You’re flexing those proverbial culinary muscles with a fancy Caprese chicken dish for the family tonight. All that’s left is to figure out what to serve with Caprese chicken. We’ve compiled a detailed list of the perfect side dishes to serve with your Caprese chicken main.
Caprese chicken is a Mediterranean dish packed with flavor due to its combination of savory chicken, tomatoes, fresh herbs, and mozzarella. This chicken-lovers delight is garnished with olive oil and fresh basil to give it a refreshing taste.
It’s a relatively simple dish to make, which is one of the reasons Caprese chicken has become a favorite worldwide. Another is that its flavor profile is very familiar with ingredients anyone can easily source.
What to Serve with Caprese Chicken: 10 Delightful Sides
Deciding what to serve with Caprese chicken is a common question. It’s pretty hearty on its own, so it’s best to serve it with something relatively light. Some prefer to have it with a carbohydrate such as pasta, rice, or bread to soak up the sauce.
Here are our recommendations for 10 delightful sides when determining what to serve with Caprese chicken.
1. Fresh Garden Salad
Lettuce, cucumber, onions, tomatoes, and avocado are all you need for a great salad. Dress it with Greek yogurt or mayo for Caprese chicken’s perfect creamy side dish. If you’re looking for a lighter dressing, you can use a lemon vinaigrette instead.
Both your chicken main and salad will incorporate elements of acidity and creaminess which will complement each other well. And avocados and chicken are age-old friends.
2. Greek Quinoa Salad
Are you still stumped on what to serve with Caprese chicken? Greek quinoa salad may be the answer. It’s a healthy side that can double as a main dish if you have vegetarian guests over. And it’s also a perfect dish for anyone allergic to gluten.
Greek quinoa salad is a beloved Mediterranean dish made with quinoa, red onions, olives, feta cheese, and tomatoes. The salty feta cheese and olives provide a nice balance to Caprese chicken’s sweet and acidic flavors. And the quinoa offers the perfect medium for soaking up that moreish Caprese chicken sauce.
3. Greek Potatoes
Another Mediterranean staple to serve with Caprese chicken is Greek potatoes. Potato wedges, vegetable stock, lemon juice, olive oil, and oregano are combined before baking. The result is a heavenly twice-baked side that will add a much-needed starchy and salty flavor your the meal.
The crispiness of the Greek potatoes will offset the tender, saucy chicken breasts in your main dish. You can also add paprika, cayenne, or black pepper to your potatoes to give them a spicy kick.
4. Creamy Potato Salad
Who doesn’t love a generous helping of creamy potato salad? And what better supporting act to your Caprese chicken main than this famous summer salad. It’s also a super easy side dish to make.
Mix your boiled potatoes with finely chopped onions and peppers. Add a dollop of tangy mayonnaise and season to taste. Replace half of your mayonnaise with cream cheese or Greek yogurt for potato salad with a difference.
5. Garlic Butter Asparagus
Asparagus is one of the healthiest side dishes you can have. And asparagus and chicken are a match made in heaven.
Sauté your asparagus spears with garlic butter and top them with freshly squeezed lemon juice. You can also add some crunchy bacon bits to your asparagus to give it a pleasant salty flavor.
6. Sautéed Mushrooms
Another one of chicken’s oldest and dearest partners is the humble mushroom. And sautéed mushrooms will give your Caprese chicken meal a subtle earthy flavor. Some of the best mushrooms to sauté are portobello, porcini, oyster, and button mushrooms.
You can sauté mushrooms in garlic butter or olive oil and fresh herbs. Use thyme, oregano, or sage for the best results.
7. Corn on the Cob
Corn on the cob is one of the best side dishes to serve with any meal, and they’re so much fun to eat. It also happens to be one of the many vegetables that pair well with chicken. Steamed, boiled, or grilled, you won’t spend more than 10 to 15 minutes preparing this side dish.
Slather your corn on the cob with butter when hot. And flavor them with salt, herbs, or spices of your choosing. Creamy, salty butter, and juicy corn paired with tender cheese-topped chicken in a herby tomato sauce. What more could you ask for?
8. Balsamic Rice
Rice will almost certainly pop to mind when you wonder what to serve with Caprese chicken. But how do you flavor it to complement your chicken? By adding balsamic vinegar, of course.
Balsamic rice is made with basmati rice, butter, and balsamic vinegar. And will counter the richness of the cheese in your Caprese chicken and will marry well with the acidic tomato sauce. The rice will also be the perfect vehicle for soaking up and delivering that Caprese chicken sauce to your tastebuds.
9. Three-Bean Salad
Who doesn’t like a hearty serving of tasty beans? And a three-bean salad is the ideal way to level up the standard side of legumes. Honestly, you could probably use any combination of beans. And while most bean salads contain green beans, we recommend using cannellini beans, red kidney beans, and chickpeas.
It’s perfectly fine to use canned beans here. Simply rinse them beforehand. Add finely chopped onions, celery, and parsley to your bean salad. And dress with a sweet and sour apple cider vinegar, sugar, and olive oil dressing.
This fresh, cool, and crunchy salad makes for a healthy and hearty side. And will add precisely the right amount of texture, sweetness, and acidity to your overall meal.
10. Fettuccine Alfredo
Fettucine alfredo is usually the main dish. But chicken and pasta work well together, especially when looking for a filling side. And we all know how well cream, butter, and parmesan cheese go with chicken.
These lovely ingredients are incorporated in a traditional fettuccine alfredo, making it a stellar side dish for Caprese chicken.
Simply combine heavy cream, butter, and parmesan cheese in a deep pan. Season with salt and pepper as you bring the sauce to a bubble. Then pour in your cooked fettuccine and toss it to coat every last morsel. Serve your fettuccine alfredo topped with freshly chopped parsley.
Conclusion
There you have it, 10 fantastic side dishes to have with your Caprese chicken meal. With this list of side dishes, you’ll never be out of ideas when deciding what to serve with Caprese chicken.
What’s more, these Caprese chicken side dishes are easy to prepare, and they complement the chicken excellently. Cook them whenever you need an accompaniment for your chicken or any other protein-rich meal.