Fried chicken needs no introduction. It’s crispy, crunchy, and incredibly delicious, so much so that most of us keep coming back for more. Yet, fried chicken is rarely a meal all on its own. You need at least one delicious side to make the chicken stand out.
Thankfully, it’s not hard to work out what to serve with fried chicken. There are plenty of classic fried chicken sides to choose from, including mac and cheese, coleslaw, and even waffles. But, you don’t need to stop there. You can also experiment with healthier sides, like a leafy salad, or out-of-the-box sides, like cinnamon rolls (yes, really!).
Which side works best? Well, honestly, that depends.
Often you’ll be choosing based on the type of meal you want. So, for a decadent and comforting meal, waffles, mac and cheese, or perhaps potatoes work well as a side. But, if you want something healthier, a light side salad might do the trick.
What To Serve With Fried Chicken (14 Sides To Try)
Coleslaw
Whether you’re ordering fried chicken from a joint like KFC or making your own, coleslaw is one of the classic sides. It’s easy to see why too, as coleslaw contrasts your chicken in so many ways.
For one thing, coleslaw tends to be cool with a creamy dressing, while fried chicken is hot, salty, and crispy instead. This type of contrast helps to refresh your palate, allowing you to enjoy the chicken for much longer.
There’s a nutritional contrast too, as fried chicken is largely protein and fat, while coleslaw is packed with fiber. That fiber helps with digestion – stopping you from feeling too ill after a large serving of fried chicken.
Finally, coleslaw can be a relatively light side (providing you don’t load it with too much mayo). This is a great feature, given that many other fried chicken sides are more decadent.
Spicy & Sweet Jalapeno Coleslaw
This Sweet & Spicy Jalapeno Coleslaw is an excellent alternative to regular coleslaw. The star of the recipe is, of course, the jalapenos, which provide a spicy heat. There are also some more familiar coleslaw ingredients, like carrots, red onions, green cabbage, and red cabbage.
Next, there’s the dressing. This relies on spicy brown mustard, mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, spices, and a little sugar. These ingredients create a side that’s both familiar and unusual.
In her recipe, Cheyanne mentions that you can make things easier by simply using a pre-prepared coleslaw mix. Doing so allows you to skip most of the prep work and make the coleslaw very quickly.
Mashed Potatoes
Now we have mashed potatoes, which is one of the most classic sides out there. Seriously, it’s hard to think of a side that doesn’t pair well with mashed potatoes, partly because the potatoes are starchy and have a subtle flavor.
Serving plain mashed potatoes is perfect if you want your well-seasoned chicken to shine. Alternatively, you might add flavor to the potatoes. Garlic butter is a common way to do so, but that’s just one option of many. You could also experiment with mix-ins, like chopped red onion, chives, parmesan cheese, or even bacon.
Then there’s mashed potatoes and gravy, which is exceptional with fried chicken. You could even dip your chicken into the gravy to make it taste even better.
Blue Cheese Mashed Potatoes
These Blue Cheese Mashed Potatoes are another interesting approach to try. The idea is as simple as the title suggests – mixing crumbled blue cheese into mashed potatoes. Doing so provides a distinctive funky flavor that makes the potatoes stand out.
The potatoes would be absolutely perfect with fried chicken. After all, chicken wings are often paired with blue cheese dip. Why not do something similar with fried chicken?
Aside from the blue cheese, the mashed potato recipe is fairly typical. However, it’s still worth checking out, as the directions and ingredients provide an exceptionally creamy dish of potatoes.
Corn On The Cob
Food always seems to taste better when you eat it with your hands. That’s certainly true for fried chicken. And… if your hands are already greasy, why not serve corn on the cob as a side?
Corn on the cob is vibrant, juicy, and sweet, making it a perfect contrast to the savory greasiness of your chicken. It’s also exceptionally easy to cook.
If you need a little extra, try serving fried chicken with corn on the cob and mashed potatoes. That combination of flavors and textures always works well.
Garlic Parmesan Corn On The Cob
This Garlic Parmesan Corn on the Cob is a delightful way to make corn on the cob more interesting. Garlic and parmesan are the main flavor ingredients. It’s easy to see why, as the flavors pair well with corn (and with chicken too!).
However, the recipe includes some surprises, particularly Worcestershire sauce and all purpose seasoning. While these are unexpected ingredients, they do make the corn much more flavorful. Even if you’re not convinced, try making the corn with these at least once – you’ll be an instant convert.
Potato Salad
Like coleslaw, potato salad is a cool and creamy side that contrasts the heat of your chicken. The salad is particularly good if you’re serving fried chicken at a BBQ, a picnic, during a party, or any time when you want something cool.
Potato salad is also open to interpretation. It’s often made as a creamy dish, with mayo as one of the main ingredients. However, you can make more refreshing versions too, including potato salad made with fresh herbs and a vinaigrette dressing.
Some recipes vary the salad by adding extra ingredients. For example, you might make a potato salad with green peas, sliced cucumber, and mint leaves, or a warm potato salad with bacon.
Creamy Dill Potato Salad
Not surprisingly, this Creamy Dill Potato Salad uses fresh dill as one of the main ingredients. The dill is complemented by a creamy dressing that includes pickle juice, mustard, and plenty of seasonings.
The base of the potato salad is pretty simple. It just relies on small pieces of red potatoes and hard-boiled eggs. But honestly, you don’t need more than that. You might even skip the eggs, as the chicken provides plenty of protein.
Mac And Cheese
Mac and cheese is the ultimate comfort food. It’s creamy, cheesy, easy to make, and incredibly familiar. For many of us, the association between mac and cheese and comfort goes all the way back to childhood, making it a very strong connection.
Fried chicken is comforting too, so this is a very logical pairing.
The comfort factor is just one of many reasons to try mac and cheese with your fried chicken. The creamy nature of the dish works well too, as does the cheese (well, let’s be honest, cheese works well with most things).
Smoked Gouda Mac & Cheese
Why go with a simple side when you can make something like this Smoked Gouda Mac and Cheese? The smoked gouda adds a depth of flavor and smokiness that you don’t get otherwise. This is complemented by the perfect amount of bacon.
The dish has a crisp panko breadcrumb topping as well. This is an excellent contrast to the creaminess of the pasta (and works perfectly with your fried chicken). Of course, many other types of pasta meal would work well here too.
Collard Greens
It’s hard to go wrong with collard greens. They’re delicious, easy to cook, and packed with nutrients.
These greens are also a classic in Southern cooking, where they are often slow cooked with ham hocks or bacon – an approach that imparts a ton of flavor. Of course, this isn’t the only way to prepare collard greens. They can also be sautéed or stir-fried.
Most collard green dishes will be excellent with fried chicken – giving you plenty of nutrients and offsetting some of the fat. The same is true for other dark leafy greens, like spinach and kale.
Collard Green Rice
Instead of cooking collard greens on their own, why not try something like this Collard Green Rice? It’s an excellent approach, as you’re getting fiber, nutrients, and carbs in a single side.
The dish isn’t as bland as it looks either – as the recipe includes garlic and Creole spices, plus onion and green bell pepper for a texture contrast.
Interestingly, this is also a vegan recipe that relies on vegan butter and vegan chicken-style broth. If the vegan-friendly aspect isn’t required, you could easily sub these ingredients for regular butter and chicken broth. Doing so might even improve the flavor.
Brussels Sprouts With Bacon
Brussels sprouts are one of the most controversial vegetables. Many people love them, while others can’t stand them at all.
Part of the problem isn’t Brussels sprouts themselves, but how they’re cooked. It’s easy to mess up and overcook the little vegetables, making them mushy and bitter.
Thankfully, Brussels sprouts aren’t too difficult to cook well. Cooking them over high heat works well, as this helps to caramelize some of the sugars and stops them getting mushy.
While you could serve Brussels sprouts on their own, they’re even better if you cook them with a few spices and some bacon. This way there’s plenty of flavor to contrast the Brussels sprouts.
Creamy And Cheesy Brussels Sprouts With Bacon
The Creamy and Cheesy Brussels Sprouts with Bacon add a few extra ingredients to the mix. The real star of the show is the garlic cheese sauce, which nicely coats the Brussels sprouts, giving you a creamy and delicious dish.
This is the perfect recipe to get started with Brussels sprouts, as the creaminess makes them much easier to enjoy. Besides, who doesn’t love the combination of cheese and bacon?
The ingredients do mean this isn’t the healthiest dish, but it’s healthier than some of the others on this list. At least you’re getting some greens, right?
Potato Wedges
Let’s return to potatoes, this time in the form of potato wedges. When made well, these wedges have a crisp exterior, plenty of seasonings, and a soft, pillowy interior.
The interior-exterior balance parallels how fried chicken is crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside – making wedges perfect as a side. There are also plenty of variations to experiment with, like frying the wedges in duck fat or using a variety of herbs and spices to boost their flavor profile.
Also remember that wedges don’t need to be deep fried. You can make a healthier version by baking them in the oven or using an air fryer.
Slow Roasted Greek Lemon Potatoes
These Slow Roasted Greek Lemon Potatoes are different than most wedges. That’s partly because they’re baked in a flavor packed liquid in a casserole dish. This approach imparts plenty of flavor, while making the potatoes very easy to prepare.
Another cool thing is the use of lemon juice. These provide the wedges with a vibrant burst of flavor, making them much more exciting. There are also plenty of herbs and spices to add to the flavor profile.
The recipe does rely on chicken broth, but you can easily substitute this for vegetable broth to create a vegan version of the recipe.
Southern Style Biscuits
Biscuits are another excellent side to consider. Part of the appeal is the texture contrast, as the biscuits are soft and flaky, while fried chicken is much crisper.
Like mashed potatoes, biscuits have a simple flavor profile. This ensures they won’t ever outshine your fried chicken (which is essential when you have a fried chicken recipe you adore).
You can also add creamy sausage gravy as an extra element. This ties the whole meal together, making it tastier and even more comforting.
Fluffy Southern Buttermilk Biscuits
If you don’t have a family biscuit recipe, these Fluffy Southern Buttermilk Biscuits are a fantastic option. They rely on handful of classic ingredients, including all purpose flour, buttermilk, butter, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Although, as Melissa points out, the secret to perfect Southern biscuits doesn’t lie in the recipe but instead in the technique used. To that end, she provides detailed instructions for making the biscuits, including plenty of detailed tips along the way.
If the biscuits feel too simple to you, no worries. Melissa includes details for less common versions, including sweet potato biscuits, ham and cheddar biscuits, and even cinnamon swirl raisin biscuits.
Waffles
We can’t forget about waffles, can we? Fried chicken, waffles, and maple syrup are a classic Southern treat, one that has been enjoyed for multiple generations.
The pairing is a strange one, but there’s also a certain logic to it. Part of the appeal is how the sweet and savory flavor notes work together. The meal ends up much more interesting than one that’s all sweet or all savory.
There is also a fantastic contrast of textures. You’ve got plenty of crispness from the fried chicken, contrasting with the pillowy softness of the waffles. This combo is worth trying at least once, even if the idea sounds bizarre to you.
Chicken And Waffles With Spicy Honey Butter Sauce
Why stick with regular chicken and waffles, when you can try a recipe like this Chicken and Waffles with Spicy Honey Butter Sauce? The most notable part of the recipe is the spicy honey butter sauce, which makes this meal more flavorful than normal.
But, the fried chicken and waffles are relevant too. There are detailed recipes for both of these, which should give you an exceptional treat.
Making fried chicken, waffles, and a spicy sauce at home does require a bit of work. Still, the recipe isn’t as difficult as you might imagine. You should be able to get it on the table in half an hour or so.
Pickled Onions
Pickled onions are a completely different type of chicken side. They’re also an exceptional one, as the sharp flavor of the onions contrast against the fried chicken.
This is also an approach you can experiment with. For example, you could serve pickled onions in a small bowl alongside fried chicken. Or, you might make a sandwich with sliced onions and fried chicken pieces.
The same principles apply to other types of pickles as well, including pickled radishes, cucumbers, and pickled dishes like kimchi.
Mexican Pickled Red Onions
These Mexican Pickled Red Onions are a great way to make pickled onions more interesting. They rely on the onions themselves, limes, Mexican oregano, bay leaves, jalapeno peppers, and a small selection of other ingredients.
The oregano, bay leaves, and jalapeno peppers are great sources of flavor – and should contrast your fried chicken well. One commenter on the recipe also mentions that you can add a little honey to offset the acidity. You could also skip the jalapenos if you’re not a fan of spice.
Cinnamon Roll
Hear me out on this one. Chicken and waffles work well because of the sweet-savory contrast, along with differences in texture. So, why not try the same approach with other sweet treats?
Cinnamon rolls are surprisingly perfect here, as they’re sweet, delicious, and can be very fluffy. It doesn’t need to a complicated dish either, as you could easily just make Pillsbury cinnamon rolls and call it a day.
The sweet icing that often goes with cinnamon rolls is a must here. It functions just like maple syrup and makes fried chicken and cinnamon roll combo taste even better.
Coffee Cinnamon Rolls
These Coffee Cinnamon Rolls prove that even cinnamon rolls can be improved upon. The coffee flavor is surprisingly strong, as coffee features in the dough, the filling, and the icing.
The rolls are also very soft and fluffy, which makes them incredibly delicious. You might even eat these on their own (without the fried chicken!).
If you don’t want coffee in your dessert, no worries. The recipe includes links to strawberry cinnamon rolls. These should be just as tasty and are easy to make.
Dinner Rolls
It’s hard to get much simpler than dinner rolls. Then again, simplicity can be a good thing – as the fried chicken is the star of your meal anyway.
The rolls have plenty going for them, including the same starchy softness found in other sides we’ve featured. Plus, they help to soak up any juices from your chicken.
Beyond this, plain dinner rolls are just the starting point. You can always make them more exciting, such as by mixing in herbs and spices, adding cheese, or even using cinnamon. Don’t be afraid to experiment – there are plenty of delicious flavor combos out there.
Soft And Fluffy Dinner Rolls
While these Soft and Fluffy Dinner Rolls are simple, they’re also stunning. The softness is reason enough to make dinner rolls at home, rather than buying them from the local store.
The recipe is fantastic for beginners, as there are plenty of pictures that show you how to make the perfect rolls every single time. There’s also a list of tips, such as making sure your yeast is fresh and your butter and eggs are at room temperature.
A Leafy Salad
Finally, we have one of the most classic sides – a salad. Salads are honestly one of the best sides, as they go with pretty much any main you can imagine.
Besides, fried chicken certainly isn’t a healthy meal. Serving a healthy side next to it just makes sense, right?
There are many types of salad to choose from, including simple and complex options. Most will work well enough alongside fried chicken, but you’ll often want to go with a simple leafy salad. This way you have a refreshing nutritious side, without overpowering your chicken.
Kale Salad With Creamy Tahini Dressing
This Kale Salad with Creamy Tahini Dressing would be perfect in the winter months when you’re looking for something a little more robust. The salad has plenty of tasty ingredients, including kale, quinoa, dried cranberries, and even parmesan cheese.
Then there’s the tahini dressing. This includes tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, honey, and red wine vinegar. It’s a great way to make the salad tastier. The sauce should be pretty excellent with your fried chicken too.
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