You may or may not know this about me, but I love to grill. There’s just something about it that a) makes me want a cold beer in my hand b) reminds me that spring or summer is here [or at least on its way] c) makes me feel like I can conquer the world. Remember when I made these grilled flaming cheese kabobs? Regardless of if my hair caught on fire or not during the making of those [spoiler alert, it did] by the time they were done and I was devouring every skewer, I felt very very accomplished [with crispy hair to show for it].

I thought it would be fun and maybe a little empowering [you, yes YOU, can grill] to bring you a recipe or four over the next couple of months that inspire and give you the confidence to light things up and master the art of grilling. It’s much easier than you may think and after you do it a time or two, you’ll be a pro in no time, I have complete confidence. With anything, I strongly believe that if I can do it, you can too.

A few things to note before we jump into today’s recipe. When it comes to my comfort level with grilling, I’m a gas girl all the way. While we have a charcoal grill, using that is like speaking another language and requires something I don’t have [patience]. I much prefer to be able to push a button, turn a knob and have flames in seconds. My husband just bought this Weber Grill for the cabin and yesterday we broke it in for the first time. It was super simple to operate and doesn’t take up much garage space so we’ll call it a double win.

The key[s] to good grilling in my opinion are:

1. Seasonings and more seasonings. While in today’s recipe I only used salt and pepper for my meat, don’t be afraid to play around with spices and rubs. You’ll see some I linked below in the widget that you can try! My favorite seasonings are Traeger brand which you can peek at here!

2. Monitoring the meat. You don’t want to overcook and char your items so bad that you no longer recognize them. Nothing brings me more joy than flipping the meat on the grill [but don’t over-flip, you’ll lose some of those precious juices]. And I just said “precious juices” in a blog post. Anyhow. The key to good grilling is to keep the flipping to a minimum [if you can get away with flipping your meat only once, that’s preferred]. Grab yourself a glass of something good and enjoy your time outside while your items are grilling. Open the grill occasionally [but not too often, the heat will escape quickly!] and just take a gander at them. It’s no different than cooking your meat on the stove or the oven, you’re a woman with good judgement, you’ve got this.

3. Have the proper tools handy! It’s no different than a construction worker without his tool belt, you need to be prepared to handle the job. We just bought this highly rated set from Amazon and it has what you’ll need. I also added some fun grilling accessories at the bottom of this post that you can flip through from s’mores baskets [yes, you can make s’mores on the grill], to baked potato bakers, pizza stones, kabob baskets and more. The more equipped you are, the more fun you’ll have.

4. Experiment and have fun! If it’s food, there is a good chance it can be grilled. We love grilling not just meat, but veggies, potatoes, fruits [have you ever had grilled peaches? WITH ICE CREAM ON TOP. YUM] and the list goes on! To prove my point, I’m bringing you today’s recipe — this Grilled Chicken & Avocado salad where I grilled not just the chicken but avocado and corn as well! Let’s jump in!

Print

Grilled Chicken & Avocado Southwest Salad

Course Salad

Servings 2

Ingredients

• 4 Boneless skinless chicken tenders
• 4 cups Green Leaf Lettuce
• 2 Avocados
• 1 Corn on the Cob leave in husk
• 1 Tomato, chopped
• 1/4 cup Black Beans
• 2 Tbsp Chopped Onions
• 2 Tbsp Chopped Cilantro
• 1 Lime, quartered
• Shredded Cheese
• Tortilla Strips
• Salad Dressing of Choice [I recommend Sriracha Ranch!]

Instructions

1. Fire up the grill and let heat to 400 degrees! While the grill preheats, clean and chop your veggies - onion, cilantro, tomato and lime.

2. Once the grill is heated up, add your corn on the cob in the husk to the grill, turning occasionally for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, season the chicken tenders with salt and pepper. Place on the grill, flipping occasionally until cooked through, roughly 12-15 minutes.

3. Cut your avocados in half, removing the pit. Place the avocado cut side down on the grill and let sit for 4-6 minutes.

4. Once your chicken, corn and avocado are done, remove from the grill! Cut your corn off of the cob, peel the avocado skin off your avocado, slice your chicken tenders and pile on top of your lettuce. Add the additional toppings and squirt with lime.

5. Add your salad dressing of choice! I recommend Sriracha Ranch for a kick or Lime Vinaigrette, but use whatever dressing speaks your love language the most! Enjoy!

what your avocados will look like once you flip – a real beaut, aren’t they?

And for the finished product — yum.

Erin Schrader

Founder and creator of LIY, Erin turned her dream of a hobby blog into a full-time career which she now runs alongside the LIY team! When not in front of her computer screen [with a La Croix or wine in hand] or in front of a mirror taking mirror selfies, you can find Erin spending time on the water, cuddled up with her two pups and husband most likely watching the latest Shark Tank episode, or getting lost in an easy beach read.