What To Serve With Chicken Wings: 20 Tasty Side Dishes

If you have trouble figuring out what to serve with chicken wings, don’t worry! This list of amazing side dishes will turn your basket of juicy chicken wings into a full dinner.

On their own, chicken wings make a great base for a meal. They’re cheap and easy to prepare, and they’re full of flavor and protein.

You have lots of options for sides, depending on the occasion and type of chicken you’re making.

With spicy chicken wings, pair a cool, creamy side to tame the heat. For example, blue cheese coleslaw, bacon ranch pasta salad, or avocado Caesar salad would taste amazing.

For a decadent and filling meal, try fried onion rings, jalapeño poppers stuffed with cheese, or baked avocado fries. These finger foods are the perfect party snacks!

For a healthy weeknight dinner, I like to make sweet potato fries or oven-roasted veggies and a simple salad. Then I can enjoy the tender chicken and crispy skin while still having a well-rounded meal.

So, serve succulent wings, your favorite dipping sauce, and some fantastic sides — and you’ve got a party for your taste buds.

01. Sweet Potato Fries

I love the combo of sweet and spicy, so roasted sweet potatoes are my go-to side for buffalo wings.

If you cook your chicken wings in the oven, just toss in a tray of potato wedges at the same time and dinner will be really easy. Or, mix up the sweet potatoes with other fresh veggies for a roasted vegetable medley.

Sweet potato fries are also a great chicken wing side because you can dip them in all the same sauces. So, grab your ranch, blue cheese, or buffalo sauce!

02. Avocado Fries

With each bite, you’ll crunch through the crispy coating into a soft, creamy interior. These are little wedges of heaven!

To change up this recipe, experiment with your favorite herbs and spices. Or, add some grated cheese to the breadcrumb mix for even more savoriness.

Don’t forget to serve them with your favorite dip! The author has a delicious recipe for chipotle ranch dressing, but you can always use your favorite bottled sauce.

03. Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad

You can’t go wrong with bacon and ranch! These two incredible flavors meld perfectly in this summery pasta salad.

Sour cream and mayonnaise form the base of the creamy dressing. But if you want a healthier option, you can swap in some non-fat Greek yogurt. (This will also make it tangier!)

While tri-color rotini looks beautiful in this side dish, you can use whatever pasta you like. For instance, tortellini would make this salad really rich.

Also, make sure you let the salad sit for a couple of hours before serving. That way it’ll taste its best!

04. Potato Salad

You might think classic potato salad is boring, but wait until you try this one! The author’s grandmother handed this recipe down, so you know it’s good.

The simple spices are perfectly balanced, and a little vinegar adds some tang. With soft potatoes and hard-boiled eggs, it’s like a hug in a bowl.

Since it’s so easy, this is one of those incredible side dishes you’ll serve year after year.

05. Onion Rings

When serving chicken wings at home, you sometimes still want that restaurant experience. And you can get that with homemade onion rings!

But don’t fear the fryer. The biggest trick to perfect deep-fried foods is making sure the oil is at the right temperature, and you can check with a thermometer.

Also, if you have doubts about this recipe, there’s a helpful video showing you how to make it.

06. Greek Cauliflower Rice

This is one of those tasty recipes that’s really healthy for you! Cauliflower stands in for white rice, making this dish low in calories and high in fiber.

The Greek herbs are flavorful, but they won’t compete with whatever seasonings you have on your wings. Also, you can change up the seasonings for different meals.

For a Mexican dinner? Add chili powder and cilantro instead of parsley.
For an Indian dinner? Add a bit of curry powder or garam masala.

07. Spicy Corn Carbonara

This corn, bacon, and pasta dish is like a meal unto itself: flavorful and filling. But it’s also a wonderful entree to serve after an appetizer of chicken wings.

You thicken this creamy sauce with egg yolks and season it with parmesan cheese. And the corn kernels add a bit of sweetness and texture.

For some extra color and freshness, sprinkle chopped scallions or green onions on top.

08. Blue Cheese Coleslaw

A delicious side dish in 5 minutes? Yes, it’s possible!

When you use bagged coleslaw mix, this recipe comes together in just a few moments. However, it does taste best if you let it sit in the refrigerator for an hour or two so the flavors can meld.

This creamy salad perfectly complements buffalo wings, which often come with blue cheese sauce. And if you don’t like shredded cabbage, you can also just dip celery sticks in the yummy dressing!

09. Avocado Caesar Salad

Caesar salad is a classic side dish, but this clever recipe skips the mayo and uses avocado to make a luscious — and healthy — dressing.

The traditional veggies in a Caesar salad are just pieces of Romaine lettuce. But don’t let that stop you!

This recipe adds cherry tomatoes and chunks of avocado. But I like to change it up with diced bell pepper, grated carrot, radish slices, or any fresh, seasonal vegetable.

Also, the baguette croutons are my favorite part of this recipe. So, drizzle the olive oil liberally, and they’ll crisp up in the oven.

10. Greek Wedge Salad

Wedge salads saw their heyday in the 50s and 60s, but they’re still fun appetizers or sides for chicken wings. And this one classes up a traditional iceberg salad by using Romaine lettuce and a lemon-tahini dressing.

For this Greek salad, marinate the veggies in addition to topping everything with salad dressing. This gives the dish a deeper flavor and softens the punch of the raw shallots slightly.

If you want a bit more crunch, make a batch of crispy chickpeas as croutons. Or, use traditional store-bought bread croutons.

11. Crispy Roasted Artichokes

There’s nothing quite like a fresh artichoke — and the canned ones really can’t compare. This recipe celebrates the summer beauty of these flower buds by serving them with a lemon and garlic dressing.

I roast the artichokes in the oven, but if you use an air fryer, you’ll still get golden-brown bites of heaven. However, the roasted garlic really makes the dressing pop, so you may want to keep that step.

You could also swap out the mayo and make a Greek yogurt dip for a healthier option.

12. Caprese Salad With Zucchini

Caprese salad is usually just tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil. But this recipe creates a heartier side dish by adding zucchini.

If you’re not a fan of raw zucchini, you can gently saute slices and add them to the salad. Just be careful not to mash them too much because they’ll be a lot more delicate.

And in a pinch, you can use bottled salad dressing. But it’s easy to make your own balsamic vinaigrette with olive oil, vinegar, dijon mustard, and Italian seasoning.

13. Classic Guacamole

When it comes to dips, guacamole is king. Silky and creamy, with punchy flavors, this is the perfect side dish for parties.

It’s best to make this right before serving so that the avocados don’t brown. But even if they do, it won’t affect the flavor.

For a slightly milder dip, use canned diced green chiles instead of the jalapeño, or leave the peppers out altogether. Or for a spicier dip, use a serrano pepper instead.

So, what are you waiting for? Rip open a bag of tortilla chips and dig in!

14. Grilled Corn with Spicy Aioli

For a backyard barbecue, this is the perfect side. And it’s great if you have vegetarian guests who won’t touch the chicken wings — this corn is so good they won’t feel left out!

The dressing has no animal ingredients at all, so it’s perfect for vegans or anyone with allergies to dairy and eggs. And if you can’t find cashews (or you have a nut allergy), you can make the dressing with vegan mayo instead.

15. French Fries

Don’t reach for a bag of frozen fries when homemade ones taste so good. These French fries are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

The trick is to soak the potatoes after you slice them. This gets rid of some of the starch, so your fries will end up really crispy.

Just make sure you plan ahead because you want to soak the potatoes for at least an hour.

Also, for less oil and mess, bake these fries in the oven or air fryer.

16. Grilled Cauliflower Steaks

This cauliflower steak is fancy enough for a dinner party and light enough that you won’t feel stuffed if you eat it with chicken wings.

The Montreal steak seasoning makes this cauliflower taste more like beef, but use any rub you like. For instance, try ras el hanout for a North African steak.

Also, don’t skip the avocado topping. It’s basically an herby guacamole, and it works really well on the tender cauliflower.

17. Jalapeño Poppers

These spicy bites taste nothing like the bagged ones in the freezer section. The combo of crispy bacon, melted cheese, and fresh jalapeño heat will get your mouth watering immediately.

For extra flavor, you can add other spices to the cheese filling, including chili powder or garlic. But it’s certainly not necessary!

This is a fun dish to serve with chicken wings for game day or a movie night. Pop your beer (or soda!), sit back, and relax.

18. Greek-Style Barley Salad

In my opinion, barley is a highly-underrated grain: it’s flavorful, has a chewy texture, and it’s much healthier than white rice or pasta. Here, barley forms the delicious base for this tangy Greek salad.

The fresh herbs are optional, but I find they really lift the flavor of the salad. And this is great when you pair it with something heavier like chicken wings.

If you don’t feel like making your own dressing, you can use a bottled one. However, those tend to be very high in salt, so I prefer to make my own.

19. Creamy Cucumber Salad

Cool your palette with cucumber salad after some spicy wings! This side is also perfect for summer picnics or barbecues.

There are two dressings to choose from: one mayo-based and one vinaigrette. Depending on your mood (and your guests), you can pick whichever is right for the occasion.

Also, I prefer English cucumbers to field cucumbers because I find them more flavorful. But use whatever fresh ones look best.

20. Oven-Roasted Veggies

My go-to side for any meal is roasted veggies. It’s quick, healthy, and has minimal dishes to wash afterward.

Simply choose your favorite chopped vegetables, coat them in olive oil and spices, and pop them in the oven until they’re golden brown. My favorites are fresh broccoli, mushrooms, and onion.

Also, make sure you spread the veggies out on the baking tray. If they’re too close together, they’ll steam instead of roasting.