What to Serve with Chicken Tenders: Our 18 Suggestions for You

Chicken tenders, strips, or fingers, whichever name you call them, are some of the most delicious and favorite comfort foods worldwide. Whenever this dish is on the dining table, I am sure everyone loves it.

Nearly every fast-food restaurant sells them. Additionally, you can buy frozen chicken tenders and fry them. Or, you can make it at home from scratch or reheat the chicken tender leftovers. Even though they are already delicious, pairing the suitable side dish with your juicy and tender chicken tenders makes all the difference.

That’s why we’ve put together a list of 18 side dishes to make your chicken tenders dinner complete and tasty.

18 Mouth-Watering Sides for Chicken Tenders

Serve one or more of the following side dishes alongside your chicken tenders. I am sure you will love them. Even if some of them might surprise you, they are absolutely worth a go.

1. French Fries

⏱Total Prep Time– 50 minutes, ????Total Calories– 312/100gm

When someone asks what to serve with chicken tender, french fries come to my mind first. French fries are a classic, crowd-pleasure side dish people enjoy with chicken tenders. You can easily find this combo in any famous fast-food chain. Or you can also fry sliced potatoes at home. 

2. Fried Asparagus

⏱Total Prep Time– 30 min, ????Total Calories 35/ 100gm

Another excellent addition to your chicken tenders is fried asparagus. Speaking of vegetables, even the pickiest eaters like asparagus. This side dish only takes a few minutes to make at home.

Simply warm up some butter or olive oil in your skillet, add some garlic, and add the asparagus. Don’t forget to season it with some pepper, salt, pepper, and other herbs. Then boil it for two to three minutes.

Eat the chicken tenders and fried asparagus for a filling meal that comes together quickly and with no effort.

3. Baked Sweet Potatoes

⏱Total Prep Time– 55 min, ????Total Calories– 90/ 100gm

You can try sweet potatoes to pair with chicken fingers if you want a healthy french fries substitute. Sweet potatoes are a guilt-free, delectable side dish high in Vitamin A and fiber.

Simply slice them into thin strips to have crunchiness and bake in the oven. Then you are ready to serve it alongside your chicken tenders for a great lunch with more nutrients and fewer calories.

4. Coleslaw

⏱Total Prep Time– 25 minutes, ????Total Calories– 152/ 100gm

Coleslaw is the best side dish that goes well with almost everything, including chicken tenders. The crispiness of the cabbage contrasts nicely with how soft the chicken is.

You can easily make coleslaw at home following any recipe you like. However, make more coleslaw salad than you would have in a single sitting because it keeps well in the refrigerator.

Your chicken tenders will get a new flavor from this side dish, which many love.

5. Mashed Potatoes

⏱Total Prep Time– 45 min, ????Total Calories– 88/ 100 gm

You will not find this mix so often at fast-food restaurants, but it is easy to make at home. Add butter and garlic to your mashed potatoes for a more intense taste. And don’t be afraid to experiment with different herbs, either.

Just like French fries, mashed potatoes also go well with chicken tenders. You can simply prepare it at home. For a richer flavor, just mix some garlic and butter into your mashed potatoes and throw in some herbs. And if you add a cup of milk to your mashed potatoes as you mix them, the dish will become even tastier.

Related Article: What to Serve with Potato Pancakes

6. Fresh Salad

⏱Total Prep Time– 20 min, ????Total Calories– 17/ 100 gm

A delicious fresh salad made of tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions goes great with chicken tenders. And such a salad will also improve your nutrition level while aiding in the simpler digestion of your meal.

You can use any seasonal vegetables for your salad because seasonal veggies are typically the tastiest.

7. Glazed Veggies

⏱Total Prep Time– 20 min, ????Total Calories– 125/ 100 gm

Try glazing some vegetables and eating them with your chicken fingers for a nutritious yet slightly decadent dish. Simply combine sugar, butter, and a splash of lemon juice to make the glaze, then pour it over your vegetables.

Carrots, celery, and broccoli are some best choices for glazed veggies. Their sweetness will balance out the chicken’s savory flavor!

8. Cornbread

⏱Total Prep Time– 1hr, ????Total Calories– 330/ 100 gm

Cornbread is a wonderful side dish that fits with any meat.

It is simple to prepare at home. Your lunch of cornbread and chicken tenders will taste even better if you add some garlic sauce to it. I am sure you will love it and keep returning to this dish.

Also, this simple, nutritious, filling meal will keep you full for several hours.

9. Wedges

⏱Total Prep Time– 45 min, ????Total Calories– 123/ 100gm

Another excellent food to pair with chicken tenders is a wedge.

To enhance the flavor of wedges, you can add various aromatic herbs and bake or fry the potatoes. However, wedges are more delicious when paired with your preferred ketchup or cheese sauce.

10. Pasta Salad

⏱Total Prep Time– 30 min, ????Total Calories 202/100 gm

You’ll enjoy eating pasta salad as a diverse side dish with chicken tenders.

You can use fusilli, penne, or any other short pasta you like and combine it with your favorite vegetables, such as cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, and onions. Make sure to drain the pasta thoroughly to prevent soggy salad. Additionally, it would be a good idea to include chicken tenders in your salad.

If you end up making a lot of pasta, don’t worry. You can store them in the fridge for up to two days.

11. Zucchini Pasta

⏱Total Prep Time– 30 min, ????Total Calories– 16/100gm

Even by itself, zucchini pasta makes a delectable meal. But you can take your pasta meal to the next level by serving chicken tenders. Since zucchini is high in antioxidants and vitamins, this pasta will be a lot healthier for you. So it’s the best choice if you want to enjoy guilt-free pasta.

You can easily prepare zucchini pasta at home by frying them in olive oil and flavoring them as you like with salt, pepper, and other ingredients. Then cook in the pan for only a few minutes, sprinkle some chili, and your pasta is ready to be enjoyed.

12. Baked Beans

⏱Total Prep Time– 40 min, ????Total Calories– 155/ 100 gm

Baked beans are a mainstay of Mexican cuisine and taste delicious when combined with chicken tenders.

White beans make the tastiest baked beans. But you can select whichever variety you like best. You can have a healthy meal any time of the day if you pair baked beans with a fried egg on top and chicken tenders.

If you like cornbread, you can also serve this because two side dishes are always better than one.

13. Salsa

⏱Total Prep Time– 15 min, ????Total Calories– 36/100gm

This one isn’t exactly a side dish. But the flavor of this popular dip, salsa, can highlight your chicken tenders’ taste amazingly. Depending on your preferences, you can use hot salsa or mild-flavored salsa to make your chicken tenders even tastier. But you should eat this dip cold for better taste.

You can buy salsa from stores or make it easily at home.

14. Pesto Sauce

⏱Total Prep Time– 15 min, ????Total Calories– 534/100gm

Several different types of pesto sauce make excellent dipping sauces for chicken tenders.

Your preferred pesto sauce will add so much flavor to your chicken tenders and properly appreciate the taste of the meat.

You can make pesto sauce at home by blending basil leaves, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil, salt, and hard cheese if you want. On the other hand, given how simple it is to find in stores, you could opt to buy it.

You can also include pesto in different sauces to improve your chicken tenders.

Related Article: What to Serve with Chicken Piccata

15. Fluffy Biscuits

⏱Total Prep Time– 25min, ????Total Calories– 78.4/ Servings

Fluffy biscuits’ sweet flavor combines well with chicken tenders. Add some gravy on top of your biscuits to make them tastier.

You can enjoy both warm and cold biscuits with chicken tenders. And if you want to warm your cold fluffy biscuits, you can reheat them quickly in the oven, and they will taste oven fresh.

What Desserts to Serve with Chicken Tender?

If you enjoy desserts, you can pair chicken tenders with your favorite desserts or from our below suggestions.

16. Peach Cobbler

After a lovely meal with chicken tenders and some exciting side dishes, you must crave some desserts. Then complete your meal with Southern’s classic peach cobbler.

In addition to being simple to prepare, this sweet, tangy, mouth-watering dessert is the perfect way to wrap up a filling meal.

17. Fried Apples

Are you surprised? Well, don’t be. I recommend you to try fried apples with chicken tenders for just once. Believe me; it will become one of your favorite combos.

To make the best-fried apples and for added flavors, fry sliced apples for 2 to 3 minutes in butter and a dash of cinnamon. By that time, you will get your desired moist and creamy texture.

18. Waffles

Here we’ve got another classic and probably my number one favorite on this list. A proper chicken and waffles meal is the perfect comfort food!

To enhance the flavor of waffles, drizzle over some maple syrup or honey. This waffle with your chicken tenders would be an excellent meal for breakfast. If you like pancakes, you can also pair pancakes with chicken strips. The taste will be amazing!

What Sauce or Dip to Serve With Chicken Tenders?

The options are virtually endless when it comes to the sauce or dip you want to eat with your chicken tenders.

Your chicken tenders taste delicious with any sauce, whether salsa, pesto, tzatziki, or guacamole. You can pair your chicken tenders with barbeque, garlic, or cheese sauces.

Chicken tenders go well with creamy sauces that have lots of savory tastes. And the best part is that you can easily prepare most of these sauces at home.

Some other sauces you can try are-

• Mayo dipping sauce that has a strong spice flavor and an irresistible taste.

• Hummus. You can serve hummus with so many dishes because this tasty dip and spread enhance the flavor of dishes. 

• Honey mustard sauce that has spicy, sweet, and tangy flavors.

• Chipotle BBQ sauce and Ranch dipping sauce are also delectable options for dipping your chicken tenders!

Wrap Up

I hope the above list of delicious side dishes will help you arrange a proper meal with chicken tenders and a few side dishes you loved from the list. Enjoy your happy meal.