The BEST chicken salad sides! Here are the best options for what to serve with chicken salad for lunch or dinner.
Chicken salad is somehow both refreshing AND a comforting, classic dish.
It’s an ideal main dish for warmer months, but also perfect for a luncheon, baby shower, or light dinner.
You can make it easily out of rotisserie chicken, leftover roast chicken, or even quickly bake or boil some chicken breasts for it.
Combine that with a creamy dressing like sour cream, greek yogurt, Miracle Whip, or mayo. The addition of mustard, soy sauce, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper, or curry powder and other seasonings make it super flavorful!
You can keep the recipe really simple, or add in some other fresh ingredients and mix-ins to create a new twist.
Some delicious add ins for chicken salad are:
- Crunchy celery
- Diced onion
- Red bell peppers
- Diced apples
- Almonds
- Dried cranberries or raisins
- Red grapes (seedless)
- Cherry tomatoes
- Diced cucumber
- Corn kernels
- Radishes
- Cooked bacon crumbles
- Scallions
(Or make the whole meal really easy and buy your chicken salad premade at the grocery store!)
Ways to eat chicken salad
You can never go wrong with a traditional chicken salad sandwich recipe.
The best bread for chicken salad sandwiches is a firm bread, such as multi-grain, that won’t fall apart easily.
You’ll want something that will stand up, and not soak through.
Best bread to go with chicken salad:
- Multi-grain sliced bread
- Croissant
- Baguette
- Potato bread, sliced
- Ciabatta roll
- On a tortilla or wraps
- Pretzel bun
- Sourdough bread, sliced
- Pita bread
If you are serving chicken salad sandwiches, consider setting out some fun toppings so your guests can customize their meal.
The best chicken salad sandwich toppings are:
- Red onion
- Mustard
- Green onions
- Fresh herbs
- Bacon bits
- Cheddar cheese
Sandwiches are the classic way to serve it, but there are ways to eat chicken salad without bread.
If low carb or healthy eating is your priority, try some of these ideas that don’t include bread.
Creative ways to eat chicken salad:
- Stuffed tomatoes
- On a bed of lettuce
- Mixed with chopped broccoli
- On top of a green salad
- Stuffed avocados
- Lettuce wraps
- With low carb crackers or cucumber ‘chips’
- Stuffed cucumber boats
- On top of celery for a hearty snack
- Over cauliflower rice
Now that we’ve covered all these fun and tasty chicken salad lunch ideas and dinner options, you may be wondering what is a good side dish with chicken salad?
Sides for chicken salad sandwiches
1. Pasta salad
On a warm day, you may want to serve a cold lunch or dinner with no hot dishes.
Pasta salad is the perfect choice!
Whether you buy it pre-made at the store, or make your own, it’s always a crowd pleaser.
To make your own, simply combine cooked noodles with some fresh veggies and your favorite salad dressing.
Read Next: 27 Healthy Pasta Salad Recipes (you won’t regret eating!)
2. Wild rice salad
This side dish is full of color, texture, and flavor!
Wild rice salad usually contains feta, cranberries or pomegranate seeds, arugula, and a delicious dressing.
It’ll be a super flavorful compliment to chicken salad, and could quickly become everyone’s favorite new side.
3. Potato salad
Potato salad is an ideal side dish for chicken salad sandwiches, because it’s cold on a hot day, but also a comfort food.
If you don’t want two dishes with creamy dressings, you can use a vinagairette-based potato salad recipe.
4. Potato wedges
If you’d like not need to set out utensils, consider serving potato wedges.
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Simply cut some Russet potatoes into wedges, season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder, and paprika, and bake in the oven or air fryer.
5. Coleslaw
If you’ve ever had chicken salad at a restaurant, chances are they also served you some coleslaw.
Crunchy coleslaw makes a great side because of its tangy, crunchy nature.
You can purchase it already prepared from your local store or favorite deli, or make your own from scratch.
6. Macaroni salad
While traditional pasta salad tends to have an oil-based dressing, macaroni salad is usually prepared with a creamy dressing.
It’s hearty, flavorful, and pairs well with chicken salad sandwiches.
7. Fruit salad or platter
With very little prep work, you can put together a fruit salad or fruit platter.
Especially if you buy pre-chopped fruit from the market!
You could also set out a yogurt dip, or make a delicious fruit dip out of marshmallow fluff and cream cheese.
If you want something a bit fancier, ambrosia salad is a favorite chicken salad side dish.
8. Cheese and cracker platter
To keep the menu super easy and light, consider setting out a cheese platter.
Most stores carry a nice cheese selection these days, so simply arrange a few different cheeses on a platter with some crackers, and maybe a few olives or fruit.
Everyone loves a charcuterie board!
9. Fresh veggies
If you’re wondering what to eat with chicken salad on keto, fresh vegetables make an excellent side dish option.
Make it a platter and set out some vegetable dip or ranch dressing.
10. Roasted veggies
Fire up the grill or turn on the oven and roast a medley of veggies.
Carrots, brussel sprouts, green beans, and asparagus are great options for roasting or grilling.
11. Broccoli salad
Crunchy, cold broccoli salad is a fresh alternative to traditional chicken salad sides.
It comes together quickly with just a few ingredients.
Don’t let the name fool you, this surprisingly becomes a favorite!
12. Soup
There’s something very comforting about a cup of soup and sandwich, making it a great way to serve chicken salad for dinner.
You may be wondering what kind of soup goes with chicken salad?
Here are the best soups to serve with chicken salad sandwiches:
- Potato soup
- Butternut squash soup
- Corn chowder
- Vegetable soup
- Chilled soup, such as gazpacho or avocado and cucumber soup – perfect for hot days!
13. Cucumber salad
Cucumber salad is a quick, easy, and versatile summer side dish.
It’s light and crunchy, which makes it the perfect accompaniment to hearty chicken salad.
14. Sweet potato fries
A healthier alternative to french fries are sweet potato fries.
You can make them from scratch, or take a supermarket shortcut and buy them frozen.
They can be seasoned with savory spices, or made sweet with cinnamon and sugar.
15. Asian slaw
The colorful nature of asian slaw makes it a very aesthetically-pleasing side dish.
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But don’t let it’s lovely appearance fool you – it’s really delicious!
You can make it easier by purchasing a pre-shredded slaw mix at the store.
16. Potato chips and dip
The crunch of potato chips goes super well with chicken salad sandwiches.
Don’t forget the french onion dip!
17. Green salad
A green salad, such as a caesar, tossed, or greek salad is a fresh side dish that goes well with chicken salad served any way.
You could even set out a big bowl of greens and little bowls of different toppings as a salad bar.
18. Deviled eggs
Whether you decide to serve deviled eggs as an appetizer or side, they’re just always a crowd favorite!
19. Cheese straws
Crunch, savory cheese straws are an unexpected side dish that everyone will love.
They’re a more gourmet alternative to chips or crackers.
20. Potato pancakes
An inexpensive side dish idea are potato pancakes, or latkes.
Shredded potato and a few other ingredients come together to make a very satisfying dish.
They’re also good at room temperature!
21. Baked beans
It doesn’t get any easier than opening a can of baked beans.
Sure, you can doctor them up, or even make them from scratch. But feel free to make life easy and just buy them already prepared.
You can even keep them warm in the slow cooker.
22. Macaroni and Cheese
Macaroni and cheese makes a hearty side dish for when you want to serve a filling meal.
Your guests will be so pleased to see it!
23. Cranberry lentil quinoa salad
The different textures and flavors in this cranberry lentil quinoa salad are so unexpected.
It’s crunchy, smooth, and tangy all in one.
Plus, it’s packed with protein and chock full of healthy ingredients.
25. Dill pickles
If you do nothing else, set out some dill pickles with your chicken salad.
They have a nice crunch that is just unbeatable!
Or try setting out an old-fashioned relish tray with a variety of pickles, olives, and pickled beets.
25. Refreshing drinks
Iced tea, lemonade, or a refreshing seltzer are perfect to serve with chicken salad.
Change things up by making a peach iced tea or watermelon lemonade!
Ready to try some of these delicious chicken salad side dish recipes?
I hope this list has given you lots of inspiration for chicken salad menu ideas.
There are so many ways you can customize a classic chicken salad recipe just by swapping out different ingredients, toppings, and side dishes!
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