Budget-Friendly Grilling Recipes

Updated April 23, 2009
Credit: Kate Sears

Serve a delicious meal on the cheap with these grilled main dishes that all cost less than $2 per serving.

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Santa Fe Grilled Chicken Soft Tacos

Credit: Andrew McCaul; Styling: Lynn Miller

Santa Fe Grilled Chicken Soft Tacos Recipe

Coat chicken breast halves in a spicy mixture of chili powder, cumin, and crushed red pepper, grill, and serve in flour tortillas. Top with your favorite taco toppings—lettuce, tomato, cheese, cilantro—for a one-dish Mexican meal.

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Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce

Credit: Ryan Benyi

Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce Recipe

Marinate chicken in a coconut milk-curry powder mixture and serve with a spicy peanut sauce for an easy and economical Indonesian-style grilled main dish.

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Grilled Jamaican Jerked Drumsticks

Credit: Ryan Benyi; Styling: Lynn Miller

Grilled Jamaican Jerked Drumsticks Recipe

Make your own Jamaican jerk seasoning in a food processor by combining onion, jalapeño pepper, garlic, ginger, allspice and sugar. Add orange juice to make a marinade for these island-style grilled chicken drumsticks.

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Burger Sliders

Burger Sliders Recipe

These cute mini-burgers are served on dinner rolls and are a great idea for a casual summer buffet supper.

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Grilled Chicken Skewers

Grilled Chicken Skewers Recipe

Buy boneless, skinless chicken breasts when they're on sale and keep them in your freezer until you're ready to grill. All you need to add is olive oil, salt, and pepper.

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Lamb Kebabs with Yogurt Sauce

Lamb Kebabs with Yogurt Sauce Recipe

You don't have to buy quite as much meat when that meat is sharing space on the skewer with fresh veggies. Plus, fresh summer produce is generally easy on the wallet.

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Sausages with Warm Potato Salad

Sausages with Warm Potato Salad Recipe

Grilling sausages takes them to a whole new level of flavor, and serving them with the tangy warm potato salad makes this an inexpensive one-dish meal.

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Grilled Marinated Flank Steak

Grilled Marinated Flank Steak Recipe

Flank steak is one of the more inexpensive cuts of beef, and all you need to do to add flavor is marinate the steak in a simple mixture of fresh rosemary and some common pantry staples like soy sauce and honey.

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Barbecue Chicken

Barbecue Chicken Recipe

Thighs and drumsticks are often cheaper than breasts, making this a budget-friendly barbecue choice. The spice rub is a mixture of spices you probably already have in your pantry.

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Home of the Brave BBQ Chicken

Home of the Brave BBQ Chicken Recipe

Instead of buying packaged chicken pieces, save money and cut up the chicken yourself.

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Asian Grilled Pork

Asian Grilled Pork Recipe

Center-cut pork chops are usually less expensive than pork tenderloin. Add Asian-style flavor with soy sauce, lime juice, garlic, and powdered ginger.

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Beef Burgers

Beef Burgers Recipe

Combine budget-friendly ground chuck with chopped onion, celery, and parsley for the burger patties. Because ground chuck has more fat than extra-lean ground beef, you don't have to worry about the patties sticking to the grill.

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Beef Kebabs with Orange Glaze

Beef Kebabs with Orange Glaze Recipe

Save money by making beef kebabs with boneless sirloin instead of beef tenderloin. You can whip up the orange sauce with on-hand ingredients such as orange juice concentrate, soy sauce, and mustard.

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Grilled Sausages with Mixed-Pepper Compote

Grilled Sausages with Mixed-Pepper Compote Recipe

Serve grilled chicken, turkey, or pork sausages, serve on hot dog buns, and top with Mixed-Pepper Compote—a mixture of bell peppers and onions seasoned with garlic, chili powder and Italian seasoning. This recipe makes 12 servings, so it’s great for summer entertaining.

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Grilled Spiced Pork Patties with Greens

Credit: Kate Sears

Grilled Spiced Pork Patties with Greens Recipe

Grilled pork patties make for a filling meal when paired with a delicious green salad. Don't miss the tasty dipping sauce!

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