If you’re wondering what to serve with your BBQ chicken, you’ve come to the right place.
In this article, I list 48 of the most popular side dishes for BBQ chicken.
In a rush? Here’s the short answer.
The best side dishes to serve with BBQ chicken are vinegar coleslaw, avocado rice, Texas cowboy caviar, and Southern cornbread. For lighter sides, try Caesar salad, grilled pineapple, or pickled green beans. To make a full meal, serve borracho beans or broccoli mac and cheese.
Ready? Let’s jump right in.
Apple cider vinegar coleslaw
Traditional coleslaw recipes feature a mayo-based dressing, but I’m more partial to the mayo-free versions – they’re fresher, lighter, and healthier.
And the mixture of purple cabbage and orange carrots make this slaw look extra appetizing.
Psst… to get the best out of this slaw, you need to give it time to rest so the flavors can fully develop.
Why we love this recipe: it’s easy to make for a crowd.
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Apple cider vinegar coleslaw
Make it creamy
Greek yogurt coleslaw
Add a fruity note
Sweet Hawaiian pineapple coleslaw
Avocado cilantro lime rice
Skip the plain white rice and whip up this unique dish to pair with your BBQ chicken instead.
Thanks to the mashed avocados, cilantro, and lime juice, this dish boasts a refreshing flavor with a creamy bite.
Avoiding rice? This recipe works with cauliflower rice and quinoa too.
Why we love this recipe: it’s a great way to sneak veggies into fussy eaters.
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Avocado cilantro lime rice
Change the flavor
Mexican cauliflower rice
Keep it simple
Garlic butter rice
Borracho beans (Drunken beans)
Bring delicious Tex-Mex flavors to your barbecue spread by serving these borracho beans.
Pinto beans are simmered in a broth made with aromatics, bacon, and dark Mexican beer, making them creamy and oh-so-flavorful.
Heads up – this recipe calls for dried pinto beans, which need to be soaked for at least 8 hours before cooking.
Why we love this recipe: it has 5 stars from 53 votes.
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Borracho beans
Skip the stovetop
Instant pot borracho beans
Change the flavor
Chipotle stewed pinto beans
Peach and tomato panzanella
This traditional Tuscan dish features a delightful combination of juicy tomatoes, sweet peaches, and stale sourdough bread – ideal if you’re sick of salads filled with leafy greens.
All it needs is some protein!
Psst… the peach is optional, a traditional panzanella salad doesn’t have any peaches.
Why we love this recipe: it celebrates the flavors of summer.
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Peach and tomato panzanella
Go back to basics
Winter panzanella salad
Make it different
Roasted peach salsa
Southern cornbread
This Southern cornbread is super indulgent because it’s made with butter AND bacon drippings (yes, bacon drippings!).
It’s not healthy… but everyone deserves a treat sometimes right?!
Make sure you save a few bites to wipe up any leftover BBQ sauce from your plate.
Why we love this recipe: you can’t go wrong with the classics.
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Southern cornbread
Make it sweet
Cornbread muffins
Make it easy
Dinner rolls
Pickled green beans
I love these pickled green beans with BBQ chicken. They’re perfectly crisp-tender and have a superb tangy flavor to balance out your sweet and smoky chicken.
They’re quick fridge pickles, so they’re a breeze to make – no cooking or canning needed.
Pro-tip: for a more tender texture, blanch the green beans before brining them.
Why we love this recipe: you can get a lot of use out of one batch.
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Pickled green beans
Skip the green beans
Pickled corn with red onions and cilantro
Make a salad
Three-bean salad
Texas cowboy caviar
This dish is a melting pot of different flavors and textures.
It’s usually served as a dip with some tortilla chips, but it also makes a fun side for BBQ chicken.
And there’s no cooking involved, just a lot of chopping!
Why we love this recipe: it’s perfect for potlucks and cookouts.
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Texas cowboy caviar
Make it Mexican-inspired
Mexican corn salad (esquites)
Fire up the stovetop
Succotash
Asian cold noodle salad
Caesar salad
A simple Caesar salad is the way to go if you want an easy side for your BBQ chicken.
The creamy dressing is nice and cooling, and the simple flavors will make sure the BBQ chicken is that star of the show.
Everything in this recipe is made from scratch, including the croutons.
Why we love this recipe: it’s a guaranteed crowd pleaser.
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Caesar salad
Fire up the grill
Parmesan garlic grilled romaine
Skip the lettuce
Kale salad with lemon dressing
Spinach and cheddar twice-baked potatoes
This recipe transforms your plain spuds into a fabulous, cheesy dish.
Each potato boat features crisp skins, and a rich potato filling swirled with cooked spinach.
You can enjoy these alone, but they’re even better with some BBQ chicken.
Why we love this recipe: it’s indulgent but gives you a nutritious boost.
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Spinach and cheddar twice-baked potatoes
Make it crispy
Homemade French fries
Mash your spuds
Sour cream and chives mashed potatoes
Broccoli mac and cheese
Turn your BBQ chicken dinner into the ultimate comfort food with a broccoli mac and cheese.
You get all the gooey goodness from the classic cheesy pasta, plus a bit of greenery with the broccoli.
This recipe is cooked on the stovetop, but feel free to top it with extra cheese and broil it at the end to get a crispy topping.
Why we love this recipe: it’s family friendly.
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Broccoli mac and cheese
Skip the pasta
Broccoli bake
Make it dairy-free
Vegan roasted garlic mac and cheese
Chili lime grilled pineapple
Grilling your BBQ chicken? Chuck some pineapples on the grill too.
The pineapple will taste great plain, but to make it even more delicious, try seasoning it with a mix of chili powder and lime juice.
You’ll get smoky-sweet pineapples that remind you of being on a Caribbean island.
Why we love this recipe: you only need four ingredients.
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Chili lime grilled pineapple
Add a savory note
Bacon-wrapped pineapple
Change the flavor
Watermelon tajin skewers
Balsamic marinated grilled veggies
Much like grilled pineapple, grilled veggies are already superb, but do you know what can make them even more fabulous?
Tossing them with a homemade balsamic dressing.
Pro-tip: soak your veggies as soon as they come off the grill so they can absorb the dressing better.
Why we love this recipe: the veggies only need about 10 minutes on the grill.
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Balsamic marinated grilled veggies
Use skewers
Grilled veggie kabobs
Fire up the oven
Italian oven-roasted vegetables
Ranch pasta salad
A barbecue party isn’t complete without a pasta salad and my favorite is this ranch pasta salad.
Aside from the pasta, it involves a medley of colorful veggies and crunchy bacon bits, all tossed in a homemade ranch dressing.
You can serve this alongside BBQ chicken or chop it into pieces and toss them with the salad for extra protein.
Why we love this recipe: the leftovers will still taste great the next day.
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Creamy ranch pasta salad
Make it dairy-free
Vegan ranch pasta salad
Skip the pasta
Pesto couscous salad
Cold noodle salad
Add a delicious Asian twist to your BBQ chicken meal with this cold noodle salad.
It’s loaded with fresh veggies like carrots, onions, peppers, and sesame seeds to add a crunchy bite.
But what makes this noodle salad really stand out is the zippy ginger vinaigrette.
Why we love this recipe: it’s a fun twist on the usual noodle sides.
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Asian cold noodle salad
Make it Vietnamese-style
Vietnamese noodle salad
Make it fun
Fresh veggie spring rolls
Braised collard greens
A BBQ spread wouldn’t be complete without some collard greens.
Braising means the greens are cooked low and slow, allowing the fibrous texture to soften.
And fair warning… this side may look healthy, but there’s a lot of bacon grease involved!
Why we love this recipe: you can easily sub out the collard greens for kale, or even cabbage.
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Braised collard greens
Make it creamy
Creamed spinach with mushrooms and bacon
Make it quick
Garlic sauteed cabbage
The best side dishes to serve with BBQ chicken
- Apple cider vinegar coleslaw
- Avocado cilantro lime rice
- Borracho beans (Drunken beans)
- Peach and tomato panzanella
- Southern cornbread
- Pickled green beans
- Texas cowboy caviar
- Asian cold noodle salad
- Caesar salad
- Spinach and cheddar twice-baked potatoes
- Broccoli mac and cheese
- Chili lime grilled pineapple
- Balsamic marinated grilled veggies
- Ranch pasta salad
- Cold noodle salad
- Braised collard greens
What To Serve With BBQ Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 portion BBQ chicken
Instructions
- Prepare your BBQ chicken according to your favorite recipe.
- In the meantime, choose one of the following sides to serve alongside it.
- Side dishes include: apple cider vinegar coleslaw, avocado cilantro lime rice, borracho beans (drunken beans), peach and tomato panzanella, southern cornbread, pickled green beans, Texas cowboy caviar, asian cold noodle salad, caesar salad, spinach and cheddar twice-baked potatoes, broccoli mac and cheese, chili lime grilled pineapple, balsamic marinated grilled veggies, ranch pasta salad, cold noodle salad, and braised collard greens.
- Serve immediately and enjoy!
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