What to Make With Chicken Wings for Dinner? 19 Sides for chicken wings

What to make with chicken wings for dinner? Let’s find out!

The most irresistible fast food award has to go to chicken wings. There is no better finger food than a perfect plate of chicken wings. It is literally the king of all meals. What makes chicken wings so scrumptious? Maybe it is the ideal combination of crispy skin, juicy tender chicken and drool-worthy sauce, and a rich and creamy dipping sauce. 

Whether it is a birthday party, game-day, barbecue night, or just a casual everyday meal, chicken wings are the perfect meal for the menu.

While chicken wings are mostly served as starters, they are so good that they can often be served as main courses.

Main courses can never be complete without a complementing side dish that balances the flavors of the entrée and adds an extra flavor that your entrée was missing. 

What to make with chicken wings for dinner?

When you are done finalizing a main course for the dinner, another dilemma is choosing a perfect side dish. If you are a perfectionist in setting menus, this is the right place for you.

Finding a side dish with chicken wings can be hectic and straining work, especially since chicken wings can be made in various seasonings and sauces. 

Aside from the traditional carrot sticks and ranch dips, various side dishes would take your menu game to the next level. Here are 19 options of mouth-watering side dishes that would pair up perfectly well with chicken wings. 

1) Baked Sweet Potatoes

You would not believe the heavenly taste of baked sweet potatoes. It is surprising that this simple side dish is easy to prepare, budget-friendly, and tastes fantastic.

The aroma of freshly baked sweet potatoes will have you drooling before dinner is even served. All you have to do is drizzle sweet potatoes with olive oil, salt, and fresh herbs and bake them.

Serve the potatoes with a dab of butter, and you will be good to go. You can take them to another level by stuffing them with broccoli and cheese or any other stuffing of your preference. 

2) Sweet Potato Fries

Chicken wings and fries have been the go-to pair as far as I can remember. They are inseparable, like peanut butter and jelly.

If you want to go for a nutritious option with all the goodness of French fries yet low on fat, sweet potato fries will be proper for you.

The combination of sweet and salty would give a perfect balance to the savory chicken wings. 

3) Avocado Fries

While on the topic of fries, avocado fries can not be ignored.

Classic French fries and their second cousin, sweet potato fries, are no match for these avocado fries. They are crispy on the outside and rich and creamy on the inside.

Even more interesting is that avocados are guilt-free snacks because of their high nutritious value and low-fat content.

4) Stuffed bell peppers

Stuffed bell peppers are hot and cheesy snacks that go well with the chicken wings. The greasy quality of chicken wings needs a side dish that is lighter yet flavorful, and stuffed bell peppers are a perfect fit.

Are you worried that bell peppers would be too spicy? Well, don’t worry at all.

Cooked peppers are not very spicy, and they are perfectly edible. If you stuff them with cheese and bacon, the spiciness would be even more subdued by their flavors. 

5) Onion Rings

If two-finger foods were a perfect pair, it would be onion rings and chicken wings.

No person, not even the kids, can hate onion rings. They are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, just like chicken wings.

Serve onion rings as a side dish for your next dinner party, and you’ll have your guest happy and satisfied by the perfect menu. 

6) Mac and Cheese

Another party favorite dinner side dish is mac and cheese. It is a most loved classic side dish and is very easy to make. Everyone loves it, and all for a good reason.

The rich, creamy, and mouth-watering pasta is an excellent pair with savory chicken wings that would complete your meal and keep you fulfilled. 

7) Potato Salad

This is one of the typical side dishes that is paired up with chicken wings.

Potato salads are rich, fulfilling, and compliment the chicken wings really well.

The combination of hot, spicy, and savory chicken wings with cold potato salad gives the right contrast to enhance your taste buds and have you ask for more. 

8) Cornbread

You don’t know what to make for dinner with chicken wings? Please, try cornbread!

While this may seem like an unusual side dish for chicken wings, cornbread is actually a really great option.

The subtly sweet taste of the moist bread is a fantastic combination for the saucy and savory chicken wings. Surprisingly, only a few people have tried this combination because it tastes really great. 

9) Fried rice

Many Asian cuisines have rice as their staple.

So if you are going for an Asian sauce style for the chicken wings, fried rice can be the best option for the side dish.

You can even add spring onions and eggs to add more flavor to the dish. It is a perfect dish that would enhance the flavor of chicken wings and give you a fulfilling meal for dinner. 

10) Coleslaw

The classic American side dish for all fast foods has to be coleslaw.

The salad is light yet filled with flavors. It is effortless to make, takes little cooking time, and is budget-friendly as well.

Just chop some carrots and cabbage and mix in with mayo, salt, and pepper, and you will have yourself a perfect side dish. Coleslaws are appetizing to serve and work great when you have lots of guests coming over.

They give a sophisticated and elegant vibe to the entrée making the menu more presentable. 

Side dishes to serve with buffalo chicken wings

Chicken wings are amazing, but buffalo chicken wings hold a special place in our hearts. This is why they deserve unique side dishes that are ideal for the king of chicken wings.

You can use the above-mentioned options for a side dish for your buffalo chicken entrée, or you can choose the new, extraordinary ideas as well.

1) Loaded Baked Potato Chips

Buffalo chicken is an excellent option for game night dinners, so the side dish needs to have extra crispiness and saltiness to complement the meal and the occasion.

Loaded baked potato chips are a perfect option as it is crispy and easy to prepare.

Just bite-sized potato chips and bake them in the oven. You can even serve it with bite-size toppings and dipping sauces to make a perfect platter meal.

While it is a matter of personal preference, loaded baked potato chips would go great with ranch dressing, BBQ sauce, and other dipping sauces.

2) Buffalo chicken stuffed baked potato

If you are looking to serve buffalo chicken with a heavier dish, this is the perfect option for you. They are easy to prepare and light on the pocket.

Also, this side dish is people pleaser, so it would be a successful option for a dinner party. Just bake large potatoes such as russet potatoes and serve them with butter, cheese, and shredded buffalo chicken.

You can even add coleslaw to add more flavor to the meal. 

3) Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

Nothing compliments buffalo chicken wings better than ranch dressing. Their bond is like chips and salsa – unmatchable and scrumptious.

The bacon ranch pasta salad makes a large bowl, so it is an ideal option when you have many guests coming over.

It looks fancy and elegant, so this is a perfect side dish if you are going for a fine-dine restaurant vibe.

You can make it with any pasta you like and add in your preferred vegetables to make sure it suits your guests’ tastes. 

4) Loaded Nachos

The classic Tex-Mex style nachos are fully loaded and a fantastic side dish for buffalo chicken. Nachos has it all. They are spicy, crispy, protein-packed with lots of veggies.

They can be made for an individual or the whole party, and they always please the party.

To avoid sogginess, a great tip is to bake them briefly before topping them with cheese, sour cream, guacamole, and salsa.

The crispiness and combination of flavors would make for a fantastic game night dinner. 

Which vegetables to serve with chicken wings?

We all have our guilty conscience begging us to incorporate more greens and veggies into our meals. While we all love greasy and fatty finger food, it is not the healthiest of options out there.

It is necessary that our every meal has a good amount of protein, carbs, and fat to ensure a healthy lifestyle and wellbeing.

However, some meals would not just go with vegetables. Fortunately, chicken wings are not one of those meals. Many vegetables would make a great side dish with chicken wings. 

1) Grilled Corn

This is the easiest vegetable side dish to prepare. It is an excellent option for barbecue nights, and it is budget-friendly.

Plus, it is a vegetable.

Grilled corn goes perfectly fine with chicken wings which makes them a great side dish. Suppose you are bored with the essential grilled corn.

In that case, you smother the corn in some tasty aioli rather than butter and salt for a different but healthier option. 

2) Corn and Tomato Salad

These two vegetables are popular during the summer season.

They are not only flavorful and refreshing but packed with nutrients and antioxidants to sneakily make your chicken wings meal healthier.

Chop some fresh tomatoes, corn kernels, feta cheese, and top it with lime, cilantro, salt, and pepper.

You will have yourself a fulfilling salad bowl that is tasty and healthy. 

3) Spicy Roasted Cauliflower

We all may dread eating cauliflower and broccoli, basically any floret vegetable.

This side dish, however, is something you will really like.

Chop the cauliflower florets into bite-size pieces, drizzle with some herbs, spices, and sugar to roast. You will have yourself a transformed, caramelized, and tasty vegetable side dish.

This healthy side dish is an excellent option for chicken wings especially, honey garlic wings. You will not even know that you are eating cauliflower!

4) Classic Guacamole

Guacamole is always a hit for a side dish.

Besides being a mouth-watering and delicious side dish, what is even better is filled with nutrients.

The rich and creamy guacamole is a fantastic contrast to crispy and saucy chicken wings. You can serve it with tortilla chips or use it as a dipping sauce.

Either way, you will be in love with the pair of chicken wings with guacamole and will double-dipping to have the most of it. 

5) Oven Roasted Veggies

This side dish is completely healthy and a guilt-free option to enjoy chicken wings. While raw celery and carrot sticks are the famous vegetable platter, roasted vegetables are even tastier options.

You can choose vegetables of your personal preference, such as carrots, potatoes, asparagus, and beets. Drizzle them with olive oil, salt, pepper, and fresh herbs.

The aroma of roasted vegetables will have you drooling. 

Conclusion

While there are various options for side dishes to choose from, I have listed the perfect ideas that would complement your chicken wings entrée.

There are a few tips to keep in mind when finalizing the side dish for chicken wings:

1. Chicken wings are greasy, savory finger food, so you must avoid pairing it with any overpowering side dish.
2. The sauce style will influence the type of side dish you choose.
3. Remember to keep the occasion and types of guests in consideration when selecting the side dish.
4. The time constraints and budget must be considered for some of the side dish options.

So, do you already know what to make with chicken wings for dinner? Please, feel free to share your opinion with us!

Other side dishes:

• What to Serve With Pork Chops? 13 Delicious Side Dishes
• 17 Side dishes: What to Serve With Scallops?
• What To Serve With Salad As A Main Dish? 15 Delicious Choices
• 12 Side dishes: What to Eat With Meatballs (BBQ and Chicken)?