Chicken wings are delicious. They are not only a filling and tasty snack after a night out. Nor are they served only as a starter to a larger main course. Wings can be a meal all on their own. But if you want to have them as a main course, it is best to have them with a side dish.
There are so many different ways to enjoy chicken wings, and the flavor options are seemingly endless. Who remembers when Buffalo wings first became popular? We never could have envisioned all of the delicious flavors offered by chicken wing restaurants. And now, with the air fryer, everyone is enjoying them even more.
Before you have a portion of wings delivered by your favorite wing joint or throw a bag full of them in the oven, you should prepare the sides. There are a range of delicious and nutritious sides that complement chicken wings. Your options extend beyond lettuce, celery sticks, and sour cream.
Chicken wings are a beloved appetizer and game-day staple, celebrated for their crispy skin, tender meat, and mouthwatering flavors. But let’s not forget the unsung heroes of this culinary delight: the side dishes that complement and elevate the wing-eating experience. Sides for chicken wings come in various forms, ranging from crunchy vegetables to creamy dips, and from tangy slaws to carbohydrate-rich options.
Selecting the perfect side dish not only enhances the taste of your chicken wings but also provides balance to the meal, creating a satisfying and well-rounded plate. To help you make the best choices for your next wing night or sporting event, we’ve gathered some top-notch side dish recommendations that will both harmonize and contrast with the flavors of your favorite wings.
If you are wondering what to serve with chicken wings, you have plenty of options to choose from.
Here are 30 sides for wings. What goes with chicken wings? The following:
Nearly everyone loves crispy French fries and creamy avocado. This dish gives you both in one. It consists of crispy baked avocado fries coated with panko breadcrumbs. You can serve the fries with lime dipping sauce if you want an extra kick.
No deep-frying is required. You can feel better about wolfing down your greasy, spicy chicken wings with this healthy dish as your appetizer.
Wings are best served hot. And if you are like most people, you probably like them with spicy sauce. Making a Greek wedge salad is a great way to complement the taste and texture of chicken wings. This is a classic and simple dish and an old Mediterranean recipe.
However, it can be made to serve more modern palates with the addition of tangy vinaigrette dressing, dill, fresh garlic, and toasted pine nuts. And you can add pickled red onions instead of plain onions.
Here is another great side with wings. This is a dish that is lusciously creamy without being too heavy. It is just the sort of side you want if you have made a large portion of wings. Made with cream, egg yolk, parmesan cheese, and a great deal of sweet corn, it is perfect for a warm weather event.
Breadsticks. They are a wonderful and quite addictive snack. It seems nearly impossible to stop eating them once you have started.
But the carbs! The carbs!
You need not worry about carbs with these breadsticks. Gluten-Free cheese and cauliflower breadsticks are a low carb alternative to traditional breadsticks. They are easy to make, packed full of flavor, and make a great side with your chicken wings.
Here is another excellent side for wings from the Mediterranean. You can prepare a cool, refreshing, and absolutely tongue tingling avocado Greek salad in less than 15 minutes. The lettuce is best mixed with green peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, feta cheese, olives, and onion.
This is the kind of side that goes best with wings that have been dipped in hot sauce.
Are you getting ready for game night? If so, your guests may be less inclined toward daintier foods. They may want wings served with a heavy side dish.
These sweet potatoes are perfect for such an occasion. You can serve them with the chicken wings or as their own dish.
For a better outcome, cook the sweet potatoes and store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 5 days. At time of serving, warm them in the oven for 15 minutes at a temperature of 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Yes, Caesar salads are healthy. No matter what some people say about them. It really all depends on how you prepare yours as a side with wings.
A vegan Caesar salad can be served with zingy dressing made with capers, Dijon mustard, and vegan mayo. You can top it with baked tofu instead of roasted chicken slices.
This takes less than 40 minutes to prepare, and it will be a refreshing complement to your tray of chicken wings. You can serve these instead of onion rings. They are a little healthier and much more interesting and exotic.
As a side with wings, these babies will disappear in no time at your next house party or barbeque!
There is no need to peel the squash. The skin on it is edible, and it will enhance the taste of the rings.
Here is another dish for those who will eat hot chicken wings. Having the latter with a cool drink may not be enough to regulate your body temperature and keep your taste buds functional. Following up a dose of hot chicken wings with juicy melon Caprese skewers is sure to do the trick.
These skewers consist of watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew. It is best to buy all of these things as fresh ingredients for the skewers.
Meatballs, furniture, crime thrillers, and pop music are not the only things the Swedes are good at making and exporting. They also have game when it comes to cold slaw.
This particular cabbage slaw is a great side for wings in that it is tangy, crunchy, and delicious. The dressing is made of white wine vinegar and dry spices instead of mayo.
This dish is popular in pizzerias in Sweden, where it is served as a side dish that is meant to enhance the cheesy flavors of the pizza.
This Greek-style cauliflower rice is loaded with vegetables and cheese. It can be prepared quickly in an Instant Pot, and is best served with fresh dill, mint, and oregano added.
One of the great things about it is the subdued flavor. That makes it a perfect side for wings, as it can serve as a blank canvas for this intensely flavorful food.
You can make this dish in less than 20 minutes. It tastes and looks a lot like cauliflower mac and cheese. Indeed, it will satisfy all your cheese craving, but you will not get hit with the extra carbs.
It is perfectly fine to serve a basic, people’s food like chicken wings with something a fancy side dish. Crudites are not only fancy; they are pretty tasty. And it will be hard for you not to polish them all off by yourself.
Crudites are essentially a bunch of carefully sliced vegetables that are paired with a tangy condiment. You can serve the dish with ranch dressing. Or, if you are trying to keep the calorie count low, yogurt dip.
This has the taste of a traditional potato salad, but it comes without the carbs. Cauliflower is substituted for the potatoes, and it is made with Greek yogurt rather than mayo.
It is a great side dish for wings if you want something light.
If your chicken wings are fried, you may want it accompanied by a roasted side dish. This serving of artichokes can do just the trick. Time in the oven turns hard artichokes crispy and golden. They are especially tasty if served with a garlic aioli dip.
Preparing this dish starts with grilling fresh zucchini. Doing so will bring out the flavor of the tomatoes and mozzarella that should be served with it.
This is not only a great salad for wings; it is a highly refreshing starter on a hot summer day.
The trick to getting this excellent side right is boiling the pasta in milk. You will then need to stir in the butter and cheese. This is quite a departure from boiling the pasta in its own pot of water.
The natural starches in the pasta help thicken the sauce, which is what gives the dish the texture it is supposed to have.
Serving this dish as a side with wings will make for a tasty and filling dining experience.
Mac and cheese is a great side for wings, which is why we have included so many recipes. People tend to like the taste of starchy foods with chicken…What can we say?
This particular dish can be customized to fit the occasion. It is prepared with spinach, broccolini, and parmesan-cheddar cheese. However, the spinach can be swapped out for any kind of fresh or frozen green vegetable. You can also add bread crumbs to give it a crunch.
Grilled corn goes well as a side with wings. However, there is no need to follow the same old boring recipe. Instead of boiling the corn ears and smothering them in butter and salt, you can drown them in tasty aioli.
This is a rather low maintenance side for wings. Once you have prepared it, you can leave it out all day and will not lose any of its flavor or integrity. Mustard and pickles add even more taste.
And you need not throw out what is left over. You can instead make tasty vegetarian sandwiches. All you need do is spread may on both sides of the bread slices, top the sandwich with melted cheese, and add a large dollop of radicchio.
This is a salad for people who do not care for salads. Kale is a wonderful green vegetable. It is crunchy, flavorful, and filled with iron. This particular salad has been seen on the menu of numerous restaurants across the country over the past few years.
If you like your wings hot and spicy, you will be especially fond of this side dish. They are the perfect finger food, and are very much like jalapeno poppers—a little trendier and classed-up.
Indeed, these peppers are a great side with wings of all kinds.
This is for all those chicken wing eaters who prefer something gooey with their main meal. This form of mac and cheese fits the bill.
In fact, you can play around with the ingredients if you do not like cauliflower. You can substitute roasted broccoli for it the latter, and it will be just as delicious. As always with such dishes, the cheese is where most of the flavor is.
You may be used to having French fries or some other potato-based food as a side with wings. However, cauliflower is the ideal low-carb and low-calorie substitute for it.
This slow cooked garlic-herb combo will give you the punchy taste you want with your wings, without the worrying effects on your health.
If you are having a big party and serving a huge tub of chicken wings, then you want a side with wings that can be shared. This will do the trick.
Typically, the tomato-scallion dressing on top is tossed in olive oil, salt, and pepper before being put on the corn bread. However, you can substitute zucchini, bell pepper, or corn kernels.
You should be warned: you will need to eat this dish with a fork and knife. It seems against the natural order of things, but as you will see there is no way round the use of utensils.
Cauliflower is one of the most versatile vegetables in existence. It can be roasted, put into a salad, or sliced into steaks. Preparing them in this way allows you to load the cauliflower with dipping sauce and toppings.
The avocado, cilantro sauce, and cotija cheese is light and refreshing, and it will complement your helping of chicken wings perfectly.
Here, the cheese is mixed with dressing and spread over the green part of the salad. The dish can be made ready in 15 minutes. If you are looking for a simpler side with wings, this salad will do.
These are much crisper than potato skins. They are also much easier to prepare than other potato foods.
It feels nice to snack on something crunchy and salty as you eat your buffalo wings. Baked potato chips are tiny, bite-size toppings with a host of fixings. You can serve them on game day or at a big party. They are also perfect for an afternoon snack if you are having a day at home.
You can eat these with ranch dressing, BBQ sauce, blue cheese, and other types of dipping sauce.
Our BEST Sides for Chicken Wings (+Greek Wedge Salad)
These recipes are sure to please. So, gather your family and friends and enjoy. Let us know your thoughts!
Cassie brings decades of experience to the Kitchen Community. She is a noted chef and avid gardener. Her new book "Healthy Eating Through the Garden" will be released shortly. When not writing or speaking about food and gardens Cassie can be found puttering around farmer's markets and greenhouses looking for the next great idea.
