Fast-and-Easy Grilling Recipes | Midwest Living

Fast-and-Easy Grilling Recipes

Grilled steak, chicken, fish, hamburgers, vegetables, pizza, even dessert—great flavor is as close as your backyard grill.

Sesame Grilled Chicken

A lively ginger marinade flavors chicken pieces on their way to the grill. The recipe is a backyard favorite from Linda Taylor of West Des Moines.

Sesame Grilled Chicken

Tags:
Grilling, Summer, Summer recipes, Steak, Beef, Chicken, Hamburger, Main Dishes, Pork

Spiced Chicken with Cucumber-Mint Sauce

East Indian garam-masala blend seasons this grilled chicken, giving off an enticing aroma as it cooks. Creamy Cucumber-Mint Sauce adds a cool touch to the spiced chicken.

Spiced Chicken with Cucumber-Mint Sauce

Grilled Sirloin Kabobs with Zesty Top City Sauce

Joann Gough-Stallbaumer of Topeka uses Kansas top sirloin steak and a horseradish-mayo dipping sauce in her recipe, one of the finalists at Midwest Living's first Best of the Midwest cook-off.

Grilled Sirloin Kabobs with Zesty Top City Sauce

Mango-Barbecue Fish Tacos

Fresh fruit and bottled barbecue sauce lend sassy sweetness to low-cal, vitamin-rich grilled fish tacos.

Mango-Barbecue Fish Tacos

Chinese Five-Spice Marinated Pork Satay

Although it sounds like it would be burn-your-mouth-hot, the five-spice powder in this fall comfort food is actually a mild blend that commonly consists of star anise, anise seed, cloves, cinnamon and ginger.

Chinese Five-Spice Marinated Pork Satay

Peppery Grilled Steak With Tomatoes

Our steak's peppery rub and a topping of juicy tomatoes make a colorful and flavorful main dish. Serve with a baked sweet potato or our Grilled Sweet Potato Wedges.

Peppery Grilled Steak With Tomatoes

Terrific Teriyaki Burgers

Soy sauce, garlic and ginger add a touch of Asian flavor to the all-American hamburger. The recipe comes from a West Des Moines, Iowa, reader. Serve along with Neighbor-Pleasing Baked Potato Salad -- a hot-from-the-oven specialty loaded with cheese, olives and bacon.

Terrific Teriyaki Burgers

Neighbor-Pleasing Baked Potato Salad

More Great Burger Recipes

Grilled Fish with Moroccan Vinaigrette

This recipe comes from Bill Dugan, who runs the popular FishGuy Market in Chicago. He grills fish over coals or tucks it into a foil packet to grill. (You'll get more grilled flavor with the direct method, but the foil packet makes for easy cleanup.) We like the fish with a good squeeze of lemon, served over greens and couscous.

Grilled Fish with Moroccan Vinaigrette

Marinated Pork Tenderloin

Marinated pork tenderloin makes a perfect company-special grilled meat. It's lean, cooks fast and tastes great.

Marinated Pork Tenderloin

Ribs made easy

When we say easy, we mean it! With our foolproof technique, you don't need fancy gear or secret spices. See our "Ribs Made Easy" story for step-by-step instructions, and check out our recipes for All-Purpose Rib Rub and Chipotle BBQ Sauce.

Ribs Made Easy

All-Purpose Rib Rub

Chipotle BBQ Sauce

Grilled Banana Split Sundae

If you've never had dessert off the grill, this recipe from Chicago grilling expert Elizabeth Karmel is a great place to start. Grilling softens the sweet bananas that are absolutely irresistible when topped with hot fudge sauce. Cook the bananas on the grill over low coals left after making the main dish.

Grilled Banana Split Sundae

Sesame Grilled Chicken

A lively ginger marinade flavors chicken pieces on their way to the grill. The recipe is a backyard favorite from Linda Taylor of West Des Moines.

Sesame Grilled Chicken

Boston Lettuce Stacks with Grilled Peaches, Feta and Pecans

This easy summer salad pairs the textures and flavors of buttery, slightly sweet and crisp Boston lettuce with grilled warm peaches and crunchy nuts.

Boston Lettuce Stacks with Grilled Peaches, Feta and Pecans

Pork Patties with Tangy-Sweet Barbecue Sauce

Brush sweet homemade barbecue sauce on meats while grilling, or serve it as a condiment. The sauce recipe comes from Paul Bernhard of Bancroft, Iowa, who served grilled pork chops for years to hungry bicyclists crossing Iowa on the annual RAGBRAI bicycle ride.

Pork Patties with Tangy-Sweet Barbecue Sauce

Honey-Bourbon Salmon

Marinate the fish in bourbon, brown sugar, honey, soy sauce, ginger and pepper, then grill.

Honey-Bourbon Salmon

Chicken Shish Kabobs

An easy marinade gives this grilled entree a pleasant lemon-pepper flavor. The recipe was inspired by the kabobs served at Al-Ameer restaurant in Dearborn, Michigan. Try serving with tabbouleh, a traditional Middle Eastern grain side-dish.

Chicken Shish Kabobs

Tabbouleh

Peppery T-Bones and Chili Corn

Serve this grilled steak-and-corn-on-the-cob duo with your favorite warm or cold potato salad.

Peppery T-Bones and Chili Corn

Grilled Sweet Onions

Onions wrapped in foil steam to juicy perfection when cooked on your grill. The recipe comes from a Naperville, Illinois reader, who says the onions "turn out very tender and sweet."

Grilled Sweet Onions

Porketta Roast

Garlic and fennel flavor this dish with northern Minnesota heritage.

Porketta Roast

Spicy Chicken Wings with Blue Cheese Dressing

These succulent chicken wings might disappear as fast as you can grill them. The recipe comes from Danny Edwards Famous Kansas City BBQ, formerly Li'l Jake's Eat It and Beat It. The tiny, no-frills eatery has served weekday lunch crowds in Kansas City for more than two decades.

Spicy Chicken Wings with Blue Cheese Dressing

Hot-Off-The-Grill Tropical Treat

Looking for an informal yet special summer dish? Surprise your guests with this sweet fruit hot-off-the grill. Fresh pineapple slices get brushed with a nicely-spiced lime and honey sauce.

Hot-Off-The-Grill Tropical Treat

Grilled Salmon with Pistachio-Basil Butter

A mixture of fresh basil, pistachios, lime juice, garlic and butter tops easy grilled salmon. Store leftover pistachio-basil butter in your refrigerator for up to a week; toss with hot pasta or spread on toasted French bread.

Grilled Salmon with Pistachio-Basil Butter

Grilled Pork with Cranberry Chutney

This sweet-and-savory recipe features a Circle B Ranch product called Marina's Cranberry Chutney. Buy it at circlebranch.com or just substitute another chutney.

Grilled Pork with Cranberry Chutney

Grilled Behemoth Drumsticks

Many Midwest state fairs serve this fun portable food with a medieval twist.

Grilled Behemoth Drumsticks

Basil-Stuffed Steak

The recipe for this thick, herb-infused sirloin steak comes from a Hutchinson, Kansas, reader. She won a prize in Wichita's Kansas Beef Cook-off with this meal.

Basil-Stuffed Steak

Lemony-Soy Herbed Pork Tenderloins with Rice Pilaf

Wayne Santi of LaGrange, Illinois, cooks gourmet food on the go for cyclists on RAGBRAI, the Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa. He's made these two recipes for the ride. "The lemon-oregano flavor with the meat's juices cannot be beat," Wayne says. He uses the rub and soy-sauce marinade on chicken, too

Vegetables and seasonings give the rice side dish a boost of flavor. "I was once told that rice has no rules, except 'Don't overcook,'" Wayne says.

Lemony-Soy Herbed Pork Tenderloins with Rice Pilaf

Pineapple with Watermelon Salsa

Diners at 40 Sardines in Overland Park, Kansas, are in for a pleasant surprise when they choose this dessert. Chef/owner Debbie Gold says, "The tanginess of the pineapple and the subtle flavor of watermelon mixed with the smokiness of the grill brings a great sensation to the palate."

Pineapple with Watermelon Salsa

Citrus Pesto Tuna with Fennel-Tangerine Salad

How do you improve on grilled marinated tuna? At Weber Grill Restaurant in Chicago, warm tuna might be served with a fresh citrus salad.

Citrus Pesto Tuna

Caramel Apple-Pie Grilled Pizza

We used frozen puff pastry for this sweet pizza. The dessert has a flaky, buttery crust topped with apples and cinnamon. Try serving it warm with caramel sauce and ice cream.

Caramel Apple-Pie Grilled Pizza

Pesto Rosemary Skewered Baby Potatoes and Carrots

Veggie kabobs are a fun way to serve summer vegetables. Rosemary makes a fancy skewer for baby potatoes and carrots, but you can use metal or wooden skewers, if you prefer.

Pesto Rosemary Skewered Baby Potatoes and Carrots

Cajun Turkey Steaks

Cajun seasoning, taco seasoning and red pepper add zest to marinated turkey tenderloin steaks.

Cajun Turkey Steaks

Sweet and Spicy Caribbean BBQ Sauce

Cookbook author Nina Swan-Kohler created this sauce recipe to remind her of the Caribbean flavors she enjoyed while living in Trinidad and Tobago after college. Brush the sauce on beef, chicken or pork.

Sweet and Spicy Caribbean BBQ Sauce

Short Ribs with Molasses-Beer Barbecue Sauce

Molasses and mustard perk up bottled barbecue sauce for this beef main dish from former Iowa governor Tom Vilsack.

Short Ribs with Molasses-Beer Barbecue Sauce

Grilled Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

Serve this thin-sliced beef on baguette slices for an appetizer or on hearty whole-grain bread for a sandwich. Chicago grilling expert Elizabeth Karmel says it's also delicious without bread, just topped with the sauce.

Grilled Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce

Chateau Chicken Sandwich

Grilled chicken always adds flavor to a sandwich. Pounding the chicken helps it cook faster.

Serve the chicken on a warm, toasted roll with a sauce made of apple jelly or hot pepper jelly, chili sauce, vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce and chili powder. Cheese, bacon and tomato slices complete the hearty sandwich.

Chateau Chicken Sandwich

Grilled Squash and More

Brush Italian dressing on squash, onion and mushrooms for a zesty herbed-vinegar coating.

Grilled Squash and More

Governor's Easy Grilled Chicken

An easy marinade seasoned with Italian herbs and garlic makes this chicken a favorite of former Wisconsin governor Tommy Thompson.

Governor's Easy Grilled Chicken

Colorful Kabobs

Marinate cubed beef or chicken overnight in a mixture of barbecue sauce, vinegar, steak sauce and spices. Grill with onions, mushrooms, zucchini or peppers.

Colorful Kabobs

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