Whether you love wings, thighs, breasts, or the whole darn bird, these 38 ways to grill the world's most flexible meat are cookout superstars
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.
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.
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.
Grilled Chicken and Melon Salad with Crispy Shallots
A sweet-and-savory main-dish salad that’s totally worthy of dinner guests.
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?
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 into telera rolls and add pickled onions, hot sauce, and shredded iceberg lettuce. Mashed avocado makes it even better.
Zaatar Lemon Grilled Chicken
Put the Mediterranean seasoning blend called zaatar to work to give camp chicken a complex flavor with minimal ingredients.
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.”
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.
Grilled Chicken Sandwiches with Jalapeño Sauce and Potato Chips
J. Kenji López-Alt, author of The 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.
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.