Put your grill to use this summer with these creative grilled chicken recipes

The sun is finally warming up the town, and fresh flowers are blooming all around, meaning the hottest season is right around the corner! Summer is the perfect time to fire up the barbecue and pull out those grilled chicken recipes. 

Lucky for us, there’s so much we can do with chicken and a grill, but all these choices might make it difficult for us to make up our minds. With the pandemic going away, we may want to celebrate, but let’s not stick to the same boring recipes. 

Make your grilled chicken exciting with these fantastic recipes we gathered just for you! Check them out before your next cookout! 

Garlicky Lemongrass Chicken

This first recipe comes with a spicy lemongrass paste which is great to smoothly slather on other meats like sea bass & tender pork. With the tangy herb on grilled chicken, you’re in for a real treat!  

Ingredients

• 5 plump lemongrass stalks, inner bulb only, chopped into large pieces
• 3 scallions, white and green parts only, chopped into large pieces
• Salt and pepper (freshly ground)
• Sugar (just a pinch of sugar)
• 4 pounds of skinless, boneless chicken thighs and breasts
• ¼ cup of vegetable oil
• 1 large smashed garlic clove
• 1 large chopped jalapeño

Instructions

1. Finely chop the lemongrass in a food processor. 
2. Add the garlic, scallions, jalapeño, and sugar until they’re thoroughly chopped. 
3. Keeping the food processor on, add the ¼ cup of vegetable oil until the whole mixture makes a paste. 
4. Dress the paste in salt & pepper. 
5. Take a small knife and cut ½ deep into the chicken – then spread the paste all over, including in the cuts, like butter on bread. 
6. Marinate the chicken for at least fifteen minutes at room temperature or refrigerate overnight. 
7. Light your grill when you’re ready to start cooking! 
8. Brush the chicken with vegetable oil. 
9. Season the chicken with salt & pepper. 
10. Grill the chicken over a medium heated fire. 
11. While grilling, you’ll want to turn the chicken until it’s fully cooked and brown for about fifteen minutes. 

Huli Huli Chicken Wings

In the mood for a tropical experience full of fresh ginger and pineapple juice? We have just the thing for you!

Ingredients

• 1 cup of unsweetened pineapple juice
• 1 cup of chicken stock
• ½ cup of soy sauce
• 1.2 cup of light brown sugar
• ⅓ cup of ketchup
• 2 tablespoons of grated peeled ginger
• 1 ½ teaspoons of chopped up garlic
• 2 pounds of whole chickens
• ½ teaspoon of kosher salt
• 1 whole peeled pineapple, cut into ½ inch slices
• Sliced scallions

Instructions

1. Stir the pineapple juice, stock, brown sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ketchup and ginger in a large bowl
2. Save one cup of the mixture
3. Put the chicken in a large zip lock freezer bag along with the rest of the mixture
4. Seal the bag and refrigerate for at 3 hours to overnight
5. Take the chicken out of the mixture and discard the mixture
6. Season the chicken with salt
7. Prepare the grill
8. Grill the chicken on oil grates
9. Grill while turning often and basting with the ½ cup of mixture leftover until the meat is crispy and well done
10. Take the chicken to a platter
11. Dress the pineapple slices with some of the remaining mixture
12. Put the pineapples on oiled grates and grill uncovered until marks appear
13. Put the cooked pineapple slices on the platter and decorate them with the scallions

Piri Piri Chicken

Spicy & sweet are like soulmates – they belong together! If you’re looking for a balance of the heat from chiles bunking with sweet bell peppers, garlic, and red wine vinegar, then this is the perfect recipe for you. 

Ingredients

• 1 small, red and chopped up bell pepper
• ½ cup of cilantro leaves
• 1 small chopped shallot
• 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of paprika
• 2 crushed garlic cloves
• 2 stemmed piri piri chiles
• 1 ½ tablespoons of dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon of kosher salt
• 1 ¼  pound of boneless chicken thighs cut into 1-inch pieces
• Canola oil
• 1 pound of shishito peppers
• 16 small wooden skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes

Instructions

1. Put the bell pepper, cilantro, vinegar, shallot, olive oil, paprika, oregano, garlic, chiles and salt in a food processor, and blend until smooth.
2. Save ½ cup of the mixture for later.
3. Combine the chicken and remaining mixture into a large bowl, then refrigerate for one to three hours. 
4. Set the grill to about 450 degrees fahrenheit.
5. Thread the chicken & shishitos onto the skewers.
6. Grill for about eight minutes or until thoroughly cooked.
7. Take them to the platter and sprinkle them with cilantro.

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Have any other delicious grilled chicken recipes? Drop them below in the comments!