22 Grilled Chicken Recipes to Make Again and Again

In this iconic barbecued chicken from Alabama, chicken pieces are grilled until crispy and nicely charred, and then paired with tangy white barbecue sauce. The sauce can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated for up to one week.

Pickling fresh peaches and then charring them on the grill adds summery flavor to this arugula salad with crispy grilled chicken thighs. Pair the finished dish with a fruit-rich Gamay.

The secret to this perfectly juicy grilled chicken recipe from chef Anthony Endy is twofold: One, let the chicken sit in the aromatic citrus-and-herb flavored brine for 24 hours. Then, once your coals are hot, keep the chicken moving on the grill. After the initial sear, turn the chicken often, and grill until a probe thermometer inserted in the thickest portion registers 155°F. Try serving it with Santa Maria–Style Pinquito Beans and Mild Tomato Salsa on the side.

Chef Jeny Sulemange's grilled coconut chicken is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. When making this grilled chicken at home, it's all about the marinade. To make it, use full-fat coconut milk; you'll skim the cream to make the marinade and use the remaining milk to infuse the truly irresistible coconut rice served alongside with rich coconut flavor. Basting the chicken with more marinade on the grill gets the skin doubly crisp—the sugars in the marinade caramelize while the skin cooks and traps moisture and flavor in each bite.

Like rice paper rolls and banh mi, rice-noodle salad bowls—often categorized at restaurants as rice vermicelli bowls or bun (the name of the noodles in Vietnamese)—can feature many wonderful things, like grilled lemongrass chicken skewers. To make Vietnamese rice-noodle salad bowls, simply layer the ingredients in a bowl and let diners dress and mix up their own at the table.

Starting over hot coals and finishing over low heat mimics the crispy-juicy results of shawarma, kebab, and al pastor shops around the world. After they are marinated, some of the chicken pieces may break apart; simply tuck those loose pieces in the center of the skewered stack. Use three skewers to stack and stabilize the shawarma so it's easy to maneuver on the grill.

These Peruvian skewers are coated in a thick chile marinade that withstands the heat of the grill and clings to the chicken, yielding caramelized, charred bits. Serve the skewers with Huacatay Dipping Sauce.

Chef Sheldon Simeon uses fresh ginger and pineapple juice to add bright heat and tang to the sweet, teriyaki-like homemade huli huli sauce that coats the chicken wings and pineapple slices in this recipe. The marinade helps the wings get smoky-sweet on the grill and retain a delicious juicy bite. Huli huli means "turn turn"—huli huli chicken is a local specialty on Oahu, where vendors thread chickens on a special rotating grill and broil it over charcoal. When grilling at home, be sure to turn the chicken wings often so they crisp evenly. The slices of fresh, glazed pineapple get smoky on the grill and play off the juicy, caramelized chicken.

A simple combination of lime, cumin, hot paprika, and Kewpie mayonnaise is the secret to this delicious grilled chicken from Food & Wine's Justin Chapple. Serve the chicken with grilled onions, such as spring onions, red onions, cipollini, and scallions.

There are as many takes on jerk chicken in Jamaica as there are cooks on the island, but most share the same method: Chicken is coated in a seasoning mixture dominated by spices and chiles, then grilled. This version comes from Paul Chung, a self-taught cook of Chinese-Jamaican descent who worked in the mail room at Food & Wine. It's wonderfully spicy, smoky, and fragrant—everything you want jerk chicken to be. But what puts this one above all others? The key is including Chinese five-spice in the marinade: "This spark of cinnamon enhances the rich clove flavor imparted by the allspice berries," Marcia Kiesel wrote. For best results, let the chicken marinate overnight, so the seasoning has time to thoroughly penetrate the meat.

These chicken thighs are brushed with honey-horseradish butter while they grill, creating a wonderful glaze. Then they're served with a vibrant garlic-spiked parsley sauce.

2001 F&W Best New Chef Anita Lo's 2018 cookbook SOLO celebrates the joy of cooking for one, just like this weeknight-friendly chicken recipe with a twist. "The banana pepper dip in this recipe is perhaps my favorite recipe that my partner's mother, Bonnie Attea, makes," Lo says. "It's a three-ingredient wonder that makes a weeknight chicken breast exciting. Banana peppers can vary on the heat scale, so taste a little before mixing and mitigate with a little cayenne per your taste."

Crushed juniper berries combine with garlic and herbs to perfume this smoky chicken that makes for a stunning centerpiece for a leisurely lunch with good company. For a shortcut, substitute quality rotisserie or smoked chickens; simply cover with foil and reheat in a 200°F oven before carving and serving. Either way, smothering the chicken and crushed potatoes with a classic shallot vinaigrette means every plate will be wiped clean.

Low and slow grilling keeps these wings juicy and gives the skin time to render and and char. Jaew, a sweet and sour chile sauce, delivers a heat-packed punch in this Night + Market recipe by chef Kris Yenbamroong.

Grated fresh turmeric gives this grilled chicken a golden glow, while plenty of garlic, ginger, and puckery tamarind add bright flavor. Coconut charcoal burns exceptionally clean, letting the marinade shine. In Bali, Indonesia, Ibu Djelantik serves this chicken with her version of sambal matah, a bright, slaw-like condiment with chiles, shallots, and makrut lime or Key lime juice that offers a refreshing counterpoint to the chicken.

"One wonderful thing about grill-roasting at a moderate temperature is that you can use your hands to help handle what you're cooking, which is great when you want to rotate the chicken," cookbook author Paula Disbrowe says. "If you get too caught up using just tools, you're more likely to lose balance and pierce the meat or tear the skin. I like to slide a flat metal spatula under the chicken, then use my hands to carefully turn and rotate the bird; it just gives you a little more control, which I appreciate."

Flavored by a yogurt and spice paste boasting ginger, cumin, and coriander, this chicken is reminiscent of ones cooked in a tandoor oven. For this version, we remove the chicken skin and score the flesh so that the spice paste penetrates the meat.

The secret to incredibly flavorful chicken cutlets is a quick marinade in feta brine in advance of grilling. Food & Wine's Justin Chapple then whips the feta cheese with lemon juice and olive oil to use as a spread for the excellent sandwiches here.

Everyone loves the smoky taste of grilled chicken, but is cooking the chicken directly on the grates really the best way to go? This hybrid skillet-on-the-grill method lets you capture all the delicious juices that the bird gives off as it cooks, while still allowing the chicken to absorb plenty of barbecue flavor. Smoky charcoal, plus the rich, deep notes of smoked paprika and chipotle chile, add plenty of depth, achiote paste delivers a deep red color to the meat, and a bed of rosemary adds that irresistible flavor. A final brilliant touch? Thick slices of grilled bread to serve alongside, ready to sop up all those beyond-wonderful juices.

The beauty of this grilled tamarind chicken is both its sharp and piquant flavor and its simplicity. A potent tamarind-and-chipotle marinade renders a richly flavored, juicy, and tender chicken in mere minutes, making it equally suited for a weeknight meal or a dinner party. The tamarind concentrate in the marinade adds a sour funk that complements the freshness of the cilantro leaves and smoky heat of the chipotle chile paste. The marinade gives the chicken a dark, lacquered appearance and will char a little as it cooks, becoming caramelized, chewy, and ultimately, mouth-wateringly delicious.

To build deep layers of flavor in these tacos, chef Fermín Núñez begins his marinade by toasting and charring aromatics: dried chiles, cinnamon, allspice, and onions all hit the heat before soaking with juicy chicken thighs for an hour, imparting smoky flavor before they cook quickly on the grill or in the oven. Pair them with fresh tomatillo salsa cruda for a next-level taco night.

In under an hour, heirloom tomatoes and slivers of red onion are transformed into a savory sauce that brings bright, summery flavor to this simple grilled chicken. Chicken cutlets quickly pick up the flavors of the tomatoes and onions; let them soak in the marinade after cooking for an extra kick.