Healthy Grilled Chicken Recipes for Summer Dinners

Seven marinades that are light enough to still count as healthy but have enough going on that the chicken actually tastes like something. Temps, times, and what to do with it after it’s off the grill.

1. Lemon Herb Grilled Chicken Breasts

Olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, fresh oregano (or dried), salt, pepper. Marinate 30 minutes to 4 hours — longer than that and the acid starts making the texture mealy.

The one thing that matters more than the marinade here is pounding the breasts to even thickness. About 3/4 inch. If you skip this, the thin end is dry by the time the thick end hits 165°F. Medium-high heat, 5-6 minutes per side.

2. Greek Marinated Chicken Thighs

This one’s all about the yogurt marinade — Greek yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper. The yogurt actually tenderizes the meat, so the longer you marinate, the better. Two hours minimum, overnight if you can.

Grill over medium-high, 6-7 minutes per side for boneless. Serve with cucumber salad and pita, or over rice with tzatziki. This is the one I’d make if someone’s coming over and I want it to seem like I tried harder than I did.

3. Grilled Chicken with Mango Salsa

The chicken is just cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, lime juice, olive oil. Nothing complicated. The salsa is the whole point.

Dice a mango, half a red onion, a jalapeño (seeds out unless you want real heat), a handful of cilantro, lime juice, pinch of salt. Make it about 20 minutes before eating — enough time for the flavors to come together but not so long that the mango turns watery. Grill the chicken, spoon the salsa on top.

4. Cilantro Lime Grilled Chicken

Lime juice, lime zest, olive oil, a big handful of cilantro, garlic, cumin, salt. Blend the marinade if you can — it distributes the cilantro better than whisking. Marinate 1-4 hours, grill 5-6 minutes per side over medium-high.

Where this one earns its spot is versatility. Slice it and it works in rice bowls, burritos, salads, tacos, wraps. If you’re cooking once and eating it different ways all week, this is the recipe.

5. Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad

Two things make this different from a regular Caesar salad. First, the chicken is grilled instead of cold and sad from the fridge. Second, you grill the romaine.

Cut a romaine head in half lengthwise, brush the cut side with olive oil, grill cut-side down for about 2 minutes. It chars and gets a little sweet. Sounds weird, works well. Keep the chicken seasoning plain — salt, pepper, olive oil — so it doesn’t fight the dressing. Pile the sliced chicken on the charred romaine, parmesan, croutons, dressing.

6. Teriyaki Grilled Chicken Skewers

Homemade teriyaki takes about 5 minutes — soy sauce, brown sugar or honey, rice vinegar, garlic, ginger, cornstarch to thicken. Worth doing because the bottled stuff is mostly corn syrup.

Cut thighs into 1-inch chunks, marinate in half the sauce for at least an hour, save the rest. Thread onto skewers, grill 3-4 minutes per side over medium-high, brush with the reserved sauce in the last minute. Serve over rice.

7. Grilled Chicken and Vegetable Skewers

The trick is cutting everything the same size — about 1 inch — so it all cooks at the same rate. Bell peppers, red onion, zucchini, and mushrooms work well with chicken. Toss it all in olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning. Grill over medium-high, turning every few minutes, 12-15 minutes total.

Skip the cherry tomatoes on mixed skewers. They cook way faster than everything else and turn to mush by the time the chicken’s done. If you want them, put them on a separate skewer.

On Grilled Chicken in General

Medium-high heat, not high. High heat chars the outside before the inside is cooked. An instant-read thermometer — 165°F — takes the guessing out.