10 Tasty Chicken Sides to Have with a Main

A great source of protein, low fat and full of flavour, chicken is an incredibly versatile ingredient. So often it’s used as the star attraction on the plate, but there are also many wonderful chicken side dishes to enjoy.

Below you’ll find 10 mini recipes for chicken side dishes that everyone will want to try.

Moroccan Chicken Tagine Pockets

Pitta pockets are easy to pick up and eat, and work well with a range of different main courses. These pockets have a Moroccan flavour and are filled with chicken and extras.

The filling is made from chicken thighs simmered in the slow cooker with garlic powder, honey, salsa, dates, pomegranate juice and Moroccan seasoning. Once cooked, the chicken is shredded, mixed with more pomegranate juice, and served in the pitta pockets with a carrot slaw.

Chicken Yakitori

This delicious Japanese street food can be enjoyed as a simple snack or served alongside a main course to add a little tanginess to a main meal.

Yakitori translates as grilled skewered chicken, which is seasoned before being served with a teriyaki sauce. Coriander and spring onions add depth of flavour to the chicken skewers while the teriyaki delivers that distinctive sweet taste.

If you wanted to make this more of a platter you could also opt for prawn kushiyaki (skewers) and mushroom kushiyaki to be served up with the chicken yakitori alongside a spicy vinegar dipping sauce.

Buffalo Wing Poppers

When you like the idea of buffalo wings but just want something a little different, this tasty chicken dish has you covered.

It pulls together chicken, cream cheese, mozzarella, salad dressing and buffalo wing sauce into an incredible combination that’s served up in hollowed out jalapeño peppers. Baked in the oven for 20 minutes, this dish has real zing but it’s a chicken side that few will have seen before.

Chicken and Brie Mini Bites

For a little chicken bite on the side, these mini slices of French baguette really round out a main course. Easy to eat with the fingers, they work beautifully as either an appetiser or as a side dish.

Slices of baguette are topped with chicken, garlic paste, apple jelly, fig jam, spinach, sweetened cranberries, and brie before being finished with mayonnaise. The result is a cacophony of flavours in the mouth which bring out the best in each other. 

Chickaritos

These snack size chicken sides are a cross between a chicken sausage roll and a baby burrito! Using flaky pastry outside, the filling is made from chicken, cheese, and spices.  

You’ll need to combine chopped, cooked chicken with green chillies, onions, hot pepper sauce, garlic salt, cheddar cheese, paprika, cumin and pepper. This mixture is spooned onto frozen puff pastry, wrapped, and then baked.

Serve with guacamole and salsa as a tasty accompaniment to burritos, quesadillas, or tacos.

Bang Bang Chicken

A classic dish that originated in China, bang bang chicken was named after the sound of the mallet which traditionally pounded the meat flat.

This cute side breaks the bang bang recipe down into small chunks which are pan fried in panic breadcrumbs for an irresistible crunchy texture. The bang bang sauce is where this dish stands out from regular chicken tenders, a fiery mouthful which offers complex flavours rather than just simple heat.

Fried Chicken and Pulled Pork Cornbread

These little cornbread muffins can be served at breakfast or as part of a main meal and are a sure-fire hit with almost everyone.

For the filling you’ll need popcorn chicken; you can either make your own from scratch with a southern, spicy coating or you can buy the frozen variety – your choice! You’ll also need barbecued pulled pork – once again, there’s the opportunity to either use your own leftovers or buy some from the shop – plus jalapeños, cornbread mix, maple syrup and Sriracha chilli sauce (optional).

Once the popcorn chicken is cooked, make up your cornbread mixture, place one jalapeño slice into each hole on a muffin tray and then spoon the mixture over the top. Press pieces of popcorn chicken and pull pork into each muffin and then bake until the cornbread is cooked. Serve with the maple syrup poured over – for some heat you can mix the Sriracha sauce in with the syrup.

Chicken Dumplings

A classic staple in Asian cooking, chicken dumplings are delicious at any time of the year although they’re more traditional around the Chinese New Year. 

Chicken and onions, cabbage, coriander, ginger, five spice and a pinch of salt are all whizzed around a food processor until the mixture has been minced finely. A spoonful is placed inside a gyoza wrapper which is sealed and pleated before being steamed in cabbage leaves for 10-12 minutes.

Serve with soy sauce alongside your main course.

Parisian Chicken Bites

Delicious chicken sides don’t need to be chunky as this dainty little dish demonstrates to perfection.

Endive leaves serve as natural baskets for an aromatic chicken combination. Cubed chicken is sautéed with fennel before rosemary and chopped green onion are added. In a separate bowl, lime juice is combined with parsley, chopped pecans and small chunks of apple. The chicken mixture is stirred through once fully cooked and spooned into the endive leaves.

As a final flourish, melted dark chocolate chips, balsamic vinegar and warm blackberry conserve are drizzled over.

Grilled Zucchini with Peanut Chicken

If you’re stuck for ideas for zucchini recipes, this finger food is a delicate accompaniment to a main meal or a delightful hors d’oeuvre.

The zucchini is sliced, seasoned, and grilled until tender then set aside for topping. Soy sauce, water, peanut butter, lime juice, ginger and cayenne pepper are brought to boiling in a pan before simmering to create a thick sauce. Chicken and finely chopped red onion are stirred through and once hot, a spoonful is placed onto the top of the zucchini and garnished with carrot and coriander.