20 Summer Chicken Recipes that Make the Most of In-Season Produce (2024)

Take full advantage of seasonal produce with these summer chicken recipes. Fire up the grill, whip up a quick sauté, or enjoy a fresh salad with chicken and ingredients from your garden. No matter what you make first, these summer chicken dinner recipes will become instant favorites.

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Zucchini, Summer Squash, and Chicken Salad

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Zucchini and summer squash are essential warm weather ingredients. Grab them fresh from your local farmers market and serve with sweet corn and cherry tomatoes. This chicken breast summer squash recipe is simple, fresh, and colorful—everything you want on a warm summer night.

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Basil, Chicken, and Tomatoes

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Six ingredients and 20 minutes—that's all you'll need to make this easy summer chicken recipe. The stars of this plate (alongside the chicken, of course) are fresh summer tomatoes and a generous handful of basil leaves.

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Grilled Chicken with Blueberry-Tarragon Sauce

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It's grilling season! This summer chicken thigh recipe develops a smoky flavor on the grill, then gets topped with a fresh blueberry and red wine sauce. Serve zucchini noodles with tarragon on the side for a healthy summer side dish.

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Super Simple Peachy Barbecue Chicken

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This is one of the best summer chicken recipes to serve when you're craving barbecue. It's a new take on an old tradition: Barbecue sauce gets mixed with peach preserves to create a sweet and tangy sauce. Serve with fresh peach slices and make sure you don't leave any sauce on your plate.

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Chicken with Basil Sauce and Cucumber-Radish Salad

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When you're in the mood for light and refreshing, this summer chicken breast recipe delivers. It's cooked in a skillet, but you could easily grill it if you're in the mood for something smoky. While it cooks, stir together crème fraîche, mustard, and fresh basil for a side sauce, and serve with cucumbers, radishes, and sprouts.

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Chicken, Spinach, and Pasta Salad

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Not your usual pasta salad, this easy summer chicken recipe combines penne pasta with fresh mushrooms, spinach, basil, and tomatoes. Rather than a creamy dressing, toss everything with a homemade balsamic vinaigrette. You can serve this yummy dish as a main meal when you want something light, or whip it up as a hearty side for a crowd at your next cookout.

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Plank-Smoked Chicken with Grilled Corn Relish

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Grilling chicken on oak or hickory planks helps create extra smoke (which means more flavor) and prevents the chicken from overcooking so it stays nice and juicy. Flavored with hot pepper sauce, this summer chicken recipe is just the thing to cook when you need a little spice. Serve with a grilled sweet corn relish to highlight another summer favorite.

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Grilled Chicken with Watermelon Glaze

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It's not truly summer until you have fresh watermelon, and this chicken recipe puts the melon to work as a flavorful glaze. Brush on some sweet glaze while the chicken is on the grill, then save the remaining glaze to drizzle on after the chicken is done. Serve with a fresh watermelon salad or a few slices on the side.

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Jerk Chicken and Slaw

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Spicy jerk chicken is served alongside an easy-to-make slaw of pineapple, baby bok choy, and red cabbage. Depending on what you're in the mood for, you can serve this summer chicken breast recipe a few ways. If you just need a quick meal (or if you want to reinvent the leftovers), try slicing the chicken and serving it on a tortilla with the slaw on top.

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Thai Chicken Tacos

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It's time for Thai! Fresh veggies such as cabbage, carrots, and cilantro temper the heat of these Thai-inspired tacos. This easy summer chicken recipe gets its spice from crushed red pepper and a dash of hot chili sauce.

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Parmesan-Stuffed Chicken and Melted Strawberries

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Stuffed with fresh basil and Parmesan cheese, and baked in a tangy strawberry-jam mixture, chicken goes from ordinary to irresistible. A full three cups of fresh strawberries give this summer chicken breast recipe its warm-weather flavors. Chiffonade more fresh basil and sprinkle on top just before serving to brighten up the dish even more and create an elegant presentation.

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Fresh Corn and Chicken Chowder

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Even in summer, sometimes a bowl of chowder just hits the spot. Filled with fresh, seasonal produce like sweet corn and bell pepper, this chowder recipe is warm-weather comfort food at its finest. You can make this a summer chicken thigh recipe if you like dark meat, or choose to stick with traditional chicken breast.

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Skillet Chicken Salad Pitas

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Chicken marinated in Asian sweet chili sauce, and combined with fresh veggies and a creamy dressing, makes a delicious filling for toasted pita bread. This easy summer chicken recipe is great for a hearty lunch, and even better to take on a picnic. The toppings are up to you, but you can't go wrong with fresh lettuce and sliced sweet peppers.

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Chicken with Summer Squash

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This summer chicken recipe takes just 25 minutes, and it's all thanks to one shortcut. Prepared rotisserie chicken is a quick way to achieve home-style cooking—just quarter the chicken and serve it on a bed of sautéed squash, cherry tomatoes, and arugula (or spinach) leaves. This summer feast will look like it took hours (but you don't have to reveal your secret).

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Veggie Wraps with Chicken

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These light wraps make the most of garden-fresh veggies. Grilled chicken breast adds healthful, filling protein, while dried tomato pesto makes a flavorful spread. If you want to speed this easy summer chicken recipe along, use leftover (or purchased) grilled chicken.

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Chicken and Asparagus Skillet Supper

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Asparagus, squash, and green onion offer a twist to this simple chicken and bacon combo. While this summer chicken thigh recipe cooks in the skillet, microwave the asparagus and summer squash together. It's a quick way to get them fork-tender without needing to heat up another pan.

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Triple-Mango Chicken

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Chunks of juicy tropical fruit and thinly sliced zucchini freshen up quick and easy grilled chicken. This summer chicken breast recipe uses mango in three ways to create tropical flavor—fresh mango, juice, and chutney. The result is a delicious blend of savory and sweet that always satisfies in summer.

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Chicken with Lime and Avocado Salsa

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A simple-to-make salsa of fresh avocado, tomato, red onion, jalapeño pepper, lime juice, and cilantro jazzes up grilled chicken cutlets. If you want to cook this summer chicken recipe year-round, just use a grill pan. Otherwise, you can add a little smokiness by tossing it on your grill.

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Chicken-Pineapple Fajitas

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Turn chicken fajitas into an easy summer chicken recipe just by switching up the toppers. Juicy pineapple and colorful peppers brighten classic chicken fajitas. The best part of this simple recipe is that it's ready to eat in just 20 minutes.

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Pan-Fried Chicken with Tomato Jam

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This flavorful stovetop chicken, topped with a plum-tomato jam, makes an ideal weeknight supper. Dredge this summer chicken dinner recipe in flour and buttermilk before pan-frying to give it just a hint of crispy crust. Wilted spinach and creamy polenta make it a satisfying meal.