These Grilled Chicken Recipes Might Utterly Revolutionize Your Cookouts (2024)

Chicken can often take a backseat to the other proteins you can grill up. And that’s understandable because let’s face it, sometimes grilled chicken can be bland and dry, which definitely doesn’t stand up to juicy brisket, ribs, kabobs, or even a fresh fish. But it’s all about how you prep and cook said chicken—and we’ve got some grilled chicken recipes below that will actually be standouts at your next barbecue.

Burn Barrel Chicken

“Grilled chicken is an excellent humble family meal, although the marinade in this recipe adds an incredible glaze worthy of a restaurant meal,” Matt Horn says in his cookbook,Horn Barbecue. “The brown sugar speeds up caramelization and deepens the flavor of the finished poultry.”

2 of 40Thomas J. Story

Burmese Chicken Wings

A simple garlic-ginger paste creates a flavorful crust on the wings as they grill, so don’t brush off the excess before cooking.

3 of 40Alana Kysar

Hawaiian-Style Grilled Chicken

With a dead-simple marinade, this chicken comes out tangy and sweet, with just the right hint of bitterness. The only trick is: turn it frequently, to keep the sugars from burning.

4 of 40Greg DuPree

Chicken with Green Olives, Capers, and Tomatoes

A briny, flavorful marinade tenderizes and moistens the chicken and also serves as a dressing for the olive-tomato topping. Serve with sliced grilled potatoes if you like.

5 of 40Thomas J. Story

Grilled Wings with Agrodolce

Don’t underestimate the power of a good wing, especially this sticky-sweet version. For a crowd, double or triple the recipe.

6 of 40Iain Bagwell

Grilled Chicken and Melon Salad with Crispy Shallots

A sweet-and-savorymain-dish saladthat’s totally worthy of dinner guests.

7 of 40Iain Bagwell

Grilled Chicken with Avocado Three Ways

Why settle for one use of avocados when you can pickle, purée, and grill them, all in one satisfying dish?

8 of 40Thomas J. Story

Chicken Tortas

People flock to Santa Fe’s Pollo Asado for its mesquite-grilled chicken. The secret is the citrus and achiote seasoning, which co-owner Olivia Arizmendi learned from her sister in Mexico. They tuck the meat intotelerarollsand addpickled onions,hot sauce, and shreddediceberg lettuce. Mashedavocadomakes it even better.

9 of 40Thomas J. Story

Za’atar Lemon Grilled Chicken

Put the Mediterranean seasoning blend called za’atar to work to give camp chicken a complex flavor with minimal ingredients.

10 of 40Jennifer Causey

Grilled Chicken Wings with Tamarind Chipotle Barbecue Sauce

Tangy, fruity tamarind, popular in Latino and Asian cuisines, is the secret ingredient in one of our favorite barbecue sauces for chicken wings.

Grilled Chicken with Spicy Corn on the Cob and Grilled Lettuces

Russell Moore, chef and owner at Camino restaurant in Oakland, gave us this technique for grilling chicken breast—and it’s the juiciest version we’ve ever had, protected from overcooking by the bones and skin. “Don’t cook it too fast,” he adds. “You don’t want it burnt outside and raw inside.”

12 of 40Erin Kunkel

Grilled Buttermilk Chicken

The perfect picnic chicken! Soak chicken in a buttermilk brine for extra moist and tender results, and add subtle Indian-inspired spices for a go-anywhere feast that’s miles from boring.

13 of 40Thomas J. Story

Grilled Chicken Sandwiches with Jalapeño Sauce and Potato Chips

J. Kenji López-Alt, author ofThe Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science, adapted this sandwich from recipes by his Serious Eats colleague Daniel Gritzer. It’s an excellent way to use grilled-chicken leftovers. López-Alt chooses a soft, mild bun that lets the fillings shine and adds crunch with potato straws—an ingredient borrowed from cooks in Colombia, who put them on hot dogs.

14 of 40Thomas J. Story

Grilled Chicken Cutlets

Half of this intense, hearty vinaigrette goes on the chicken right before it’s cooked—less a marinade than a “pre-sauce”—and the other half gets drizzled onto the grilled chicken, creating layers of flavor without a long marinating time.

15 of 40Thomas J. Story

Chicken Salad with Miso Dressing

After cooking chicken cutlets, throw corn on the still-hot grill to use in this unusual, delicious salad.

16 of 40Iain Bagwell

Grilled Chicken, Corn, and Spinach Salad with Smoky Paprika Dressing

The paprika delivers great smoky flavor in this main-dish salad.

17 of 40Annabelle Breakey

Grilled Chicken and Fennel with Orange Glaze

Quickly cooked chicken breasts get special treatment when served over fennel and onions charred on the grill.

18 of 40Iain Bagwell

Grilled Chicken with Cilantro Coconut Chutney

Designed for cilantro fans, this Indian-style chutney gives chicken breasts loads of flavor and keeps them moist in their parchment-paper packets.

19 of 40Peden & Munk

Grilled Cilantro Chicken with Pickled Tomato and Avocado Salsa

Marinate chicken breasts in lime, cilantro, and chicken, then grill and top with an absolutely addictive sweet and spicy tomato avocado salsa. This dish will knock your socks off.

20 of 40Annabelle Breakey

Grilled Thai Chicken Thighs with Spicy Broccoli Slaw

If you can’t find packaged broccoli slaw, whirl broccoli stems in a food processor, using the grater attachment. Throw in a carrot and some red cabbage if you like.

Cashew Romesco Chicken Thighs

Made with cashews, this romesco has a silkier texture and sweeter flavor than the classic sauce made with almonds.

22 of 40Iain Bagwell

Yogurt-Marinated Chicken Kebabs with Israeli Couscous

These crowd-pleasing kebabs get an Indian kick from a marinade of curry, garam masala, and yogurt. Israeli couscous on the side is a nice change from typical pasta salad.

23 of 40Annabelle Breakey

BLT Chicken Burgers

Poultry burgers have a reputation for being dry and bland. Not these: Jazzed up with sharp cheddar, parmesan, and garlic―then topped with crisp bacon, juicy tomatoes, and lettuce―they’re boldness in a bun.

24 of 40Lara Hata

Grilled Chicken and Nectarine Salad

A taste of summer in a bowl: barbecued chicken, sweet nectarines, tangy goat cheese, crisp salad greens, and toasted pecans.

25 of 40Leo Gong

Honey-Sesame Grilled Chicken Wings

Finger-lickin’ sweet replaces blazing buffalo as the flavorings for these tasty wings.

26 of 40James Carrier

Tequila-Marinated Chicken Fajitas

Tequila, orange juice, lime juice, and chipotle peppers add kick to this Mexican outdoor dinner party favorite.

27 of 40Annabelle Breakey

Yakitori

Your family will love these extra-tasty chicken skewers, our version of a popular Japanese street food.

28 of 40Annabelle Breakey

Yakitori Chicken Paillard with Cucumber Avocado Salad

The Japanese dish chicken yakitori is traditionally made on skewers, but grilling thin chicken breasts instead is even more weeknight-friendly. Marinate a day ahead for extra flavor.

29 of 40Dan Goldberg

Grilled Chipotle-Chicken Quesadillas

Stuff your quesadillas with sour cream, spicy chipotle peppers, and grilled chicken, and you’ll have a new family favorite. Grilling adds a mildly smoky note, the perfect complement to big flavors like lime, cilantro, and chile.

30 of 40Karen Steffens

Cilantro Chicken

Fresh cilantro, lime juice, honey, and garlic add zip to this simple, healthy main dish.

31 of 40Annabelle Breakey

Lime and Pepper Grilled Chicken Breasts

Simplicity on the grill: This super-easy recipe puts a tasty spin on grilled chicken breasts, flavored with a hint of lime and a punch of pepper.

32 of 40Leo Gong

Grilled Chicken Kebabs with Romesco Sauce

A sweet and salty sauce of roasted red peppers, nuts, and garlic tops this luscious chicken dish.

33 of 40James Carrier

Wine-Brined Grilled Chicken

Give your chicken a 24-hour bath in dry white wine―it’s the key to this simple recipe’s delicate flavor.

34 of 40Iain Bagwell

Spatchco*cked Chicken

“Spatchco*cking” a chicken means splitting the bird down the back and flattening it out so it cooks more evenly and quickly (it’s also known as butterflying). This version is rubbed with flavorful Dijon mustard and a mixture of dried and fresh herbs.

35 of 40Dan Goldberg

Juicy Grilled Chicken Breasts

Grill the perfect chicken breast―crunchy skin and tender meat―with a simple, foolproof method: Salt it beforehand to keep the meat moist, and give it a final toast over direct heat to crisp the skin up. Perfect results, with only two ingredients!

36 of 40Annabelle Breakey

Grilled Chicken on Greens with Creamy Harissa Dressing

This chicken salad gets its wow factor from a dressing spiked with harissa, a Tunisian chile sauce. Cool yogurt balances the heat.

37 of 40Lisa Romerein

Grilled Chicken Thighs with Sweet Onions and Peppers

Sweet, slow-cooked onions and red peppers, laced with Port, capers, and thyme, make grilled chicken thighs your summer blockbuster.

38 of 40Aya Brackett

Grilled Chicken Thighs with Peas and Shallots

The Kitchen, in Boulder, CO has a wine and beer bar upstairs with 100 beers as well as dishes from a wood-fired oven; this is one of them.

39 of 40Thomas J. Story

Spice-Rubbed Smoke-Roasted Chicken

The classic roast chicken moves onto the grill, and a spice rub gives it extra kick.

40 of 40Thomas J. Story

Grilled Fusion Chicken

Spicy, garlicky cream sauce makes this chicken special enough for summer entertaining.