In this article you’ll find the 20 best Low Calorie Side Dishes for Chicken!
Along with the chicken sides, I’ve included 25 healthy chicken recipes as well. So you can revamp your weekly menu and try something new anytime.
Each of the side dishes that go with chicken will come with a photo. Click on it to be brought to the recipe immediately.
You can also bypass the entire article and see the 20 easy side dishes for chicken below. All you can click on to find the healthy chicken side dish recipe.
20 Best Low Calorie Side Dishes for Chicken
Before I dive into the 20 best dinner sides with chicken, I know some of you are trying to find the recipes fast.
So I’ve provided you with this list (you can click on each to find the recipe card for that chicken dinner side) right away, so you don’t have to scroll!
Here are the 20 Sides for Chicken You’ll Find Below:
- Cold Broccoli Salad with Bacon
- Ranch Seasoned Zucchini Bites
- Panzanella Tomato Salad Recipe
- Garlic Sautéed Broccolini Recipe with Hummus
- Baked Stuffed Zucchini Boats
- Cauliflower Fried Rice Recipe
- Grilled Potatoes in Foil Packets
- Grilled Zucchini with Feta and Pine Nuts
- Healthy Rice Pilaf
- Simple Spinach Salad
- Acorn Squash with Garlic and Sage
- Sautéed Spinach with Garlic and Lemon
- Low Calorie Cilantro Lime Rice Recipe
- Garlic Parmesan Oven Roasted Zucchini
- Skillet Green Bean Recipes
- Low Calorie Mashed Potatoes
- Healthy Bruschetta Recipe
- Low Calorie Scalloped Potatoes
- Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries
- Corn on the Cob Recipe (5 Ways to Cook)
Below you’ll find my 5 basic chicken recipes for the oven, slow cooker, Instant pot, BBQ and the air fryer.
But you’ll also find 20 more healthy chicken recipes in with the good side dishes for chicken below. I’ve paired each of the chicken sides with a healthy chicken recipe as well!
Try These Simple (Healthy) Chicken Recipes:
- Oven Baked Chicken Nuggets
- Crockpot Smothered Chicken Breasts
- Instant Pot Honey Mustard Chicken Breast
- BBQ Ranch Chicken Skewers
- Air Fryer Chicken Strips
1. Cold Broccoli Salad with Bacon
Sides with chicken can be served hot, or cold. This cold side dish is great for BBQs or for making ahead!
Many Mexican chicken take out restaurants serve this salad with grilled chicken. Any cut of chicken you like will go great with this chicken side dish. Legs, wings, thighs, but our favorite choice is grilled chicken breast.
Special Note: This Healthy Chicken Side Dish is just 115 calories, and can be made ahead!
Try this pairing… cold broccoli salad and grilled chicken breasts!
2. Ranch Flavored Oven Baked Zucchini
This low calorie, 3 ingredients healthy side dish for chicken is amazing!
Just be sure to follow the directions and broil them for the last few minutes to get the crispness!
Special Tip: This Chicken Dinner Side Dish is just 19 calories!
Since you’ll already have the oven on, we paired this zucchini side dish with oven baked chicken legs.
3. Panzanella Tomato Salad Recipe
This make ahead sides to go with chicken is a make ahead side!
You can meal prep this yummy cold salad, and have it ready for you when you come home from work.
Special Tip: This make ahead Chicken Side Dish is just 191 calories!
This basil salad is fantastic and a great way to use up stale bread. I like pair it with this healthy pesto chicken… hey, it saves money to reuse ingredients like basil!
4. Garlic Sautéed Broccolini Recipe with Hummus
Broccoli is good… broccolini its better… and broccolini sautéed in garlic and dipped in hummus is heavenly!
This vegetable side dish for chicken is packed with protein and super healthy!
Special Tip: This Greek Side Dish for Chicken is just 135 calories!
Try the Greek inspired easy side dish for chicken kabobs… this way you can dip the chicken in the hummus too!
5. Baked Stuffed Zucchini Boats Recipe
If you’re looking for veggie packed vegetable side dishes for chicken, this recipe is perfect.
Filled with yummy summer veggies, you’ll want to make these vegetable side dishes for chicken all year long. And you can! All of these ingredients are available year-round.
Special Tip: This Chicken Dinner Side Dish is just 47 calories!
Since you already have the oven on, make these zucchini boats with a whole roasted chicken. It’s the ultimate impressive dinner!
6. Cauliflower Fried Rice
When looking for what to eat with chicken, cauliflower can’t be ignored!
This cauliflower fried rice is bold and flavorful, and absolutely delicious with sesame garlic chicken here.
Special Tip: This low carb side dish for chicken is just 96 calories!
All in, this meal will take you just 15 minutes to prep, and 15 minutes of hands on cook time! You make the chicken in the morning, come home to toss together the fried rice, and dinner is done faster than ever!
7. Grilled Potatoes in Foil Packets
If you’re grilling chicken, why not grill your potatoes too? Especially these soft and flavorful mini potatoes.
Next time you’re firing up the BBQ and need to know what to serve with chicken, try this simple foil packet side dish!
Special Tip: This healthy Chicken Side Dish on the BBQ is just 101 calories!
This BBQ side dish is amazing with any cut of chicken, but I really love it with ranch chicken skewers!!
8. Grilled Zucchini with Feta and Pine Nuts
Another impressive easy side dish with chicken is this BBQ zucchini with feta and pine nuts.
You’ll love the bold flavors, and if you’re barbecuing your chicken, it’s a great side dish to pop on the grill.
Special Tip: This grilled chicken side dish is just 81 calories!
Just in case you’re looking for an amazing chicken marinade, this one goes great with the zucchini, and also with any cut of chicken!
9. Healthy Rice Pilaf
No list of what to have with chicken would be complete without a rice dish!
This low calorie, easy to make side dish is fantastic. And so easy to whip up when you’re cooking your chicken on the stove top or in the oven.
Special Tip: This healthy chicken side dish is just 142 calories!
I love this rice dish with our sheet pan dinners. And this chicken breast sheet pan dinner is perfect with it!
10. Healthy Spinach Salad
I love to pair low calorie crispy fried chicken, with fresh and healthy salads.
The balance is perfect, and always comes together fast and easy!
Special Tip: This side salad for chicken dinner is just 157 calories!
Healthy sides for chicken dinner always include fancy salads. And this no cook, super quick salad is amazing and delicious.
11. Roasted Acorn Squash with Garlic and Sage
When the Fall squash come out to play, I can’t stop making this garlic sage acorn squash.
It makes great side vegetable dished for chicken, especially when you’ve already got the oven on for your chicken dinner.
Special Tip: This healthy chicken side dish is just 91 calories!
I love the crispy chicken skin and the soft and fragrant acorn squash together. Any cut of chicken will go great with these healthy sides for chicken!
12. Sautéed Spinach Recipe with Garlic and Lemon
Sides for bakes chicken can be simple and still be flavorful.
This garlic lemon spinach is amazing, and so quick to whip up! I love you’ll love it with chicken, be it baked, fried, or slow cooked
Special Tip: This chicken side is just 67 calories and so easy to make!
Try these side dishes for chicken legs, breasts, or thighs… Here’s a roasted chicken breast recipe to inspire you.
13. Low Calorie Cilantro Lime Rice Recipe
Chicken tacos need healthy sides too! I love this cilantro lime rice with any Mexican chicken recipes!
This makes great sides for rotisserie chicken, wrapped up in a tortilla. Or with slow cooked tacos (like this recipe!)
Special Tip: This healthy rice side dish for chicken is just 115 calories!
You just can’t go wrong with 4 ingredient chicken tacos, and skinny cilantro lime rice!
14. Garlic Parmesan Oven Roasted Zucchini Recipe
Roasted chicken sides are fun and easy to make. Especially these crunchy and cheesy zucchini strips!
These are also great sides to go with stuffed chicken! They offer the crunch you need with a stuffed chicken breast.
Special Tip: This oven cooked chicken side dish is just 83 calories!
15. Skillet Green Beans
These healthy side dished for chicken are made quick in the skillet.
The almonds add crunch and flavor, but could be swapped out for cashews, pine nuts, or walnuts too.
Special Tip: This skillet side dish for chicken dinners is just 59 calories!
I love to serve this bright green side dish for chicken with this creamy and decadent skillet chicken recipe.
16. Low Calorie Mashed Potatoes
Repeat after me…. 62 calorie mashed potatoes!
Need I say more? No it’s not cauliflower (yes we have a recipe for that too, but this isn’t it) it’s real potatoes and a protein packed swap for butter and cream.
Special Tip: This mashed potato side dish recipe for chicken is just 62 calories!
Is there anything better than chicken marsala atop mashed potatoes? Check out the low calorie chicken marsala recipe here!
17. Healthy Bruschetta Recipe
This side dish for stuffed chicken is a great way to add a little bit of carbs to your dish, without breaking the calorie bank!
Try this low calorie chicken side dish with all your favorite Italian chicken inspired recipes.
Special Tip: This Italian side dish for chicken recipes is just 72 calories per slice!
Do you notice a theme? We like to use the same ingredients in both our sides and main courses. This helps save money, and what’s not to love about that?! Check out this caprese stuffed chicken recipe!
18. Low Calorie Scalloped Potatoes
These low calorie scalloped potatoes make great healthy side dished for chicken! But they are also one of my most popular holiday recipes too!
Try this side dish recipe with any protein! It’s great with chicken, ham, turkey… just about anything you want to serve it with!
Special Tip: This potato side dish for chicken is just 141 calories!
Creamy scalloped potatoes and sharp French chicken cordon bleu… I highly recommend this pairing! Especially with this skinny chicken recipe (there’s a video of me making it with Rachael Ray in the link too!!)
19. Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries
Healthy side dishes for chicken can be “finger food” too!
And these low calorie sweet potato fries are amazing with chicken nuggets or strips! (And yes there’s a chicken nugget recipe available here!!)
Special Tip: This chicken side dish is just 101 calories!
Skip the silverware and make this wonderful chicken nugget and sweet potato fry pairing!
20. Corn on the Cob Recipe (5 Ways to Cook)
You can cook corn so many different ways. That’s what makes it such great healthy side dishes for chicken!
This recipe will show you how to mke this healthy chicken side dish 5 different ways!
Special Tip: This last chicken side dish recipe is just 166 calories and can be made on the Grill, Microwave, Boil, Oven, and Instant Pot.
No matter how you want to cook it, this chicken side dish recipe is easy and fast!
Printable Card – Low Calorie Side Dishes for Chicken
45 Low Calorie Side Dishes for Chicken
Ingredients
- Cold Broccoli Salad with Bacon
- Ranch Seasoned Zucchini Bites
- Panzanella Tomato Salad Recipe
- Garlic Sautéed Broccolini Recipe with Hummus
- Baked Stuffed Zucchini Boats
- Cauliflower Fried Rice Recipe
- Grilled Potatoes in Foil Packets
- Grilled Zucchini with Feta and Pine Nuts
- Healthy Rice Pilaf
- Simple Spinach Salad
- Acorn Squash with Garlic and Sage
- Sautéed Spinach with Garlic and Lemon
- Low Calorie Cilantro Lime Rice Recipe
- Garlic Parmesan Oven Roasted Zucchini
- Skillet Green Bean Recipes
- Low Calorie Mashed Potatoes
- Healthy Bruschetta Recipe
- Low Calorie Scalloped Potatoes
- Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries
- Corn on the Cob Recipe 5 Ways to Cook
Instructions
- Pick 1-2 healthy chicken sides.
- Click on the links to retrieve the recipes… You can even print the recipe cards for each side dish!
- Serve them alongside your favorite chicken dishes.
Nutrition
What to Read Next:
Lose Weight By Eating Cookbooks
Share these Low Calorie Recipes:
Article History:
- Originally written and published on March 11, 2022 by Audrey Johns
- Updated on March 12, 2023 by Audrey Johns
- Updated on April 4, 2023 by Audrey Johns
