What To Serve With Honey Chilli Chicken: Top 10 Sides
Find out what to serve with honey chilli chicken to take your next dinner to the next level!
Honey chilli chicken is one of those versatile dishes that almost everyone loves. Those beautiful Asian flavours are really easy to recreate at home, and once you get it right, you’ll save an absolute fortune on takeaways and delivery!
Choosing the best side dishes for honey chilli chicken is important though, and it’s worth taking a little extra time to plan the accompaniments that you’ll serve alongside your main course.
Whether you’re in the mood for a generous portion of carbs, or you want something a little bit lighter, here’s some inspiration for what to serve with honey chilli chicken…
1. Eggy fried rice with pineapple chunks
If you’re anything like me, you’ll believe that you simply can’t serve up an Asian inspired main course without making a pan of egg fried rice!
Just cook some rice and set aside, then stir fry finely chopped veggies such as carrots, peppers, and onions, and then stir through the cooked rice. Crack in the egg and continue to cook for a few minutes, or until cooked to your liking.
If you’ve never tried it before, add some chunks of fresh or tinned pineapple. The sweetness complements the honey chilli chicken perfectly, and it’s a great way to encourage your family to try different fruits.
2. Mediterranean salad
A Mediterranean salad is a quick and healthy choice for what to serve with honey chilli chicken.
Add tomatoes, cucumber, red peppers, lettuce, and cucumber to a bowl, and make a light dressing with extra virgin olive oil and a splash of fresh lemon juice.
3. Spicy peanut and Szechuan pepper noodles
Noodles are quite the staple side dish when you’re serving up Asian cuisine, and don’t forget that you don’t have to keep things plain and simple!
By experimenting with different marinades and toppings, you can create all kinds of different noodle side dishes that will make your main meal really come to life.
Looking for a little inspiration? Check out this recipe for spicy peanut and Szechuan pepper noodles. The fiery ginger and the crunchy veggies will have you making this dish again and again.
It’s quite a substantial noodle dish, so it can easily be considered as an extra main course for your table, if you’re planning a real feast.
4. Parmentier potatoes
Parmentier potatoes are little mouthfuls of absolute heaven! They’re small cubes of potato. tossed in oil and some herbs and spices, and roasted until beautifully crispy.
As they’re smaller than traditional roast potatoes, they typically take less time to prepare, and due to the surface area there are more crispy bits to enjoy!
When serving with honey chilli chicken, I like to add plenty of garlic during the cooking process.
If you like, add complete cloves of garlic to the baking tray, and leave the skins on. Once you take them out of the oven, you’ll be able to suck the delicious, softened garlic out of the skins… They’re a real treat, but definitely not advisable if you’ve got a date in the near future!
5. Thai mango salad
A freshly prepared Thai mango salad is brilliant for adding colour to your plate, and it can act as a palate cleanser between trying different parts of your main meal.
Just slice up mango, red onion, peppers, and red chilli, and squeeze over some zesty lime juice. Garnish with coriander leaves.
Try to find an unripe mango for this side dish if you can. It’ll be less sweet and a little greener, similar to how they’re traditionally served as part of a salad in Thailand. If you can only find ripe mangoes, add a little extra lime juice to balance out the sweetness with the acidity.
6. Roasted green beans
In my humble opinion, roasted green beans are so much better than their boiled or steamed counterparts!
Firstly, trim the ends. Next, add them to a roasting tin, pour over a little oil, and add lemon zest and juice, and a good serving of salt and pepper. Toss everything together with your hands, and roast in a fan assisted oven for around 15 minutes, or until your beans and cooked through and lovely and tender. It’s that easy!
7. Creamy garlicky mashed potatoes
Mashed potatoes may not be the most traditional side dish for honey chilli chicken, but once you taste those creamy potatoes alongside the hot, sticky sauce, you’ll understand exactly why it’s a combination that comes highly recommended!
For extra flavour, make your mash garlicky by mashing through some roasted cloves. Finish off with a knob of salted butter and a garnish of either chopped chives or spring onions cut into diagonals.
8. Roasted beetroot and carrots
A tray of roasted of veggies is a simply but delicious choice for what to serve with honey chilli chicken, and there’s practically unlimited options for different combinations you can try.
If you’re a fan of earthy flavours, try roasted carrots and beetroots. Add a couple of chopped fresh lemons to the tray whilst they’re cooking for a beautiful zesty sweetness.
9. Cauliflower rice
If you’re trying to cut down on the carbohydrates a little bit, or you just find rice too filling sometimes, you might want to try cauliflower rice instead.
Just grate your cauliflower and cook in a pan until softened, with plenty of seasoning.
It’s light and fluffy and surprisingly tasty, and it might just end up being a regular side dish on your meal plans!
10. Vegetable noodles
One of the best sides for honey chilli chicken is a nutritious helping of veggie noodles! These are lower in carbs than your more traditional noodles, and you make them from simply shredding or spiralling your favourite vegetables.
Think carrots, peppers, and courgettes. Pat them dry after cutting, and stir fry for a minute or two with some garlic and chilli. Alternatively, serve them raw as a side salad with a light and lemony dressing.
What do you choose for what to serve with honey chilli chicken?
Keep things simple by selecting your favourite option from this list, or give your dinner guests some tasty choices to make by whipping up a few different things and letting everyone dive in!
If you have any side dishes that you love that haven’t been covered here, please do leave a comment and share your thoughts. It’s always interesting and inspiring to hear about what others serve up at their kitchen tables!
Before you go, make sure that you check out my honey chilli chicken recipe.
