These 28 easy recipe ideas for chicken, meat, seafood, and vegetables are cooked on the grill and made into easy main meals, skewers and salads, for easy outdoor, summer cooking.
Summer is all about beach trips, cookouts, and embracing the slower pace while scheming up easy, laid-back dinners, like my refreshing gazpacho and the best fattoush salad. As the temps stay high, there’s even more reason to fire up that grill, because let’s face it, it’s just too darn hot for those ovens!
Whether you’ve got an old-fashioned charcoal grill, a fancy gas, or a George Foreman kitchen version, get yours going, because this lineup of 28 easy grilling recipes has something for everyone.
This simple chicken marinade infuses the classic Greek flavors of lemon, garlic and oregano plus marinating chicken in yogurt for a more tender bite.
There’s nothing more classic to come from the grill than a thick-cut, perfectly cooked bone-in ribeye steak with a secret slather of flavor.
This simple recipe is great for a weeknight or weekend dinner, and is full of big flavor thanks to a killer marinade!
This easy steak marinade is the key to tenderizing and flavoring a steak that takes only 30 minutes to marinate, making it a favorite for weeknight dinners.
This grilled cilantro lime chicken recipe delivers lots of flavor thanks to a quick marinade, and with just 7 ingredients and 3 simple steps, it’s easy enough to cook any night of the week.
Flaky halibut filets are simply seasoned and grilled, then topped with a fresh and easy tomato avocado salsa in this healthy and fast, three-step recipe.
Everyone needs a go-to grilled chicken recipe, and this one’s ours. It’s versatile, so you can add it to salads and pastas, chop it up and make chicken salad with it, or enjoy it alongside your favorite starch and veggies. And don’t even get us started on the grilled lemon!
This grilled skirt steak is tenderized in a garlic marinade, grilled, then topped with a garlic and herb chimichurri sauce with fresh cut tomatoes and red onions.
Consider these brined and grilled chops the food anthem of the summer. Scented with fresh rosemary and garlic, and paired with a juicy grilled peach salsa that’s been spiked with white balsamic vinegar and a chili garlic sauce, this makes for one peachy keen meal.
These shrimp skewers cook up nice and fast on the grill and feature the yummiest sweet mustard and hoisin dipping sauce, or spicy mustard tarragon sauces for dipping.
Store bought flatbread is the base to summer’s favorite flavors: juicy grilled peaches and a bright pesto that make for a fast, vegetarian main meal.
This easy grilled chicken with a citrus-spiked jarred harissa sauce is a summer chicken dinner winner. Butterflying your chicken makes it cook faster and crisps perfectly the skin, and cooking it under the weight of a brick yields a perfectly crisp exterior and wonderfully juicy, tender interior. No brine or marinade needed!
Follow these easy grilling tips for THE BEST, easy grilled salmon recipe that’s about to become your new favorite healthy summertime dinner.
Everyone needs a good vegetarian grilling recipe in their repertoire and these meaty, smokey grilled cauliflower steaks are an excellent stand-in for for beef. The cauliflower is cut into steaks and marinated in a sweet and spicy teriyaki glaze, grilled and topped with a sweet herby sauce for a healthy vegetarian dinner that yes, even carnivores will love!
Boneless, skinless chicken breast marinated in the traditional Greek flavors of lemon, garlic and oregano then threaded on skewers with a few veggies makes these grilled chicken kebabs an easy and healthy weeknight dinner winner.
These meaty grilled swordfish steaks are so easy and require no marinade. Instead, I prefer to add the flavoring as the fish cooks on the grill, by basting the outside of the fish with smoked paprika flavored butter. It adds flavor and creates an irresistibly crispy exterior. Paired with an herbaceous fruity salsa, it makes for the perfect summer meal.
Lean grilled pork chops come out juicy and tender every time thanks to a simple sprinkling of pork dry rub for a dinner that’s ready in under 30 minutes.
Thanks to a simple soy sauce, orange, and garlic-spiked marinade, this easy flank steak recipe can be ready to grill in 30 minutes, or left in the fridge over night for a deeper flavor that’s topped with a fresh, garlicky chimichurri sauce with an Asian spin.
This grilled vegetable sandwich is made with a combo of grilled summer veggies, creamy herbed ricotta, toasted ciabatta, and a sweet balsamic glaze, for an easy, satisfying summer main that’s totally vegetarian.
While lamb or beef is traditional, I prefer ground turkey for these flavorful Middle Eastern skewers, and the creamy cool yogurt adds a lightened dipping sauce that’s full of flavor.
This is my quick and easy go-to method for grilling chicken. Top it with a homemade lemony herb compound butter and you’ll take it to the next level.
A fresh and flavorful Mediterranean tomato salad serves as a salsa when it tops juicy grilled pork chops for a 30-minute, quick and easy dinner or BBQ meal.
Summer grill time certainly shouldn’t be limited to meats and burgers, bring on the tomatoes and sturdy halloumi for my Grilled Caprese Skewers.
The trick to THE BEST baby back ribs is seasoning them with a dry rib rub then baking them low and slow in the oven before grilling them. Trust me, it works!
These chicken skewers cook up on the grill in less time than it would take your oven to preheat and are flavored with the most delicious chile lime butter marinade.
Budget friendly flat iron steak and a speedy one-hour marinade make these citrus-adobo flavored tacos perfect for an easy weeknight or weekend dinner.
Greek flavors inspire citrus-infused chunks of chicken thanks to a tart marinade that keeps the chicken juicy with a lemony punch.
This hearty and delicious grilled romaine salad is dressed with a sweet and tangy balsamic vinaigrette and topped with prosciutto-wrapped shrimp, cranberries, walnuts, and creamy goat cheese.
What to Serve with These Grilled Mains
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28 Easy Grilling Recipes | Best Grilled Chicken Breast Recipe
The secret to juicy grilled chicken isn’t in the seasonings or complicated marinades. It’s all about HOW you grill the chicken. Here’s how to grill chicken breasts perfectly every single time.
Servings 3
Calories 192kcal
Ingredients
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 lemons , halved
Instructions
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Prepare one side of the grill for direct cooking at medium-high heat (450°F) and one side for low, indirect heat. Brush the cooking grates clean.
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Drizzle the chicken breasts with extra virgin olive oil and rub over the breasts. Season generously with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
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Place the chicken breasts on the hot grill. Cover and cook for 4-5 minutes or until they easily release from the grates. Flip the chicken and cook for 4-5 minutes longer. Move the chicken to the indirect heat and cook for another 5-8 minutes or until the breasts are firm to the touch and opaque all the way through, registering 160°F internal temp (the temp will rise to 165°F as the chicken rests). Add the lemon halves to the grill half way through cooking the chicken, cut side down, and cook for 3-5 minutes then move the lemon halves to the top rack of the grill.
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Transfer to a plate and cover with a piece of aluminum foil and let rest for 5 minutes. Squeeze the lemon on the chicken for extra flavor.
Notes
*I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this recipe. If you’re a fan of a cut whole bird or the darker meat chicken thighs, the same principles apply, just add more time cooking time.
Nutrition
Serving: 3g | Calories: 192kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 908mg | Potassium: 517mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 34IU | Vitamin C: 40mg | Calcium: 24mg | Iron: 1mg
More Summer Recipes You’ll Love
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