Healthy BBQ & Grilled Chicken Recipes

Experiment with various flavored mustards to add a different spin to this simple marinade recipe. It's low in fat and carbs because it's oil- and sugar-free.

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.

In this spin, we coat this blackened chicken with spices common to Cajun cooking, like dried thyme and cayenne pepper. Then, instead of using the traditional method of searing in a cast-iron pan, we take advantage of the warmer weather by grilling outside.

Chicken breast is marinated in soy sauce, citrus and honey and then grilled as a nod to the tropical Key West chicken. A garnish of chopped cilantro and orange slices keeps it sweet and refreshing.

These spicy grilled harissa chicken thighs are rich and saucy. The marinade adds bright flavor, thanks to lemon juice, and reserving some of the marinade to slather on the chicken after it cooks gives it a flavorful finish.

In this whole grilled chicken recipe, a vertical grilling rack allows the heat of the grill to flow inside the bird, which means it cooks from both the inside and outside. Season with just salt, pepper and olive oil or use your favorite rub or marinade. You could also use a basting sauce during the last 10 minutes of cooking for extra flavor.

The topping of this caprese-like chicken gets nice and melty on the grill. While you're there, crisp up some crusty bread to serve alongside. It's great for soaking up all the flavorful juices left on your plate.

These make-ahead quesadillas are a genius campfire dinner solution. Assemble and wrap in foil at home, then once you get to camp, just throw over hot coals for a quick campsite meal.

This tangy marinade, spiked with the Indian spice blend garam masala, is a terrific way to enliven grilled chicken. Try it on tofu or pork chops.

In this whole grilled chicken recipe, the backbone is removed and the chicken is flattened then grilled under the weight of 2 bricks--which enables it to cook quickly and evenly. The homemade rub recipe makes enough to prepare 2 pounds of boneless chicken or 4 pounds of bone-in chicken, but you can easily double or triple the recipe and store the extra in an airtight container for up to 3 months so you can have it on hand throughout the grilling season.

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.

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.

This salad celebrates the fleeting season of sour cherries—it's short and they're extremely perishable, so scoop them up when you see them and enjoy them within a couple of days. Here we feature them along with dried sour cherries, chicken, toasted walnuts and blue cheese in a flavor-packed salad. When sour cherries are out of season, you can swap in frozen sour cherries; just be sure to thaw them before using.

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.

Enjoy the flavors of the season with this summer farro salad. This dish is also great with wheat or rye berries instead of farro: skip the toasting step and cook in a pot of simmering water until tender, about 50 minutes. If your celery doesn't have any leaves on it, substitute fresh parsley instead.

Fresh salsa dresses up grilled chicken--or any other meat for that matter--in this healthy chicken dinner recipe. Want an island vibe? Swap mango for the cucumber and lime juice for the rice vinegar.

This recipe involves one of our favorite make-ahead hacks: let the chicken and steak marinate in reverse. In this recipe, you'll pour a punchy, citrusy dressing over the meat right after it leaves the grill, so it soaks up the bright vinaigrette as it cools. Better yet, reverse-marinating keeps the grilled meat from drying out, even when kept in the fridge overnight.

This easy grilled chicken recipe owes its tenderness to an overnight soak in a yogurt-lemon juice marinade and its soulful flavor to saffron and onion. A healthy drizzle of saffron-infused butter before serving adds an extra layer of richness. Serve with aromatic rice with pistachios and torshi, Central Asian pickles available at Persian and Middle Eastern grocery stores.

Fattoush is a popular salad in Lebanon made with mixed greens, a lemony vinaigrette and pita bread pieces. Toasting the pita adds crunch and a sprinkle of ground sumac--which grows wild all over Lebanon--adds depth. Let the salad sit for a bit to let the pita soak up the lemony dressing.

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.

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

Yana Gilbuena has traveled the world, celebrating the cuisine of her Filipino heritage with pop-up kamayan dinners. Her hometown of Bacolod City is known for this dish. Native coconut vinegar and calamansi juice bring a distinct flavor and aroma, and atsuete oil adds vibrant color, as well as a nutty, peppery flavor. Read more about Gilbuena and this recipe.

The sweetness in this Maple-Bourbon Chicken recipe is from the real maple syrup and grilled sweet potatoes. Bacon is also included!

Marinating is a healthy way to add terrific flavor to foods. It also adds a make-ahead step to a recipe. Marinate the meat in the morning, then cook it at night.