These grilling recipes are our favorite easy summer dinner ideas! With grilled chicken, skewers, grilled vegetables and more, these recipes are perfect for a simple weeknight meal, BBQ or cookout.
The Best Grilling Recipes for Summer
Warm weather means one thing in our house: it’s grilling season! Here in California, that season starts early and we take full advantage, cooking dinner on the grill at least a few nights a week. These recipes include everything from easy weeknight mains to crowd-pleasing sides, all with that irresistible smoky, charred flavor.
Below I’ve rounded up my favorite grilling recipes. Whether you’re cooking for family or entertaining friends, I hope this gives you plenty of inspiration!
This grilled chicken breast is the grilling recipe we make most often! A simple marinade with lemon juice, garlic and seasonings infuses the chicken with so much flavor. Slice and serve it with grilled veggies or Roasted Potatoes and Carrots, or add it to a salad or wrap.
This chicken skewers recipe is sure to be a hit with everyone in the family! I love grilling chicken on skewers because the bite-size pieces of chicken have more surface area to soak up extra flavor from the marinade. This means that every bite is so flavorful!
Grilled corn brings mouthwatering flavor to this fresh corn salad with black beans, avocado, tomatoes and a zesty chili-lime dressing. Whenever I make this recipe, it’s always the hit of the party!
Juicy and bursting with flavor, this grilled pork chop recipe will amaze everyone at the table! An easy pork chop marinade tenderizes the chops and infuses them with fantastic flavor. Grilling them on the bone keeps the pork chops extra moist.
Legit the BEST burger I have ever made! These smash burgers have two juicy ground beef patties smashed thin so that the edges get irresistibly crispy, served on buttered, toasted buns with melted cheese and classic toppings.
These grilled shrimp are one of our easiest, fastest grilling recipes! After a quick soak in a 5-ingredient marinade, we grill the shrimp on skewers then serve them with pasta, rice, on a salad or in tacos.
Marinated steak and veggies cook on skewers in this delicious steak kabobs recipe. They’re fun to make and eat, and perfect for serving with rice.
I love a big meal-sized salad and this BBQ chicken salad is so good. Seasoned grilled chicken, black beans, avocado and corn are tossed in a tangy cilantro-lime dressing and drizzled with BBQ sauce. Shredded cheese and tortilla strips add more flavor and crunch.
Learn how to grill a perfect steak! Served with your favorite sides, grilled steak is an impressive meal that’s secretly so easy to make. With my tips, you’ll be grilling steak like a pro.
We love salmon for dinner and grilling is one of our favorite ways to prepare it. This recipe can be made on an outdoor grill or grill pan, and includes a simple salmon seasoning to infuse the salmon with flavor.
This is our go-to way to cook corn on the cob! You can grill it with or without the husks, and it has the best charred flavor. Serve with butter, salt and pepper and enjoy!
This black bean burger recipe is so good, you won’t miss the meat! Top your burgers with guacamole, BBQ sauce or your favorite burger fixings and enjoy!
Pork tenderloin is one of our favorite proteins, and this grilled pork tenderloin is a summer staple in our house. Grilling the pork creates a mouthwatering caramelized crust on the outside, while keeping the center juicy and tender. Everyone will be asking for seconds!
If you love big, bold flavors and simple, fresh recipes, you’ll love my Greek chicken souvlaki! Bites of chicken are marinated in a zesty, lemony, garlicky marinade and grilled on skewers. Serve it with my homemade Pita Bread, Tzatziki Sauce and my easy Greek Salad.
Forget dry, bland turkey burgers, this easy recipe makes the best juicy, flavorful turkey burgers! We love these for a quick and satisfying dinner, served with a side of Air Fryer French Fries.
With a flavorful seasoning rub, these grilled chicken thighs always turn out moist and juicy! Just 10 minutes prep time, serve them with one of these pasta salad recipes or your favorite BBQ sides. Leftovers are great sliced and added to a salad.
This is one of our tastiest chicken recipes! A cilantro lime marinade tenderizes and adds flavor to boneless chicken thighs. Cook the chicken on the grill or in a cast iron skillet or grill pan.
Vegetables never tasted so good! A colorful mix of fresh veggies, grilled until tender with delicious grill marks, these are a stunning summer side dish.
With feta cheese, red onion, red bell pepper, Dijon, garlic powder and dried oregano mixed right in the burger patties, these are some of the most flavorful turkey burgers I’ve ever made. I like to emphasize the Mediterranean flavors even more by serving the burgers with Tzatziki Sauce.
Filled with Mediterranean flavors, these grilled zucchini boats are perfect for a light vegetarian meal or side dish. Quinoa, olives, tomatoes and feta are stuffed into grilled zucchini halves.
Grilling Tips
- Be sure to preheat your grill so that it is hot when you add food to it.
- Use a marinade or rub to add flavor. Marinades can also help to tenderize meat. Try my favorite Marinade Recipes.
- Close the grill while cooking to keep the heat in.
- Use a meat thermometer to tell when meat is done. Besides ensuring food safety, using a thermometer to measure the internal temperature can also help to prevent overcooking, which can dry out your protein.
- Let chicken, steak and pork rest for 5-10 minutes after cooking, before slicing or serving. The rest time allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat, giving you a juicier result. You can cook quick-cooking vegetables on the grill while the meat rests.
- Serve grilled proteins and veggies with a sauce to boost the flavor of the meal. Homemade BBQ Sauce is always welcome, or try Chimichurri, Salsa, Tzatziki, Basil Pesto or Buffalo Sauce.
Enjoy these Grill Ideas All Summer Long
Cooking dinner on the grill is such an easy way to get a delicious meal on the table. In the summer I’ll often make a quick marinade for chicken or pork in the early afternoon, then when it’s time to cook all we have to do is grill our protein and some veggies. We get to enjoy the outdoors when the weather is nice, and everything tastes even better when we eat outside on the patio!
If you give any of these grilling recipes a try, I’d love to hear about it in the comments section. Your reviews help other readers find the most-loved recipes on Kristine’s Kitchen. 💛
