilling the bread for the croutons in addition to the obvious grilled chicken.

The rosemary and lemon marinade gives this grilled salad a fresh and bright flavor.

14. Southwest Style Grilled Chicken Fajitas

There’s nothing like a platter of sizzling Fajitas delivered to your table at your favorite Mexican restaurant.

We’ve got a recipe for Southwest-style Grilled Chicken Fajitas that may cause you to never order out again. Why would you when you can make it better at home?           

The secret to this recipe is the amazing fajita spice blend for the chicken and the addition of fresh and colorful peppers and sweet onion.           

The preparation is surprisingly easy and the result? Well, try it and see.

We would wager that you’re going to want to serve this delightful grilled chicken dish often.

15. Grilled Jerk Chicken

This Jamaican-inspired Grilled Jerk Chicken is easy to make and the result is amazing. The marinade is everything in this recipe.

Throw all of your sauce ingredients into the food processor and puree them together. It’s as simple as that!

Make this recipe ahead and marinate your chicken pieces overnight in the fridge to save time and work, and get just the right amount of flavor.

Prepare your grill by cleaning and oiling it so the chicken won’t stick, and grill your chicken until crisp on the outside, then move it away from the main heat and cook to temp (use a probe thermometer to verify the temp). Enjoy!

16. Spice-rubbed Grilled Chicken

We’ve got a lot of different marinades on our recipe list, but here’s a Spice- rubbed Grilled Chicken that can rival them all with great flavor.

We think this is the best dry rub for grilling your chicken pieces.

This spice rub gives your chicken a delightful herb and garlic taste. The heat and smoke of the grill bring out the depth of flavor.

The addition of a vinegar and honey glaze brushed over the chicken at the end of the cooking process gives the final product a delightful acid balance between the vinegar and sweetness from the honey.

17. Lemon Grilled Chicken

Marinate your chicken breasts about an hour in advance using lemon juice, oregano, salt, pepper and thyme.

Grill your chicken to temp on your indoor grill, or outside on the BBQ.

Tip: Start with a clean, oiled and very hot grill. This allows the chicken to cook quickly to a healthy temperature.

It should take about ten minutes, to turn the pieces halfway through the cooking process.

Tip: Brush the chicken with the remaining marinade as you cook it to add layers of flavor to the finished product.           

Serve with steamed vegetables, salad or mashed potatoes for a delightful grilled chicken meal.

18. Longhorn Garlic Parmesan Crusted Chicken

This recipe is a copycat from the Longhorn Steakhouse recipe for Garlic Parmesan Crusted Chicken.

Trust us when we say it’s as delicious as it sounds.

The combination of ranch spread and parmesan cheese coating the chicken pieces grills up to a lovely crust and the chicken inside is moist and tasty.

This is a great recipe to pull out for a fancy dinner with the family or anytime you want something extra special.

You can substitute Italian salad dressing for the marinade if you want to eliminate a couple of steps. It’s a perfect shortcut and tastes great.

19. Mexican Grilled Chicken

Chilli powders and fruit juices are the base for the marinade that makes this Mexican Grilled Chicken an authentic and delicious meal for any occasion.

This chicken is great as a stand-alone BBQ meal or chopped up in tacos, burritos or as an added protein boost on top of a salad or in a wrap. This recipe is great for a variety of uses.

The secret ingredient in your recipe is the chilli powder. You can substitute your favorite chiles or add some cayenne pepper for more heat.

The fresh pineapple and lime juice give the marinade a bright and fresh taste and infuse the chicken with amazing flavor.

20. Hawaiian Grilled Chicken

Want to throw a theme party? A luau with this Hawaiian chicken recipe comes to mind.

Pair your grilled chicken with some fresh pineapple and coconut rice for an authentic Hawaiian meal that we’re certain is going to be a summer favorite.

Start with chicken thighs and an overnight marinade for this Hawaiian Grilled Chicken dish.

This is the perfect recipe for a summer BBQ. Make it ahead and leave yourself more time for entertaining.           

The secret ingredient to this recipe is the coconut milk which infuses the marinade and makes this chicken cook up tender and juicy with a ton of flavor.

21. Honey Grilled Chicken

These are not just grilled chicken breasts, no. They are Honey Grilled Chicken breasts, and that distinction makes all the difference.

You not only brush these chicken pieces with garlic and lemon-infused melted butter with honey, but you baste them with it as they grill.

The result is a fragrant garlicky citrus flavor with just that hint of sweetness from the honey.

Tip: Prepare your melted butter mixture just before grilling, and use a hot grill that is clean and oiled so that the chicken pieces do not stick.

22. Lime Marinated Grilled Chicken

If you haven’t guessed by now, citrus juice is one of the key ingredients in a chicken marinade when preparing grilled chicken recipes.

This Lime Marinated Grilled Chicken is no exception.

The use of citrus juice, lime, in this case, gives the chicken a bit of acidic flavor with a hint of tart and fruity goodness that, when paired with garlic, herbs and soy sauce for saltiness, is the perfect complement to the chicken.

This marinade is perfect to make in advance so the chicken has 12-24 hours to absorb the flavors. Simply toss it on the grill when you are ready.

This one is a winner!

23. Grilled BBQ Chicken

This recipe for Grilled BBQ Chicken is a departure from the quick grilling of boneless, skinless, pounded-out chicken pieces.

Instead, this recipe recommends that you cook your BBQ chicken low and slow, letting the meat absorb the flavors of the smoke and BBQ sauce.

This recipe uses bone-in, skin-on chicken. A reminder that the smaller pieces such as wings and drumsticks will be finished cooking before the larger pieces.

It’s recommended that you use a probe thermometer to check the temperature of all the chicken pieces.

You can substitute your favorite store-bought BBQ sauce for homemade. It’s all up to you!

24. Mexican Chicken Marinade

The secret to the best grilled chicken recipes is the marinade and this one starts with olive oil, spices and citrus juice.

Boneless chicken thighs are the chicken pieces of choice for this Mexican Chicken Marinade. They grill up to perfection in just a few minutes per side.

Use your food processor to whip up this marinade and let the chicken pieces marinate for up to 24 hours before grilling.

What’s great about this recipe besides the incredible flavor? It’s easy to double the recipe for a family get-together, game day or summer BBQ

25. Grilled Chicken Drumsticks

Easy Grilled Chicken Drumsticks. The title says it all. Simply mix up a spice rub, put it on your drumsticks and grill to perfection.

It can’t get much easier than this to serve up a tasty grilled chicken recipe at your next summer cookout.           

Make sure your grill is nice and hot, cleaned and oiled. For drumsticks, you want to turn them often and keep the lid closed in between for even cooking.

Use a probe thermometer to cook them to the perfect done temp. Avoid overcooking as your drumsticks will dry out.

26. Juicy Grilled Chicken Breasts

Olive oil, garlic and soy are the three key ingredients to your marinade for these Juicy Grilled Chicken Breasts.

The boneless, skinless chicken breasts are not soaked in the marinade, they are brushed with it on both sides before grilling.

This is a simple and quick way to serve up tasty grilled chicken breasts any day of the week. Tip: This recipe can be scaled up for bigger crowds or cookouts.

You can’t miss this delicious and simple grilled chicken recipe. We predict that this recipe will become your go-to for summer grilling.      

27. Middle Eastern Grilled Chicken

This recipe for Middle Eastern Grilled Chicken brings some unusual spice blends and ingredients into play that we were not used to employing while grilling chicken.

The good news is, they are an incredible combination that flavors and tenderizes the chicken as it marinates and grills the chicken pieces on hot grill seals in those flavors and results in a tender and moist boneless chicken breast that your family is going to love.

Trust us when we say it’s worth it to try something new. You can substitute chicken thighs for the chicken breast pieces or cook a combination of both.

28. Grilled Chicken Wings with Buffalo Sauce

This recipe for Grilled Chicken Wings with Buffalo Sauce is a twist on the traditional deep-fried wings.

Grilling the chicken is a healthier option and you still get that great Buffalo sauce that you know and love.           

Prepare your wings by seasoning them with salt and pepper. Grill the wings while you prepare your Buffalo sauce. The wings should be golden when done and at a done temp of 165F

Tip: Adjust the spice content by using a hotter or milder chilli sauce in your Buffalo sauce mix.

29. Tuscan Grilled Chicken Pasta

Pasta, grilled chicken, sun-dried tomatoes and a creamy delicious sauce are the main ingredients for Tuscan Grilled Chicken Pasta.

Prepare your boneless chicken breasts by slicing them into cutlets, then brush with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, then grill on a clean, oiled hot grill until done.

Boil your pasta while the chicken is grilling.

Set the chicken aside while you prepare the sauce. Marry them all together in one pot and heat through until the chicken is reheated.

Serve with a side salad and some garlic bread.

30. Grilled Chicken Over Spinach

Of course, this Grilled Chicken Over Spinach recipe starts with an amazing marinade. Whisk it all together then spoon over the chicken as you grill it.

Saute your onions and mushrooms then add your spinach and saute until wilted. You can substitute frozen spinach for fresh, but be sure to squeeze out all the liquid from the defrosted spinach for best results.

Once your chicken is grilled, slice your boneless chicken pieces and serve on the bed of spinach. This makes a beautiful presentation and is a healthy and keto-friendly dish.

Grilled Chicken Recipes

30 Best Grilled Chicken Recipes

Yield: 10
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 c cider vinegar
  • 1/2 c canola oil
  • 5 tsps Worcestershire sauce
  • 4 tsps hot pepper sauce
  • 2 tsps salt
  • 10 bone-in chicken breast halves (10 oz each)

Instructions

  1. Mix up your marinade. Divide into two bowls.
  2. In the first bowl, place your chicken pieces, turn to coat them, then cover and place in the refrigerator for up to 4 hours.
  3. The rest of the marinade is refrigerated and kept for basting the meat as you cook it.
  4. Drain the marinated chicken and place it on a clean, oiled hot grill, using a drip pan underneath.
  5. Grill for about 20 minutes on each side until internal temp reaches 170F. Baste the chicken pieces as they cook with the reserved marinade both before and after turning for best results.

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