The Best Picnic Foods (Cold Picnic Barbecue Chicken Recipe) (2024)

There’s something so nostalgic about spreading a blanket and opening a picnic basket. Perhaps because it signals a pause in the day; an opportunity to both feast and feel the breeze on our faces.

Experience has taught me that nearly any element of a picnic can go awry – but if there is excellent food to pass around, most anything – from wind to bugs – can be all but ignored. Which is why I plan on the best picnic foods I possibly can and then hope the weather cooperates.

Today I’m sharing a round-up of picnic eats from snacks to salads, as well as our new favourite cold picnic chicken recipe. Grab a pen and paper and plan your menu for this weekend. Summer is in full swing and the Great Outdoors is calling.

The Best Picnic Foods

The elements of a great picnic should include: gorgeous seasonal produce, a special drink, really good cheese, a substantial main dish and a decadent sweet treat. You don’t always have to pack every element all at once, though. Sometimes a picnic is simply a basket of fresh-picked apples, a hunk of aged cheddar cheese and a thermos of hot spiced cider.

Picnic food should not be complicated; however, there’s something about eating out of doors that stimulates the appetite, so it’s important that the contents of the picnic basket be substantial, nourishing and plentiful. My kids can testify that this is of the utmost importance; we seldom return home with any leftovers after our beach excursions.

Picnic food is also incredibly nostalgic. If you grew up on your grandmother’s potato salad, then all the trendy grain bowls aren’t going to do a thing for you. A summer picnic is time to embrace your inner child and revisit those childhood favourites like macaroni salad and peanut butter cookies. If there’s mayo in that salad, however, you may want to read Simple Tips for Keeping Your Picnic Food Safe.

Plan, Prep, Picnic. Like any meal, a successful picnic starts with a menu plan and a bit of meal prep. Even if it’s a short list on your phone and a quick chop of veggies the night before, every bit of organization helps you get out the door faster. And don’t forget to review the best cooler hacks for a picnic at the beach.

The Best Picnic Foods: MAIN DISH & SALADS

• Black Pepper Beef Filet with Horseradish Cream
• Antipasto Pasta Salad
• Lobster or Tuna Nicoise Salad
• Mediterranean Pasta Salad with Asparagus
• Citrus, Shrimp and Quinoa Salad
• Rainbow Rice Noodle Salad with Shrimp and Sesame
• Sage-Scented Barbecued Chicken with Grilled Lemon

• Cobb Salad Sandwich with Avocado Spread
• Black Bean and Farro Salad with Cumin-Lime Vinaigrette
• Quick Asian Noodle Salad
• Grilled Peach and Chicken Kebabs
• Garden Vegetable Pasta Salad
• Versatile Black Bean Salad

The Best Picnic Foods: SNACKS & DESSERTS

• Hazelnut Apple Power Bars
• Sticky Almond, Oat ‘n Honey Power Bites
• Whole Grain Strawberry Banana Bread
• Hemp CocoaBites
• Honey Whole Wheat Chocolate Chunk Cookies
• Chocolate Oat Cereal Bars
• Fudgy Chocolate Two-Bite Brownies

• Berry Powerful Bars
• The Best Muffins Ever
• Pumpkin Seed Cocoa Brownies
• Sun Butter Bites
• Sour Cream Panna Cotta with Strawberry Compote
• Pistachio and Raspberry Financiers
• Chia Pudding with fresh fruits

This summer I’ve been making one cold picnic chicken recipe on repeat at the request of my kids. The recipe is from The Prairie Table: Suppers, Potlucks & Socials: Crowd-Pleasing Recipes to Bring People Together and it is just one of many great picnic recipes from author Karlynn Johnston.

Thanks to my friends at the books publisher, Appetite, I’ve got the recipe here to share with you. Once you have these in the cooler, just shake up a jar of Honey-Sweetened Peach Lemonade, whip up a salad, grab a jar of pickles and hit the road. Happy Picnics!

Oh and hey, if you’re camping, don’t miss my post on The Best Camping Foods.

Excerpted from The Prairie Table by Karlynn Johnston. Copyright © 2019 Karlynn Johnston. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.