What to Serve with Chicken and Dumplings: 14 Best Ideas

Imagine having a bowl of hot and savory chicken and dumplings on a cozy raining night, serving with some side dishes and a glass of wine. Is it the best fulfilled moment of a day? However, do you ever wonder, what are the best words to serve with chicken and dumplings?

Yes, chicken and dumplings are a fantastic meal itself. This rich and creamy soup has all nutrition you need in one bowl: chicken, dumplings, and crispy vegetables. Nevertheless, the meal can be able to even more wonderful with some appetizers.

A family dinner is better with various dish options to be shared rather than one person one bowl of soup; I bet it.

If you read till here and you want to make your chicken and dumplings meal more attractive, then let me show you what is the best to serve with it.

A-List Of Dishes That Pair Well Your Chicken And Dumplings

With my sharing below, you will never run out of ideas about what dishes to serve with chicken and dumplings. Read all and then save it to your bookmark bar to use whenever you need it.

Side Dishes

Green Side Dishes

1. Green Beans
2. Brussels Sprouts
3. Fresh Green Salad
4. Steamed Veggies
5. Fried Okra

Fruit Side Dishes

6. Grape Salad
7. Fried Apples

Bread Side Dishes

8. Cornbread

Dessert

Chocolate Flavored Dessert

9. Brownies a la Mode
10. Chocolate Mousse

Pudding Dessert

11. Corn Pudding
12. Banana Pudding

Fruit Dessert

13. Fruit Salad

Wine

Side Dishes To Serve With Chicken And Dumplings

If you want to serve Chicken and Dumplings as the main course of the dinner, you may want to reference my side dishes recommendation right below. I ensure that the list will let you prepare the menu easily.

 Green Side Dishes

It’s never a redundancy to have some green color on your table. Fibers and vitamins from vegetables are good for your digestion and overall body healthy. So, why not have some green plates to go with chicken and dumplings?

1. Green Beans

I will go with my bias first – green beans. Some people may mistake them with string beans but green beans and string beans have various differences in terms of flavor. So, be careful when choosing your beans.

So, why do I propose this dish?

Firstly, its crunchy texture is perfect to combine with tender chicken and creamy dumplings soup. Its taste is good after being cooked, not too sweet or too bland. It can go along with various aromatics. Hence, you can make many kinds of green bean dishes.

You can do one of these dishes to serve with a chicken and dumplings:  Green beans with lemon and garlic; Buttery sautéed green beans; Sesame green beans (made with chicken broth, so this is a plus for utilizing the chicken broth from the soup!); or Roasted green beans.

Secondly, it has lots of nutrient elements, which are excellent for health.

My favorite is green beans with lemon and garlic. It’s stir-fried green beans but ends with lemon zest. A hint of lemon aroma will bring your game to a different level.

The winning factor of this snack is to use fresh green beans and do not overcook them.

2. Brussels Sprouts

Ok, many people will skip this meal because of the hating of brussel sprouts that we still remember when we were kids. However,with the right way of cooking, brussels sprouts can bring a fascinating flavor. Not to mention, they contain lots of nutrients.

My usual method is to roasted organic, freshly cut brussels sprouts for 20-40 minutes in the oven. You can let it raw or sprinkle a few drops of olive oil, salt, and pepper for a bolder taste.

It is optional to season the brussels sprouts since after roasting, they are full of irresistible caramelized flavor, sweet and nutty.

The vegetable flavor after being burn will complete the richness of the chicken and dumplings dish. Roast it slowly, and enjoy it slowly; you will feel how the combination becomes so delicious for many reasons.

Have clean and delicious eating with simple recipe of roasted brussels sprouts in here.

3. Fresh Green Salad

When in doubt, go for a salad. A green with some top of other colors plate will light up your “chicken and dumplings.”

While a combination of chicken, dumplings, and creamy soup will come with a high amount of protein and calories, green salad with a lighter and healthier taste can balance the overall flavor.

You can use whatever greens you have in the kitchen, from spinach, coleslaws, lettuces, baby carrots, or cucumbers, then mix them well with some nuts or cheeses, then top with a tart vinaigrette or balsamic vinegar and pepper. Another option is cucumber and broccoli salad, which is good for the skin and heart.

With many interesting preparation ideas for different salad combinations, I bet you don’t have any reason to refuse to add in some green in your meal anymore. Also, you’d better choose vegetables with a relatively stiff or crunchy texture.

Avoid mixing them with creamy sauce as well. The soup is greasy already; you will want something tangy to cut through that umami flavor.

4. Steamed Veggies

As the same as green salad, steamed vegetables are a safe and flavorful option to go side by side with the chicken and dumplings soup.

My recommendation may go to steamed butter beans mixed with fresh broccoli, healthy and delicious!

5. Fried Okra

Another crunchy option for your dinner is fried okra.

Some may think okra is too soft and watery for them, but let me show you the right way to enjoy them.

How to? After wash and drain all fresh okras, dip them in a cornmeal batter, then deep fry those boys until their skin turns into a beautiful golden brown. Take them out and let them drain leftover oil. Woolah! They are ready to serve.

The way to fry okra is easy, but how can you make it both crunchy outside and moist inside, with a beautiful brow color in the finish? Watch this 3 minutes video to know how.

 Fruit Side Dishes

If you don’t want to chew the boring and bland vegetables, try to consider some plates made from fruits instead. The natural sweetness from fruits will be a note to balance your taste from savor chicken and dumplings soup.

6. Grape Salad

Another salad that I like is a grape salad. This is a good option for someone who doesn’t want to eat vegetables and prefers fruit more.  

A bittersweet and sour flavor is nicely matched with chicken and dumplings. I just made it last week for my family.

Grape salad is easy to prepare. The ingredients are grapes, cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, vanilla, and walnuts. Some people usually consider green grapes and red grapes are the same while they are not. There are differences between green grapes and red grapes from flavor to benefit. If you have a sweet tooth like me, go with chilled red grapes; otherwise, green grapes have a more sour flavor.

You can mix both of them to have a wonderful mix of color; only remember to choose seedless types. The flavor from the grape will balance the creamy flavor from the cheese. Hence, don’t worry that the salad will be too greasy.

And for those who don’t like to use cream cheese, you can use other ingredients in place of cream cheese. However, make sure you taste them beforehand, so you’ll know whether their flavor mixes well with grapes.

7. Fried Apples

I get you another sweet option! Yeah, you are right; I’m a sweet tooth.

You need to cook slices of apples and sugar (brown will be better) together in a skillet. It will take around 20 minutes with an occasional stir. That’s it!

The fried apple, with its sweet and aromatic from apple and cinnamon, together with a soft, crispy texture, well pair with the creamy and umami chicken and dumplings soup.

With a hint of cinnamon, this dish is the most perfect in a winner and cozy night. You can serve it as a sweet side alone or eat them with some vanilla ice cream for a dessert after chicken and dumplings.

Sometimes a creamy soup needs a sweet companion to balance out its richness. For me, nothing works better than a simple dish of fried apples. Not only does it give a lovely contrast to the soup, but also a nice crunch.

A quick 2-min guide for your perfect fried apple here!

Bread Side Dishes

Bread and soup are always a perfect couple. Let’s see what bread will be suitable for chicken and dumplings.

8. Cornbread

Sweet cornbread and soup are partners for a long time. That’s not exceptional for this chicken and dumplings dish. Choose whatever variety of cornbread you like, pair it with chicken and dumplings, and enjoy the perfect meal.

Imagine that having a piece of soft, buttery cornbread, soaking up with the creamy and delicious soup, right in your mouth. How mouthwatering!

This side dish is a suitable option when you are starving for a chicken and dumplings soup and want to enjoy it to the flex.

An easy instruction for you to make the cornbread right away:

Best Desserts To Serve With Chicken And Dumplings 

If you feel like you have enough of a savory taste with chicken and dumplings, you may not need a side dish. How about a sweet ending for your dinner?

A dessert is a good option to refresh your appetite and end the meal; like one says, “I always have space for dessert!”

Chocolate Flavored Desserts

Never miss a dessert that has chocolate flavor. A sweet, sour, and bitter from cocoa and milk will be a perfect dot for your meal.

9. Brownies a la Mode

No one can say no to brownies! Drop a warm, moist, fudgy flavor into your mouth is an excellent way to end a meal.

There are hundreds of recipes to make a perfect brownie, from chewy, fudgy to cakey one. However, the most important knowledge is knowing when your brownies are good to go. If you know this, you can make whatever types of brownies you want.

Moreover, making brownies is easy and fast. Prepare the mixture, and then let the stove do its duty while enjoying chicken and dumplings soup.

If you want more, serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. This sweet hot, and cold combination is what your children are craving.

10. Chocolate Mousse

If you bias chocolate flavor like me, I would like to recommend chocolate mousse for the desert after your dumplings soup with chicken.

The mousse is soft, smooth with a fatty taste. However, don’t worry if it will be too greasy. Overall will be balanced with bitter flavor from chocolate.

Remember to keep the mousse on the fridge so that you can enjoy it fresh and decent.

Pudding Dessert

When it comes to desserts, you can’t skip these sweet treats named “pudding”. They are so rich that you’ll feel over cloud nine when eating them.

11. Corn Pudding

What is a better dessert for a traditional meal than a nostalgic dessert?

A meal that brings you to travel back in time, when we were young. Our moms called us for dinner on a cozy night to have spoons of moist, soft, and fluffy yellow custard. Corn pudding, also known as puddin’ corn, is that kind of this dessert.

Corn pudding has a sweet flavor, but it is considered not in the dessert sense. Corn pudding is more like a combination of a savory custard and a dish of warm creamed corn.

It’s a sweet dish, but not too sweet. That’s the reason why it fits to be served right after chicken and dumplings.

12. Banana Pudding

Wait, what? Yes, another pleasant way to round out your chicken and dumplings dinner!

I give out this alternative idea to anyone who doesn’t like corn pudding. Try banana pudding instead!

Layers of custard, cookies, and ripe bananas will give you a refreshing and sweet sense after the tense and savory chicken and pieces of dumplings. Additionally, it’s easy to make with familiar ingredients, so it will not take you too much time to prepare.

Fruits Desserts

Do you want to have something light and healthy after having full of protein from chicken and meat dumplings? Try fruits.

13. Fruit Salad

If you really don’t have any extra time, but you still need some dessert to finish the chicken and dumplings meal, make a fruit salad.

Just wrap your favorite fruits, cut them into pieces, and display them nicely on a dish or mix it colorfully in a bowl to serve. I prefer to go with fruit with a sour and sweet taste like peaches, mangos, strawberries, or grapes.

If you like it to be sweet, then season it with 1-2 tablespoons of honey or condensed milk. Greek yogurt is an excellent choice to add to.

Tips: Prepare this dish and keep it in the refrigerator for cooling before eating chicken and dumplings. In that way, you can have cold and fresh fruit to enjoy right after the meal.

Here are 4 easy and quick ways to make a fruit salad; watch now!

Wine

Besides side dishes and dessert, you can consider having some wine. Wine is a good choice for ones who don’t want to be too full after the meal.

My recommendation will be:

• Burgundy Chardonnay (white Wine)
• French Chenin Blanc (white Wine)
• The Californian Pinot Noir (red Wine)

A glass of wine can bring your familiar chicken and dumplings dish up to another level!

What Should You Consider To Serve With Chicken And Dumplings?

Ok. Firstly, let see how we should pick a dish to be eaten with chicken and dumplings.

As I said, chicken and dumplings meal is already a main dish full of nutrition. Its taste is rich and savory with a creamy texture.

Hence, there should not have another heavy or greasy dish to serve together unless you are being starved for a whole (but I still recommend not doing it, it’s not good in the end, you will regret it).

There are only five things to remember when choosing a side dish, dessert, or a glass of wine to go with chicken and dumplings. These tips are so good that you can apply for other meals or build a menu for your family as well.

Think Different

Choose something that tastes completely different from the taste of chicken and dumplings. Therefore, The meals can fulfill your appetite with more than one kind of taste (you don’t want to have an hour of eating fried dishes or cheesy dishes only, suitable?)

This also applies to ingredients and methods of cooking too. If you already have chicken and dumplings with lots of starchy texture, go for some veggies side dishes such as salad.

I prefer chicken as the primary source of protein in the meal; you should not add any other kind of meat like bacon or baked BBQ.

Besides, chicken and dumplings meal is a kind of soup, so have a not-a-soup-too dish or dessert is a good option.

If you like creamy chicken and dumplings, the tag-on should not be made from cheese or taste greasy. Just choose something light, pungency, acrid, or piquancy to balance the meal.

Think Similar

Notwithstanding, your whole meal should come under a theme. Although it sounds Asian, the chicken and dumplings dish is originally an American dish.

So think of the overall theme will be an American meal to choose the kind of side dishes. I will not recommend that you serve this dumplings soup with Chinese Asian Coleslaw or else.

Think Seasonal

It’s always better to have fresh and seasonal foods on the table!

When in doubt, go for a simple green salad

Several vitamins, minerals, and fibers from salad are always good for your health. If you are running out of ideas, mix a big bowl of green salad (with olive oil and lemon – that’s my favorite) to go.

Tell Me About Yours!

Now, it’s your turn. What do you usually serve with chicken and dumplings? Are you team dessert or team salty side dishes? If you have another plate to serve with chicken and dumplings, don’t forget to share with me. We are all in need of diversifying our menu for the family.

If you want to explore more about healthy and yummy nutrition for your family, reference my best choices Whole30 Diet Meal recipes now!