31 Best Grilled Chicken Recipes

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.” We also like his clever way of producing an entire dinner over one fire, grilling everything in sequence. At Camino, he uses cherry and almond wood, but for the home griller, he suggests a mix of mesquite hardwood charcoal and either fruitwood or hardwood chunks—and lighting more charcoal partway through cooking.

Recipe: Chicken with Spicy Corn on the Cob and Grilled Lettuces

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.

Recipe: Grilled Buttermilk Chicken

J. Kenji López-Alt, managing culinary director of SeriousEats.com and author of The Food Lab: Better Home Cooking Through Science, adapted this sandwich from recipes by his 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 (López-Alt's wife is Colombian). Seed the chile if you'd like a milder sauce.

Recipe: Grilled Chicken Sandwiches with Creamy Jalapeño Sauce and Potato Chips

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

Recipe: Grilled Chicken Cutlets

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

Recipe: Chicken Salad with Miso Dressing

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

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

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

Recipe: Grilled Chicken and Fennel with Orange Glaze

Designed for cilantro fans, this Indian-style chutney gives chicken breasts loads of flavor and keeps them moist in their parchment-paper packets. Don’t let the grill get over 425°, or the paper may catch on fire.

Recipe: Grilled Chicken with Cilantro Coconut Chutney

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.

Recipe: Grilled Cilantro Chicken with Pickled Tomato and Avocado Salsa

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.

Recipe: Grilled Thai Chicken Thighs with Spicy Broccoli Slaw

Made with cashews, this romesco, given to us by Josh Drage, chef at the Ranch at Rock Creek in Philipsburg, MT, has a silkier texture and sweeter flavor than the classic sauce made with almonds. He brushes it onto grilled chicken, but it would also be good swirled into a creamy soup.

Recipe: Cashew Romesco Chicken Thighs

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.

Recipe: Yogurt-marinated Chicken Kebabs with Israeli Couscous

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.

Recipe: BLT Chicken Burgers

A taste of summer in a bowl: barbecued chicken, sweet nectarines, tangy goat cheese, crisp salad greens, and toasted pecans. A speedy entree salad that’s perfect for the season.

Recipe: Grilled Chicken and Nectarine Salad

Finger-lickin' sweet replaces blazing buffalo as the flavorings for these tasty wings. We like to serve them as a fun hors d'oeuvre for an outdoor party or as the main course for a family dinner.

Recipe: Honey-Sesame Grilled Chicken Wings

Your family will love these extra-tasty chicken skewers, our version of a popular Japanese street food. The sauce also works well on pork, fish, or beef.

Recipe: Yakitori

This Sunset favorite is based on a spicy grilled Portuguese dish; piri-piri is a small hot chile. Traditionally, piri-piri preparations include a splash of lemon and a hint of garlic; we're more generous with both in our version.

Recipe: Chicken Piri-Piri

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.

Recipe: Grilled Chipotle-Chicken Quesadillas

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

Recipe: Cilantro Chicken

Want moist and succulent grilled chicken with deliciously crispy skin? Try grilling under a brick. (Or, use the modern equivalent: A cast-iron pan.) Take a whole chicken, cut open and flatten, marinate, and then grill under a weight. Use the same technique with Cornish hens or quail for equally good results.

Recipe: Brick-Grilled Chicken

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.

Recipe: Lime and Pepper Grilled Chicken Breasts

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

Recipe: Grilled Chicken Kebabs with Romesco Sauce

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

Recipe: Wine-Brined Grilled Chicken

"Spatchcocking" 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.

Recipe: Spatchcocked Chicken

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! Try our spice-rubbed, marinated, buttered, and herbed variations after you've mastered the original.

Recipe: Juicy Grilled Chicken Breasts

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

Recipe: Grilled Chicken on Greens with Creamy Harissa Dressing

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

Recipe: Grilled Chicken Thighs with Sweet Onions and Peppers

Crisp-skinned, juicy grilled chicken thighs are paired here with sweet shallots and peas, studded with smoky-crisp bits of bacon.

Recipe: Grilled Chicken Thighs with Peas and Shallots

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

Recipe: Spice-Rubbed Smoke-Roasted Chicken

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

Recipe: Grilled Fusion Chicken