As its name suggests, a side dish is a meal served alongside the main dish as a complement. Side dishes can vary among all sorts of food, from light salads, pastas, fruits, vegetables, and others. Usually, your choice of side dish depends significantly on the main dish so that both won’t clash with each other.
In this blog post, the focus is on chicken parmesan, a classic Italian favorite. Chicken is easily one of the most favorite meals worldwide, made even better in this case with Italian red sauce and a layer of parmesan cheese. It’s healthy and exciting, but it can also get boring on its own. You can elevate your chicken parmesan by pairing it with the side dish of your preference that goes with the real taste of chicken parmesan on your palate.
So did you have chicken parmesan delivered for your meal? Or are you thinking about a takeaway dinner over the weekend? It’s time to start planning what side dishes you want with your chicken parmesan. There are lots of possibilities beyond the usual pasta. Read along for a few side dish ideas.
1. Pasta Dishes
There’s no way to go about this list without pasta. It’s a bona fide classic, hearty enough to go with the cheesy goodness of chicken parmesan. Pasta is also perfect for making chicken parmesan more filling. To help you get started, here are some pasta dishes you might want to explore with your chicken parm:
- Eggplant Pomodoro Pasta: Perfect for having the right amount of vegetables to go with your chicken. It’s also very healthy, with a rich tomato sauce base similar to marinara, eggplant, and green olives.
- Mushroom And Pea Pasta: Finish this with lemon zest to balance out the flavors from the garlic and mushroom.
- Vegan Mac And Cheese: Mac and cheese is a no-fail comfort food, except made healthier with vegan ingredients.
- Spaghetti Bolognese: This is often the most common pasta paired with chicken parmesan. This is great, too, if you’re serving kids, as many people of all ages love spaghetti Bolognese.
- Spaghetti Aglio e Olio: Literally translates to garlic and olives. That’s all this pasta dish needs. Add a bit of lemon juice or zest to cut through the olive oil’s richness.
These are just some pasta dishes that go well with chicken parm. Try something light and fresh to get a more balanced meal.
2. Tomato Salad
Keeping with the tomato flavors, why not try a tomato salad? Pair your tomatoes with a generous serving of basil and onions, finished off with your favorite dressing. There is no right or wrong way to go about this. If you’re feeling a little fancy, top your tomato salad with some burrata cheese. Make sure to get fresh tomatoes when they’re in season to ensure the best flavors!
3. Brown Butter Parmesan Noodles
This recipe calls for you to cook the noodles in a pan with brown butter. You can top off this quick dish with some parmesan cheese. Brown butter parmesan noodles is a pasta dish with a nutty and sweet flavor, perfect with chicken parmesan’s tangy tomato sauce.
4. Caesar Salad
Caesar salad is one of those salads that everyone in the world knows well. And it’s usually a staple on every menu and at many parties. You can’t go wrong with crispy lettuce, creamy dressing, and cheesy parmesan to complete this foodie favorite. It makes salads more tolerable, especially for someone who isn’t a big fan of greens.
The great thing about Caesar salad is that even a beginner chef can make them. You can add any vegetable you like, such as cherry tomatoes, onions, and even corn kernels.
5. Vegetable Noodles
You’ll love this dish if you want something low-carb but still cooked spaghetti-style. Instead of cooking spaghetti noodles, you can use a mix of different vegetables prepared using a spiralizer. Good options are squash and zucchini.
6. Garlic Broccolini
Broccolini is broccoli’s smaller cousin. Its size also comes with an advantage, as broccolini can often be juicier than broccoli. If you’re in a rush, broccolini is also easy and fast to cook. You can complete this side dish in 10 minutes.
Toss your broccolini in a hot pan with lots of olive oil and garlic until it’s hot and tender. Sprinkle with a cheese of your choice and transfer to your serving dish when done.
7. Cauliflower Salad With Mustard
Cauliflower salad with mustard is also another excellent side dish if you love cruciferous vegetables. Cauliflower is also extremely healthy, so you have a tasty and gratifying side dish. You won’t have to feel as guilty about eating a lot of carbs.
The salad dressing mixes mustard, salt, pepper, and mayonnaise. Once you get your desired dressing taste, you can mix that with a bowl of cauliflower, peas, pickle relish, hard-boiled eggs, and onions.
8. Roasted Brussel Sprouts
Roasted brussels sprouts are a great replacement for pasta, especially for lunch, as this side dish is just as filling. However, unlike pasta, they won’t make you feel heavy and full. With brussels sprouts as your side dish, you’ll still have enough energy to carry on the day.
Plus, it’s very versatile to make too. If you’ve made a big batch for lunch, you can even pack a few for your snack. Brussels sprouts have a crunch even your kids like, minus the unhealthy fats and calories.
Final Thoughts
If you’ve been wondering which side dishes go perfectly with chicken parmesan, this list in this blog should be a great start. There are so many different dishes you can choose from, so now you have so many options to choose when you have chicken parmesan on the menu.
The side dishes here are so delicious and versatile that they can also go with any other chicken dish, whether baked, fried, or roasted. Chicken parmesan is a delectable dish that never disappoints, and this selection of side dishes takes this classic chicken dish to another level.
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