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50 Grilled Chicken Recipes Worth Firing Up the Coals For

Chicken is one of the easiest things to cook for dinner, but that doesn’t mean you have to stick with the same old sautéed breast every time (bor-ing). One way to break out of your comfort zone? Fire up the grill and make these 50 grilled chicken recipes, all of which are fast, flavorful and couldn’t be easier.

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1. Grilled Curried Chicken Thighs

It’s maximum flavor and minimal effort. The secret technique? Basting with an irresistible, five-ingredient curry sauce.

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2. Grilled Jerk Chicken Cutlets with Mango Salsa

The cinnamon and spicy cayenne flavors in jerk seasoning pair magically with juicy, zesty mango, and the whole thing is ready in 35 minutes.

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3. Pasta Florentine with Grilled Chicken

Charring your chicken breasts for ten minutes on the grill adds a little je ne sais quoi to this classic French dish.

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4. Grilled Lemon-Herb Chicken and Avocado Salad

Everyone knows the real star of a salad isn’t the lettuce, it’s the toppings. This one has plenty.

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5. Cheater’s Grilled Whole Chicken and Vegetables

By spatchcocking the chicken, you’ll reduce the cooking time to less than an hour. Since it’s all done on the grill, you don’t even have to worry about getting the kitchen dirty.

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6. Grilled Sticky Honey-Sriracha Drumsticks with Slaw

As much as we love a boneless, skinless breast, it’s nice to switch things up. These babies have a sticky spicy glaze we can’t refuse.

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7. Crispy Grilled Chicken

They’re just as crispy and satisfying as a bucket of fried chicken, but a whole lot healthier.

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8. The Ultimate Grilled Chicken Sandwich

Once you put frizzled onions on a sandwich, you’ll never settle for lettuce and tomato again.

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9. Honey Lime Chicken and Veggies in Foil

Each portion of this dish cooks inside a little foil packet that you place directly on the grill. Once everything’s cooked, just discard the foil.

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10. Grilled Peach, Chicken and Ricotta Pizza

We’ll eat pretty much any kind of pizza, but this savory-sweet combination might take the cake.

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11. Grilled Pesto Chicken Couscous Bowls

Any grain would work as the base for these bowls, but we like couscous since it cooks in about five minutes.

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12. Greek Lemon Chicken Skewers with Tzatziki Sauce

Close your eyes, take a bite and it’s almost like you’re eating dinner alfresco in Santorini.

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13. Chicken Kebabs with Garlic Lemon Yogurt

Don’t skip the cherry tomatoes, dipping sauce and mint—they come together while the chicken is marinating and round out the dish.

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14. Five-Ingredient Lemon Yogurt Marinated Grilled Chicken Breasts

Marinating the chicken in yogurt ensures it stays tender and juicy (which is important when grilling lean white-meat breasts).

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15. Grilled Buffalo Chicken Wings

Sure, you could set up a deep-fryer situation on your stove…or you could take things to the grill and eliminate the mess entirely.

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16. Chipotle Chicken Lettuce Wraps

The contrast between cool lettuce and charred chicken makes it worth lighting up the grill. Use iceberg for the crispiest crunch.

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17. Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

The spicy dipping sauce is as easy to make as tossing everything in a blender, and the skewers cook in all of ten minutes’ time.

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18. Summer Chipotle Chicken Cobb Salad with Cilantro Vinaigrette

While in-season strawberries and fresh corn are hard to beat, you could easily adapt the ingredients to make this in any season. (Fall apples, anyone?)

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19. Easy Harissa Chicken

Harissa is a North African red pepper paste that adds depth to this otherwise simple dish. You can use store-bought, but it’s easy to make at home.

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20. Grilled Chicken, Burst Tomato and Artichoke Skewers with Goat Cheese Dip

The charred lemons aren’t necessarily for eating, but don’t skip ’em. They steam up as they hit the grill, infusing everything with bright citrusy flavor.

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21. Grilled Chili Honey Lime Chicken and Sweet Potatoes with Avocado Salsa

When you simply can’t be bothered with turning on the oven, make this instead. Every element gets cooked on the grill (except the rice, of course).

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22. BLT Salad with Grilled Chicken, Sweet Corn and Avocado

We’ve yet to meet a sandwich we love more than a BLT, so it makes sense to turn it into a salad. Add chicken, corn and avocado and you’ve got yourself a gourmet meal.

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23. Grilled Chicken with Pineapple Avocado Salsa

The sweetness of the pineapple is just the thing to offset all that smoky, peppery chicken.

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24. Grilled Chicken with Chipotle-Whiskey Barbecue Sauce

We can’t talk about grilled chicken without talking about a barbecue. The whiskey adds a hint of sweetness to the homemade sauce, and while it’s optional, it’s so worth it.

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25. Mediterranean Grilled Balsamic Chicken with Olive Tapenade

With flavor bombs like balsamic vinegar, mustard and olives, you don’t need anything else to dress up your dinner.

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26. Easy Grilled Chicken

Why’s it so easy? Because you basically just toss everything in a bag to marinate, then transfer it to the grill.

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27. Spicy Maple Grilled Chicken Sandwich with Smoky Bacon Corn

Corn on a sandwich? Why didn’t we think of this earlier?

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28. Grilled Sesame Chicken Skewers with Ginger-Scallion Rice

Set aside an hour to marinade the skewers for the most flavorful results. Everything else cooks in about 20 minutes.

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29. Seriously Good Sweet Potato Cheddar Barbecue Chicken Burgers

News flash: Grilled chicken isn’t limited to breasts or thighs. These burgers are just as irresistible as any beef version.

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30. Tandoori Chicken Bowls

Tandoori chicken is a popular Indian dish traditionally cooked in a clay tandoor oven. But you don’t need a tandoor to make this version, just your trusty grill.

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31. Grilled Chicken Panzanella

You had us at panzanella, a bread salad that’s an excuse to make the croutons the star of the show.

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32. Grilled Chicken Tacos with Key Lime Slaw

The longer you let the chicken sit in the lime-cumin marinade, the better it will taste.

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33. Grilled Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo

Chicken alfredo is great, but it could use a modern makeover. The smokiness of the chicken adds just the right amount of interest (without a ton of effort).

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34. Grilled Chicken Fajitas

A sizzling pan of fajitas, while exciting, is probably better left to the pros. Take things to the grill for a quicker (and less hazardous) dinner.

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35. Grilled Barbecue Chicken Pizza

No pizza stone? No problem. Even if you use store-bought dough, your pie will still rival the best wood-fired rendition.

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36. Grilled Chicken Caesar Avocado Salad

How to update a classic? Cook your protein over coals.

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37. Three-Ingredient Grilled Chicken

If you have soy sauce, honey and a few cloves of garlic in your kitchen, you’re already halfway there.

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38. Curry Grilled Yogurt Chicken with Light Pickled Salad

Any leftovers of this cruciferous veggie salad will taste even better as they sit in the fridge…if you have leftovers, that is.

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39. Barbecue Chicken Tostadas

To make it ahead, marinate your chicken in store-bought barbecue sauce in the morning so it’s ready come dinnertime.

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40. Lebanese Chicken with Charred Lemon Cauliflower

Inspired by Shish Tawook, Lebanese grilled chicken skewers, this is as tasty as street food but just a bit healthier.

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41. Grilled Pesto Chicken Skewers

We love a caprese salad as much as the next person, but we wish they were a little more filling. Enter these skewers, which have caprese vibes but won’t leave us wanting more.

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42. Grilled Chile Chicken Tacos with Tomatillo Salsa

While the chicken cooks, toss the tomatillos, onions and jalapeño on the grill to char and soften. All you have to do next is give them a whirl in the blender.

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43. Chicken Harvest Salad

This is exactly what we picture when we think “dinner salad,” and also the easiest way to sneak in some extra kale.

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44. Family-Style Piri-Piri Chicken with Grilled Lemon, Braised Kale and Crispy Smashed Potatoes

Piri-piri is an ultra-spicy sauce that has roots in Africa and Portugal. It’s also what makes this whole grilled chicken so irresistible.

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45. Grilled Chicken and Vegetable Pasta Salad

Finally, a way to serve pasta salad as the main course.

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46. Asian Chicken Chopped Salad

Skip the bagged chopped salad and make this simple version at home. You have a chef’s knife, right?

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47. Grilled Adobo Chicken Burgers

They go from grill to table in ten minutes and, in case you were wondering, they’re also gluten-free.

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48. Grilled Chicken Breasts with Chive Herb Butter

We’ll share a secret: Compound butter is the easiest way to make a meal feel fancy. This one has chives, but you could use garlic too.

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49. Sweet and Spicy Grilled Chicken

Ah, the magic of honey and crushed red pepper flakes. Put this one in your back pocket to make on repeat.

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50. Grilled Honey Mustard Chicken Tenders

You’re never too old for chicken tenders. Throw them on the grill and they’re officially “adult.”

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