Healthy BBQ & Grilled Chicken Recipes

Cook chicken tenders quickly on the grill and top with pesto made with cilantro and sesame seeds for a zesty, speedy dinner. Serve with: Quinoa and grilled asparagus.

A quick and efficient way to cook a whole bird on the grill is to butterfly, or "spatchcock" it. When cooking a whole chicken on the grill, try searing the chicken first over direct heat then finish cooking over indirect heat (as instructed in this recipe). That way you avoid the all too common problem when grilling--chicken burned on the outside and raw in the center. For best flavor, let the chicken marinate in the rub overnight in the refrigerator. Serve with lime wedges and fresh salsa.

In this recipe for gai yang, or Thai grilled chicken, the chicken marinade is enriched with a little coconut milk, which keeps the meat moist during grilling. Prepare the sweet-and-spicy dipping sauce the day you want to use it, because it loses freshness quickly. If you prefer to use chicken breasts instead of thighs and drumsticks, use 3 bone-in breast halves and cut each in half crosswise for 6 servings total.

Peppery arugula, grilled corn and a tangy lime vinaigrette give this healthy taco salad recipe a serious upgrade. This recipe is the perfect vehicle for using the crushed-up tortilla chips at the bottom of the bag.

This hearty grilled chicken salad recipe highlights the classic combination of sharp Cheddar and sweet crunchy apples. For a fabulous starter anytime you entertain, simply skip the chicken.

This super-fast and healthy smothered chicken tastes best on the deck with a chilled glass of gewürztraminer. The fruity white pairs nicely with the peaches here.

Here, we blend classic barbecue sauce ingredients--ketchup and vinegar--with mango, ginger, Chinese five-spice and turmeric, for a sweet and fragrant glaze for grilled BBQ chicken.

A quick lime marinade does double duty as a sauce in these tangy chicken tacos.

Many variations of the Catalonian roasted tomato sauce, romesco sauce, add roasted red peppers for a little sweetness. Here, we scorch the peppers and tomato on the grill alongside the chicken to keep things simple.

Spiedies originated in Binghamton, New York, and are a mainstay in the city and surrounding region. Chunks of meat marinate overnight or longer in a bright garlicky dressing and are grilled to perfection. They're so popular in upstate New York that there's an annual summer festival celebrating all things spiedies, including a cook-off.

This marinade is best on quick-cooking cuts of meat like this spicy grilled chicken, as the sugars in it can burn if on the grill for too long. Use the grill to cook the rest of your meal, too--Japanese eggplant and shishito peppers would be nice.

We combine fresh herbs, capers, lemon juice and olive oil along with the juices collected from the chicken as it rests to make a simple sauce that livens up this take on poulet frites, or chicken and fries.

Fresh mint appears twice here: finely chopped mint in the dressing and whole mint leaves in the strawberry chicken salad, tossed with tender greens.

Chicken breasts on the grill have a smoky flavor that's enhanced with an easy spice rub. We chose flat-leaf parsley in this salad because it has a stronger herbal taste than its sometimes-bitter curly counterpart.

Crispy skin, tender meat and charred skin make for a delicious dinner main. Plus, the blend of paprika, cumin and cinnamon match deliciously with the chicken. You can eat this grilled chicken as-is--perhaps with a side of grilled vegetables and roasted potatoes--or shred it and put it in a salad.

In this grilled chicken recipe from Charlie Foster, executive chef at Woods Hill Table and Adelita in Massachusetts, bone-in breasts are served with the chef's take on Southern dirty rice with chicken livers. Foster believes in the nose-to-tail ethos so he uses as much of each animal as he can. Serve the chicken and rice with grilled wild mushrooms and greens. The dirty rice would also be wonderful with baked or roasted chicken or with turkey.

A quick mint, lime and rum marinade does double duty as a sauce for these easy grilled chicken kebabs. Using agave cuts the sugars in this recipe by half compared to granulated sugar. Plus, we love the added south-of-the-border flavor. Grill some vegetables and corn on the cob along with the kebabs and you have a healthy weeknight dinner that's special enough to serve to company.

These healthy Mediterranean cauliflower rice bowls topped with feta, olives, veggies and grilled chicken are impressive yet take just 30 minutes to make.

Serve these easy grilled chicken kebabs with apple and cabbage slaw and potatoes for a healthy dinner that's great for summer cookouts. Leave yourself enough time to marinate the chicken for up to three hours in the simple orange-ginger marinade before threading it onto skewers and putting them on the grill.

Need a new chicken dinner idea? Try this grilled chicken and vegetable dish from chef Rick Bayless. Grilling the chicken and summer vegetables is a no-brainer, but in colder months, you may wish to move indoors and roast the chicken, along with some root vegetables. Whatever the weather, it's worth seeking out piloncillo for the beer glaze. This unrefined sugar used in Mexican cooking is made from evaporated cane juice. Its complex caramelized flavor balances any bitterness in the beer. Look for it in Latin markets and online.

These grilled chicken wings get that wonderful mix of sweet and spicy flavors from honey and harissa. Most grills cook unevenly, so it's important to keep these wings moving around to ensure crispy skin without burning. Traditional chicken wing sides--carrots and celery--cook right alongside the chicken for a quick dinner on the grill.

Cucumbers do double duty in this healthy Greek chicken pita recipe--they're grated to lend a refreshing flavor to the quick cucumber-yogurt sauce and sliced to provide cool crunch tucked into the pita. Serve these Mediterranean sandwiches for a healthy dinner or light lunch.

Jamaican jerk sauce traditionally uses Scotch bonnet peppers; here, we substitute jalapeños for a milder flavor. The jerk sauce serves as both a marinade and a sauce for meaty grilled chicken thighs. This healthy grill recipe takes just 30 minutes of active time, so as long as you plan ahead and factor in the marinating time it's perfect for a quick weeknight dinner or easy weekend BBQ.

This healthy grilled chicken breast recipe--a twist on chicken piccata--features a creamy white-wine-and-caper pan sauce that gets a burst of summer flavor from fresh grape tomatoes and basil. Pounding the chicken prior to grilling ensures even cooking and makes this easy dinner even faster. The piccata sauce would also be great with shrimp, firm white fish or pork.

Add some flavor of the Caribbean to your weeknight dinners with this healthy and easy jerk chicken recipe. The chicken is cooked on a grill pan rather than an outdoor grill--make sure the pan is well-heated before adding the chicken to achieve the crisp char you would get from an outdoor grill. A simple side of coconut rice and peas completes this satisfying and nutritious meal.