Food and Recipes Meat Chicken 45 Summer Chicken Recipes That Are Certified Crowd-Pleasers By Kaitlyn Yarborough Kaitlyn Yarborough Part of the Southern Living team since 2017, Kaitlyn Yarborough is a Georgia native living in Austin, Texas, who covers a wide variety of topics for both the magazine and website, focusing on culture and lifestyle content, as well as travel in the South.She earned a B.A. in Journalism at the University of Georgia. She hopes to inspire your travel bucket list with her features on road trips through Texas Hill Country, bourbon tours in Kentucky, and the best beach getaways on the Gulf Coast. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on April 18, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Tina Stamos Nothing will turn around a hungry crowd like a hearty chicken dinner, and summertime might just be when the crowd gets hungriest—between the pool days, bike rides, and general fanfare. Whether just feeding your family or hosting a big barbecue, you're going to be able to find more than a few reasons to serve up these summer chicken recipes all season long. For a weeknight supper, try one of our easy sheet pan recipes or quick chicken breast recipes on for size. For an outdoor occasion, pick between our chicken kebab recipes, grilled chicken recipes, or crowd-pleasing chicken wing recipes. We've rounded up 45 of our best-ever chicken recipes for hot summer days—so sit back, pour yourself a glass of iced tea, and enjoy. 01 of 45 Oven-Baked Barbecue Chicken Antonis Achilleos Recipe: Oven-Baked Barbecue Chicken Nothing says summer like barbecue chicken, and these sweet and sticky chicken drumsticks can be made in the oven. 02 of 45 Southwest Chicken Tortillas Greg DuPree Recipe: Southwest Chicken Tortillas Don't worry—we've got Taco Tuesday handled all summer long. 03 of 45 Heirloom Tomato and Chicken Toss Greg Dupree; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham Recipe: Heirloom Tomato and Chicken Toss Say hello to the best use of your rotisserie chicken and seasonal tomatoes this summer. 04 of 45 Garlic-Oregano Chicken with Grilled Leeks and Lemon Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Chelsea Zimmer; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Recipe: Garlic-Oregano Chicken with Grilled Leeks and Lemon A 30-minute marinade of lemon juice and zest, oil, garlic, oregano, and crushed red pepper jump-starts the development of flavor in this dish right from the beginning. 05 of 45 Honey-Butter Chicken Skewers Greg DuPree; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen Recipe: Honey-Butter Chicken Skewers Honey? Butter? We're in. 06 of 45 Herbed Chicken-and-Rice Salad Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Ali Ramee; Prop Styling: Christine Keely Recipe: Herbed Chicken-and-Rice Salad Incorporating two mainstays of the Southern diet—chicken and rice—this salad is an example of the kind of old-school home cooking. 07 of 45 BBQ Rub Roasted Chickens with Potatoes and Carrots Greg DuPree Recipe: BBQ Rub Roasted Chickens with Potatoes and Carrots When everyone and their mama is hanging around this summer, give this sheet pan supper a chance. It'll feed the crowd easily. 08 of 45 Sheet Pan Greek Chicken with Roasted Potatoes Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Tina Stamos Recipe: Sheet Pan Greek Chicken with Roasted Potatoes This sheet pan recipe has got major personality. Two spice rack staples—cinnamon and nutmeg—give wonderful depth of flavor. 09 of 45 Chicken Caprese Pasta Linda Pugliese; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Chicken Caprese Pasta In just 20 minutes, you can dress up simple pasta with shredded chicken, blistered tomatoes, pesto sauce, and torn chunks of mozzerella. 10 of 45 BBQ Chicken Pizza Photographer: Will Dickey Prop Stylist: Missie Crawford Food Stylist: Erin Merhar Recipe: BBQ Chicken Pizza This recipe is a tasty way to get your barbecue flavor fix this summer. Top your pizzas with grilled chicken for extra smokiness. 11 of 45 Grilled Chicken and Corn with Charred Scallion-Lime Butter Johnny Autry; Prop and Food Styling: Charlotte L. Autry Recipe: Grilled Chicken and Corn with Charred Scallion-Lime Butter Fire up the grill and make a complete meal with this recipe for grilled chicken thighs and corn on the cob with a smoky and tangy herb butter for spreading. 12 of 45 Brined Grilled Chicken with Dipping Sauces Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Brined Grilled Chicken with Dipping Sauces The secret's all in the brine, made with herbs, garlic, brown sugar, and chiles. And the trio of sauces means plenty of delicious dipping opportunities. 13 of 45 Lighter Pan-Fried Chicken with Green Beans and Tomatoes Stephen DeVries, Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Lighter Pan-Fried Chicken with Green Beans and Tomatoes Meet your lightened-up summer fried chicken. This crispy, golden chicken is done with a quick pan-fry rather than a deep fry, making it slightly less heavy than the traditional fried stuff. 14 of 45 Chicken-and-Shrimp Kabobs with Summer Vegetables and Basil Oil Photo: Linda Pugliese; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Anna Hampton Recipe: Chicken-and-Shrimp Kabobs with Summer Vegetables and Basil Oil Just look at that char, folks. The basil oil accents this grilled recipe perfectly. 15 of 45 Lightened-Up Chicken-Broccoli Casserole Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Rishon Hanners; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Lightened-Up Chicken-Broccoli Casserole This oldie got a summer-ready makeover with a healthier spin. 16 of 45 Buttermilk Chicken Tenders with Roasted Potatoes and Green Beans Greg DuPree Recipe: Buttermilk Chicken Tenders with Roasted Potatoes and Green Beans Skip the fast food drive-thru—because this homemade recipe is so much better. 17 of 45 Farmers' Market Pasta Salad Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Farmers' Market Pasta Salad Let your imagination run wild with this pasta salad. Everything from your farmers' market haul is fair game. 18 of 45 Grilled Creole Chicken and Okra Photo: Alison Miksch; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Grilled Creole Chicken and Okra You won't beat this charred Creole dish. Chicken thighs, andouille sausage, and a parade of fresh summer veggies come together for a top-notch dinner. 19 of 45 Chicken Biscuit Sandwiches Victor Protasio; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke Recipe: Chicken Biscuit Sandwiches Buttery biscuits, creamy white barbecue sauce, and tangy slaw complete this slow-cooked chicken recipe. 20 of 45 Sweet-and-Spicy Sheet Pan Chicken with Cauliflower and Carrots Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Sweet-and-Spicy Sheet Pan Chicken with Cauliflower and Carrots This might be the best weeknight supper for summer. The 30-minute sheet pan recipe has a lot of tasty things going on. 21 of 45 Grilled Chicken Salad with Blueberries, Goat Cheese, and Pickled Onion Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Grilled Chicken Salad with Blueberries, Goat Cheese, and Pickled Onion Make your summer work lunch feel fabulously fresh. 22 of 45 One-Pan Chicken with Lemon, Olives, and Artichokes Greg DuPree Recipe: One-Pan Chicken with Lemon, Olives, and Artichokes The whole family will love the bold flavors of this Mediterranean-inspired dish. 23 of 45 Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya Greg DuPree Recipe: Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya This traditional Creole dish will feed a hungry table worn out from fun summer activities. 24 of 45 Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Breasts Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Missie Neville Crawford; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Bacon-Wrapped Chicken Breasts This no-fuss, kid-friendly meal will be your best friend whenever you need a quick family meal. 25 of 45 Oven-Fried Chicken Salad with Buttermilk Ranch Dressing Jennifer Causey; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Oven-Fried Chicken Salad with Buttermilk Ranch Dressing This might be the only salad we want to eat as a dinner main this summer. The oven-baked pecan-and-panko crusted chicken tenders taste like fried chicken—but with much less grease and mess. 26 of 45 Dry-Rubbed Smoked Chicken Wings Jennifer Causey Recipe: Dry-Rubbed Smoked Chicken Wings For these wings, the secret doesn't lie in the sauce. It's all in the dry rub. 27 of 45 Tropical Chicken Lettuce Wraps Photo: Jennifer Causey; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Tropical Chicken Lettuce Wraps Because everyone needs a no-cook summer lunch staple, and this chicken salad with a tropical twist feels more than worthy. 28 of 45 Chicken-and-Collards Pilau Greg Dupree Recipe: Chicken-and-Collards Pilau This one-pot wonder is packed with chicken, sausage, quick-cooking rice, and collards. 29 of 45 Sheet Pan Chicken with Dressing Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Tina Bell Stamos Recipe: Sheet Pan Chicken with Dressing The best part of this sheet pan supper: The addition of crusty, toasty chunks of cornbread. 30 of 45 Chicken Salad-Stuffed Tomatoes Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Chicken Salad-Stuffed Tomatoes Juicy summer tomatoes are the stars of this main dish. 31 of 45 Curried Chicken Thighs with Charred-Vegetable Rice Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Audrey Davis; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall Recipe: Curried Chicken Thighs with Charred-Vegetable Rice It's hard to beat crispy chicken thighs with rice. 32 of 45 Slow-Cooker Chicken Lettuce Cups Alison Miksch; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham Recipes: Slow-Cooker Chicken Lettuce Cups Everyone loves a cold salad during the summer, and you can make it even healthier by skipping the bread for lettuce cups. 33 of 45 Buffalo Chicken Casserole Caitlin Bensel, Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Styling: Audrey Davis Recipe: Buffalo Chicken Casserole This recipe will be your favorite summer casserole recipe, hands down. 34 of 45 Chicken Stir-Fry Greg Dupree Recipe: Chicken Stir-Fry This stir-fry only takes ten minutes. Customize it with your most loved summer veggies. 35 of 45 Braised Chicken Thighs with Carrots and Lemons Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Braised Chicken Thighs with Carrots and Lemons Sweet carrots and tangy lemons take simple braised chicken to tasty new heights. 36 of 45 Cast-Iron Chicken Piccata Greg Dupree Recipe: Cast-Iron Chicken Piccata This quick and easy chicken piccata recipe is a summer hostess' secret weapon. 37 of 45 Double-Crust Chicken Pot Pies Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Double-Crust Chicken Pot Pies There's no season that doesn't deserve at least one appearance of chicken pot pie. These individual pies will be a surefire hit. 38 of 45 Lemon-Rosemary-Garlic Chicken and Potatoes Becky Luigart Stayner Recipe: Lemon-Rosemary-Garlic Chicken and Potatoes Garlic, lemon, and rosemary—a delicious trio in the kitchen and a dynamic pairing in this summer chicken dish. 39 of 45 Country Captain Chicken Photo: Greg DuPree; Prop Styling: Mindi Shapiro Levine; Food Styling: Torie Cox Recipe: Country Captain Chicken This fragrant dish is packed with fresh vegetables for an absolutely irresistible flavor. 40 of 45 Snappy Smothered Chicken William Dickey Recipe: Snappy Smothered Chicken Wide egg noodles and juicy chicken cooked to perfection come together in this meal to create a dish you'll make again and again. 41 of 45 Mama's Fried Chicken Southern Living Recipe: Mama's Fried Chicken Behold: our best-ever fried chicken recipe of all time. It's great anytime of year, but we love it on a Southern summer day. 42 of 45 Crispy Chicken with Rice and Pan Gravy Hector Manuel Sanchez Recipe: Crispy Chicken with Rice and Pan Gravy Easy-to-make pan gravy tops this summer chicken dish for a deliciously rich flavor. 43 of 45 Pan-Grilled Chicken with Fresh Plum Salsa Photo: Jennifer Davick Recipe: Pan-Grilled Chicken with Fresh Plum Salsa Spicy meets sweet in this fresh plum salsa spooned over seasoned, pan-grilled chicken. 44 of 45 Chicken-and-Wild Rice Skillet Casserole Hector Sanchez Recipe: Chicken-and-Wild Rice Skillet Casserole Fresh vegetables and wild rice come together in this one-pan chicken dish perfect for feeding a summer crowd. 45 of 45 Herb-Grilled Chicken Southern Living Recipe: Herb-Grilled Chicken Use your favorite summer herbs to season this grilled chicken to perfection. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit