Hot summer nights, trying to keep your house cool, watching the kids run through the sprinkler, it’s time to find something to make quickly for dinner. This is the perfect time to get outside and use the grill! My husband and I have never adventured in grilling much past buying store prepared burgers, brats, or hot dogs. This year we wanted to try some new recipes and get more use out of our grill.

Here are 5 easy grill recipes my family loved:

1. Peach-Barbequed Chicken

From the Char-Broil Great Book of Grilling

This was one of the first recipes we tried. It is super simple, with only 4 ingredients, and ready to eat in under 20 minutes.

• 4 boneless chicken breasts
• 1/3 cup peach or apricot preserves
• 2 tsp. onion salt
• 3 Tbsp. barbeque sauce

Cover chicken with 1 tsp. onion salt. Mix the remaining onion salt with other ingredients in a bowl. Grill chicken over medium heat, for 15-20 minutes. Flip and brush chicken with peach barbeque sauce repeatedly, until fully cooked.

2. Bacon Ranch Cheddar Burgers

Cheese and bacon, are seriously my husband’s two favorite ingredients to add to a burger.

3. Philly Cheese Steak Foil Dinner

We tried this recipe this week and can’t wait to try it again. The recipe actually provides instructions for cooking in the oven, but at the bottom there is a note that provides cooking times for on the grill. 1 out of my 2 kids even ate this dinner. (I consider that a win!)

4. Grilled Pineapple with Brown Sugar

Pineapple is one of my favorite treats in the summer, grilling it gives a whole new flavor.

5. Cheese and Pepper Stuffed Chicken

This was the first recipe I’ve ever used to stuff chicken breasts. Since this recipe easily transitions to the oven it has become a staple at our house.

Finally, here are two more recipes I’m still hoping to try this summer! These foil pack recipes make for easy grilling and minimal clean up, my favorite kind of dinner. 

• Grilled Pineapple Chicken Foil Packs

• Shrimp Boil Foil Packs

Testing out new recipes has not resulted in perfect meals this summer. There has definitely been some trial and error. For instance, we failed our attempt at grilled parmesan zucchini. I think we put too few into a tin foil pack and it burned, turned into mushy tar. (I’ll save you guys and not share that photo). Some nights we’ve ended up eating some quick PB&Js, and that’s ok.

What I recommend if you’re trying new grill recipes is to have a good meat thermometer, a grill brush/scraper, and a grill safe glove. We even bought some non-stick grill toppers from target that are great for cooking fruit, vegetables, or meat that may fall apart. Also, don’t forget to read this post about grill safety.

I hope your family has found a new recipe to try for dinner! Enjoy your time outside before the weather turns cold again!

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