Skip to content

Top Navigation

Cooking Light Cooking Light
  • Recipes
  • Cooking 101
  • Eating Smart
  • Healthy Living
  • News

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Email Preferences

Manage Your Subscription

  • All Access Subscribers
  • Magazine Subscribers
  • Cooking Light Diet Subscribers
Login
Logout
SUBSCRIBE
Pin FB

Explore Cooking Light

Cooking Light Cooking Light
  • Explore

    Explore

    • 31-Day Healthy Meal Plan

      Our 31-day calendar of meals and tips shows you how to cook more and love it with fun, family-friendly meals that come together quickly and deliciously. Read More
    • Dinner Tonight: Quick and Healthy Menus in 45 Minutes (or Less)

      Hundreds of delicious recipes, paired with simple sides, that can be on your table in 45 minutes or less. Read More
    • Our Favorite Healthy Air Fryer Recipes

      Who ever said that chicken wings, doughnuts, and pizza couldn't be healthy? Read More
  • Recipes

    Recipes

    See All Recipes
    • Breakfast & Brunch
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Drinks
    • Recipe Makeovers
    • Quick & Healthy
    • Diabetic
    • Gluten-Free
    • Vegetarian
    • Cooking Light Live
  • Cooking 101

    Cooking 101

    See All Cooking 101
    • Essential Ingredients
    • Cooking Techniques
    • Meet the Chef
    • Cooking Resources
    • Budget Friendly
    • Smart Choices
  • Eating Smart
  • Healthy Living

    Healthy Living

    See All Healthy Living
    • Weight-Loss
    • Health
    • Fitness
    • Home
    • Travel
    • Nutrition 101
  • News

Profile Menu

Your Account

Account

  • Email Preferences

Manage Your Subscription

  • All Access Subscribers
  • Magazine Subscribers
  • Cooking Light Diet Subscribers
Login
Logout
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home
  2. entertaining
  3. 4th of July Main Dishes

4th of July Main Dishes

June 25, 2015
Skip gallery slides
Pin
Credit: Photo: Johnny Miller
Please your fellow patriots with these perfect main plates.
Start Slideshow

1 of 20

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Buffalo Chicken Drumsticks

Credit: Photo: Romulo Yanes

Nothing is as amazing as Freedom. But these main dishes take a close second. 

Our first dish is finger-stickin' good: grilled drumsticks slathered in tangy, spicy Buffalo sauce. Bibs and Wet-Naps recommended.

1 of 20

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 20

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

All-American Grilled Burger

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: All-American Grilled Burger

Here’s your blueprint for a crowd-pleasing backyard barbecue burger complete with special sauce. The sauce is no secret here: Crunchy iceberg lettuce and pickles provide crunch and tang, all mixed in with ketchup, mustard, and a little hot sauce for kick. We like the texture whole-grain mustard adds to the sauce, but creamy Dijon will work just as well. Don’t overwork the beef as you form the patties so the burgers stay moist and juicy.

2 of 20

3 of 20

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Tangy Beer-Can Chicken

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Tangy Beer-Can Chicken

The can method keeps the bird moist while it grills because liquid in the can forms steam inside the cavity. Any canned beverage will work, since it won't really impart any noticeable flavor to the chicken. We like the bright, tangy flavor of good old-fashioned yellow mustard here.

3 of 20

Advertisement

4 of 20

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Herb-Rubbed Chicken Under a Brick

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Herb-Rubbed Chicken Under a Brick

Brick-pressed chicken cooks quickly and evenly, a great boon to a barbecue host. The key is to spatchcock—or butterfly—the bird, and then press it down flat on the grill with a foil-wrapped brick or cast-iron skillet.

4 of 20

5 of 20

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Smashed Double Cheeseburger Sliders

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Smashed Double Cheeseburger Sliders

You can easily make these on the grill instead of the stovetop. Just preheat the grill to high, and set a cast-iron skillet on the grill grate to preheat also. Be careful when touching the skillet, as the handle will be extremely hot. A pinch of sugar in the beef patty mixture helps deliver deep-brown, caramelized crust to the burgers without making them taste sweet.

5 of 20

6 of 20

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Grilled Chicken Drumsticks with Bourbon-Cherry BBQ Sauce

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Grilled Chicken Drumsticks with Bourbon-Cherry BBQ Sauce

This fruity, boozy take on barbecue has all the characteristics of your favorite sauce—deep caramel notes, a savory backbone, and a pleasant vinegar tang. You can sub sweet cherries for sour, adjusting the amount of honey and vinegar to taste. For a shortcut, start with 1 cup purchased unsweetened cherry juice.

6 of 20

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 20

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Beer-Can Chicken with Cola Barbecue Sauce

Credit: Photo: Randy Mayor

"I like any recipe that starts with 'open a can of beer and drink half,'" says recipe developer and chef Steven Raichlen. American ingenuity has produced a variety of beer-can roasters that hold the can in place and stabilize the tipsy chicken. Aluminum cans bend easily under the pressure, so when piercing holes, it's a good idea to use a can-holding gadget.

7 of 20

8 of 20

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Bourbon-Peach Barbecue Pulled Pork Sliders

Credit: Photo: Johnny Miller

These sliders are a saucy mess, in the best way possible—leaving you sweet-tangy drips to lick off your hands. The recipe demonstrates one tasty way to use our slow cooker pork recipe. Go for a standard, soft bun here—it's best for barbecue.

8 of 20

9 of 20

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Simple, Perfect Fresh-Ground Brisket Burgers

Credit: Photo: Oxmoor House

We loved the flavorful patty we got from grinding inexpensive beef brisket. Ask for the flat cut of brisket for the leanest choice. Traditional condiments like ketchup and mustard are an option, but we found this burger so good on its own that all we added was cheese, lettuce, and tomato.

9 of 20

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 20

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Boiled Shrimp with Tangy Cocktail Sauce

Credit: Photo: Romulo Yanes
View Recipe: Boiled Shrimp with Tangy Cocktail Sauce 

For a full-on shrimp boil feast, pair this dish with boiled fresh corn on the cob and baby red potatoes.

 

10 of 20

11 of 20

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Barbecue Chicken Sliders with Pickled Onions

Credit: Photo: Charles Masters and Randy Mayor
View Recipe: Barbecue Chicken Sliders with Pickled Onions

Shredded, grilled chicken thighs are dipped in Carolina-style barbecue sauce, a vinegar-based mix with mustard, a little honey, seasonings, and butter.

11 of 20

12 of 20

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Shrimp, Chorizo, and Corn Salad

Credit: Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner

Prepping the ingredients takes less than 10 minutes, so you can enjoy the festivities longer.

12 of 20

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

13 of 20

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Cheesesteak Burgers with Pickled Peppers, Onions, and Cucumber

Credit: Photo: Jason Varney

Quick pickles add tangy crunch to our fresh riff on the cheesesteak sandwich. Avoid overworking the meat when you mix and shape the patties; you run the risk of making them tough.

13 of 20

14 of 20

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Chicago Char Dog with Fresh Cucumber Relish

Credit: Photo: Tru Studio
View Recipe: Chicago Char Dog with Fresh Cucumber Relish

Nothing is more American than a hotdog. Classic Chicago dogs are served in poppy seed buns, but if you can't find them, lightly brush buns with egg white and sprinkle with poppy seeds. Toast in the oven at 350° for 2 to 3 minutes. 

 

14 of 20

15 of 20

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Applewood-Smoked Chicken with Dijon Rub

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey

Our savory smoked chicken is equally delicious served cold or at room temperature, so you can cook it well in advance of your get-together. If you have leftovers, shred the meat and stir into leftover Kamut salad—instant lunch. 

15 of 20

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

16 of 20

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Tequila-Glazed Grilled Chicken Thighs

Credit: Photo: Anna Williams

If you would rather not use tequila, you can substitute 1/3 cup pineapple juice. Start the grilling over direct heat to get good grill marks and charred bits, and then move to indirect heat to gently finish the cooking.

16 of 20

17 of 20

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Grilled Farmers' Market Sandwiches

Credit: Photo: John Autry

The stack of grilled eggplant, red onion, and zucchini are quite a mouthful but still tasty to eat.

17 of 20

18 of 20

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Lamb Burgers with Feta-Mint Spread

Credit: Photo: Whitney Ott
View Recipes: Lamb Burgers with Feta-Mint Spread

We combine ground lamb with lean ground sirloin for a less fatty patty; you can also use all sirloin. Try our grilled asparagus spears in place of fries: They get deliciously charred in the pan.

18 of 20

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

19 of 20

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Grilled Purple Sprouting Broccoli and Bacon Pizza

Credit: Photo: Neil Dacosta

A leggy cousin of broccoli, the delicate purple florets and thin stems of purple sprouting broccoli make an ideal topping for grilled pizza. Perfect for sharing.

19 of 20

20 of 20

Pin
Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message

Buffalo Chicken Sliders

Credit: Photo: Johnny Miller

For this slider, we tuck the usual Buffalo wing accompaniments—carrots and celery—inside the patty. This gives you all the flavors of a wing plate while also helping to keep the lean breast meat moist. When shredding the celery (so that it incorporates nicely), you'll have to stop occasionally to pull and discard the strings. Be sure to search for celery bunches with nice, fresh leaves still attached.

20 of 20

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 20 Buffalo Chicken Drumsticks
    2 of 20 All-American Grilled Burger
    3 of 20 Tangy Beer-Can Chicken
    4 of 20 Herb-Rubbed Chicken Under a Brick
    5 of 20 Smashed Double Cheeseburger Sliders
    6 of 20 Grilled Chicken Drumsticks with Bourbon-Cherry BBQ Sauce
    7 of 20 Beer-Can Chicken with Cola Barbecue Sauce
    8 of 20 Bourbon-Peach Barbecue Pulled Pork Sliders
    9 of 20 Simple, Perfect Fresh-Ground Brisket Burgers
    10 of 20 Boiled Shrimp with Tangy Cocktail Sauce
    11 of 20 Barbecue Chicken Sliders with Pickled Onions
    12 of 20 Shrimp, Chorizo, and Corn Salad
    13 of 20 Cheesesteak Burgers with Pickled Peppers, Onions, and Cucumber
    14 of 20 Chicago Char Dog with Fresh Cucumber Relish
    15 of 20 Applewood-Smoked Chicken with Dijon Rub
    16 of 20 Tequila-Glazed Grilled Chicken Thighs
    17 of 20 Grilled Farmers' Market Sandwiches
    18 of 20 Lamb Burgers with Feta-Mint Spread
    19 of 20 Grilled Purple Sprouting Broccoli and Bacon Pizza
    20 of 20 Buffalo Chicken Sliders

    Share & More

    Facebook Tweet Email Send Text Message
    Cooking Light

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • Customer Service this link opens in a new tab
    • Advertise
    • Content Licensing
    • Accolades this link opens in a new tab

    Connect

    MeredithCooking Light is part of the Allrecipes Food Group. © Copyright 2023 Meredith Corporation. All Rights Reserved. Cooking Light may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright Cooking Light. All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.cookinglight.com

    View image

    4th of July Main Dishes
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.