When it comes to summer cookouts, the main dish might get all the attention, but let’s be honest, it’s the BBQ side dishes that everyone piles onto their plate. From creamy classics like potato salad and baked beans to fresh, vibrant salads, the right sides turn a good BBQ into an unforgettable one.

Whether you’re hosting a backyard cookout or bringing a dish to share, these are the most popular BBQ side dishes that people actually want to eat.

The Classics (Absolute Must-Haves)

These are the tried-and-true BBQ side dishes that show up at every cookout and for good reason! They’re nostalgic, crowd-pleasing, and basically expected at any summer gathering.

This quick and simple recipe for creamy baked peach chicken is perfect for a busy weeknight. With the sweet and tangy flavors of fresh peaches and tender chicken, it’s sure to become a family favorite. 

While I was working on our roasted peach chicken recipe, I kept thinking that a creamy baked version would be so good! So I set to work on testing a creamy peach chicken recipe and this is it! It is so delicious and a perfect way to use those juicy summer peaches! We pan sear the chicken first and then let it finish cooking in the oven. It’s so easy!

Last year we ordered our first box of peaches from Pearson Farm, and we will be doing that from now on! Peach season is so short here in Utah and those sweet Georgia peaches are so dang good!

Now don’t get me wrong, I am allllllll about using peaches in sweet dessert recipes! Those are some of absolute faves! Our peach crisp is phenomenal! Then there are the peach cobbler and peach dumplings. I could go on and on, but there is something so unexpectedly delightful about peaches in a savory dish. The peaches really shine in this creamy peach chicken recipe!

Ingredients for Creamy Peach Chicken

This recipe requires ingredients for a chicken marinade, a roasting sauce and a dry chicken rub. There is nothing too fancy or complicated, but everything combined is so tasty. Here is everything you will need:

• Chicken Breasts: We prefer to use bone-in and skin-on chicken breasts for maximum flavor, but often end up using boneless skinless chicken breasts for ease.
• Marinade: Peach Preserves and Heavy Cream
• Roasting Sauce: White Wine Vinegar, Thyme (fresh or dried), Dijon Mustard, Olive Oil, Shallots, Garlic, Sea Salt, Black Pepper and Peaches
• Dry Rub: Chili Powder, Smoked Paprika, Cinnamon, Salt and Pepper

The measurements needed for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

How to Make Creamy Peach Chicken

If you’re looking for a quick and easy weeknight dinner, then add this chicken recipe to your menu this week! It is full of flavor and simple to make. Here is your step by step guide for making the recipe:

1. Marinate: Add the peach preserves, cream and chicken to a ziploc bag and squish to combine. Let the chicken marinate in the fridge for at least an hour, up to overnight.
2. Prep: When you’re ready to cook it, pull the chicken out of the marinade and save the marinade. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and pat the chicken breasts dry.
3. Rub: Combine all the ingredients for the rub in a small bowl and stir to combine. Rub the chicken all over with the rub mixture.
4. Make the Sauce: Whisk all the ingredients for the sauce together in a separate bowl and set aside.
5. Sear: Heat a large cast

Creamy ranch dressing meets crisp vegetables and tender bites of pasta in this Ranch Pasta Salad. It’s a cool, easy dinner to beat the heat, and with a total prep and cook time of 20 minutes, it’s my kind of summer meal.

This simple pasta salad has already been made several times this summer, especially when I’ve happened to have several of the ingredients already prepped. (If you happen to have some homemade ranch salad dressing already, you can substitute half cup of ranch dressing for the dressing ingredients listed below, making this meal even easier to pull together!)

Ranch Pasta Salad

Pasta salads have been frequent favorites on our dinner table for years now. They’re hearty enough to be a meal on their own, and they also pair well with almost any entree for a heartier meal.

My whole family loves the bacon ranch pasta salad that I’ve been making for years now. It is a seriously hearty pasta salad – definitely a meal on its own. But for this salad, I wanted that ranch flavor we love, but I wanted to keep the salad a bit lighter and fill it with crunchy fresh vegetables.

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These s’mores cookies are everything I love about a summer campfire wrapped up in one ridiculously good cookie. They’re packed with graham crackers, melty chocolate, and gooey marshmallows tucked right inside.

I’m a perfectly golden, never burned marshmallow girl. If my marshmallow catches fire, we’re starting over. I didn’t wait all year for camping season to eat charcoal. My family grew up camping. It’s what we did in the summer, in the backyard, girls camp and boys camp, and for spring break.

My mom is an amazing camper and can bust out the most amazing Dutch oven, campfire, reflector oven and even tin foil dinners. But the real star of the show was always dessert. Her peach cobbler in a Dutch oven is still one of the best things ever about my childhood, but right up there with it is a good s’more. Nowadays I’m not super into s’mores but put it in a cookie and I’m allllll over it!

Ingredients You’ll Need

These easy s’mores cookies are made with all the classic campfire ingredients—graham crackers, chocolate, and gooey marshmallows—plus a few baking staples for the perfect soft and chewy texture.

• Flour: Creates the structure and chewy texture of the cookies.
• Crushed Graham Crackers: Add that classic s’mores flavor and a hint of honey sweetness.
• Baking Soda: Helps the cookies spread and bake up soft.
• Baking Powder: Gives the cookies a little lift and tenderness.
• Cornstarch: Keeps the cookies extra soft and chewy.
• Salt: Balances the sweetness and enhances all the flavors.
• Unsalted Butter: Adds rich flavor and creates tender cookies.
• Brown Sugar: Adds moisture and a subtle caramel flavor.
• Granulated Sugar: Sweetens the cookies and helps create lightly crisp edges.
• Egg: Binds the ingredients together and adds richness.
• Vanilla: Enhances the chocolate and graham cracker flavors.
• Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips: Add melty chocolate in every bite.
• Hershey’s Bar: Delivers that classic campfire s’mores chocolate flavor.
• Large Marshmallows: Create a gooey, melty center inside each cookie.
• Whole Graham Crackers: Form the perfect crunchy base and complete the s’mores experience.

This Asian chicken marinade is the easiest way to make juicy, flavorful chicken at home. It’s sweet, savory, and packed with bold flavor from simple ingredients like soy sauce, honey, garlic, and ginger.

Whether you’re grilling, baking, or meal prepping, this easy marinade transforms a simple chicken breast into something incredibly delicious. This is the marinade we use when we want guaranteed juicy, flavorful chicken every time.

Why You’ll Love This Asian Chicken Marinade

• Made with simple pantry ingredients
• Sweet, savory, and perfectly balanced
• Works for grilling, baking, or stovetop
• Great for meal prep and freezer meals
• Makes chicken incredibly juicy and tender

Ingredients for Asian Chicken Marinade

You’ll find most of these ingredients already in your pantry or refrigerator…

• Ground Ginger: Adds warm, slightly sweet spice and classic Asian-inspired flavor to the marinade.
• Ground Pepper: Brings a subtle heat and depth that balances the sweetness of the sauce.
• Onion Powder: Adds savory, slightly sweet onion flavor without any texture.
• Garlic: Fresh garlic gives bold, aromatic flavor that deepens as the marinade cooks.
• Sweet Chili Sauce: Adds a touch of sweetness with mild heat and helps create that sticky, glossy finish.
• Soy Sauce: Provides salty, umami-rich flavor that forms the base of the marinade.
• Balsamic Vinegar: Adds tangy sweetness and helps balance the richness of the sauce.
• Honey: Brings natural sweetness and helps the sauce caramelize beautifully when cooked.
• Brown Sugar: Adds deep, molasses-like sweetness that enhances the sticky glaze.
• Cornstarch: Helps thicken the sauce so it coats the chicken perfectly.
• Water: Used to create a slurry with the cornstarch for smooth thickening.
• Chicken Breasts: Lean and tender, they soak up the marinade for juicy, flavorful results.

How to Make Asian Chicken Marinade

1. Make the Sauce: Whisk all the ingredients for the sauce together in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat until it comes to a boil. When it starts to boil, whisk in the cornstarch and water mixture. Reduce the heat and let it simmer until thickened. Then let it cool completely.
2. Marinate the Chicken: Once the sauce is cool, pour half of it over the chicken in a ziploc bag. Let it marinate in the fridge for at least 1 hour. Reserve the other half of the sauce for later.
3. Grill the Chicken: Heat a grill to medium-high heat, then add the chicken and reduce the heat to medium. Cook for 5-6 minutes then flip and grill for 5-6 minutes more.
4. Serve: Let the chicken rest for 3 minutes then slice and serve with
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