What to Serve with Blackened Chicken

Trying to decide what to serve with blackened chicken? This collection of delicious recipes provides the best options for every meal—from dinner on busy nights to fun summer BBQs, we've got you covered!

Table of Contents

• ❤️ Why we love it
• 🥦 Vegetables and Sides
• Breads
• Desserts
• 🍷 Wine and cocktails
• 🍇 Garnish
• 💭 Things to know
• 💬 Comments

❤️ Why we love it

• Smoky, zingy, flavorful Cajun cuisine right from your own kitchen
• Versatile main course goes with all of your favorite sides
• The spice mixture is made from simple ingredients you can get at any grocery store

My family's favorite easy blackened chicken recipe uses a homemade spice blend that's super easy to customize and even more delicious!

Plus, the chicken is done in just thirty minutes, and most sides are even faster than that—better yet, no one complains when it lands on the dinner table!

🥦 Vegetables and Sides

Quick veggies are a great way to meal prep in just minutes, but they don't have to taste boring! These sides have extra flavor, so they hold up great when served with smoky blackened chicken.

1. Green beans and potatoes
2. Louisiana "dirty" rice
3. Black-eyed pea salad
4. Potato wedges
5. Cucumber salad with sour cream
6. Red beans and rice
7. Simple salad with fresh garden veggies
8. Bacon-wrapped asparagus
9. Mom's homemade potato salad
10. Southern creamed corn
11. Mango salsa
12. Cobb salad (top it with the blackened chicken)
13. Southern coleslaw (KFC copycat)
14. Mixed roasted vegetables
15. Polenta
16. Frito corn salad
17. Fried okra
18. Succotash
19. Sweet and spicy sweet potatoes
20. Collard greens

Breads

Bread is not only a pantry staple, but it's also one of my favorite ways to fill everyone up. Plus, instead of serving it with the blackened chicken, you can stack everything together to make sandwiches—fun and so delish!

21. Cornbread casserole
22. Garlic breadsticks
23. Cheddar and cracked black pepper dinner rolls
24. Rustic bread
25. Cornbread muffins
26. Hush puppies
27. Texas toast
28. Hatch chile cheese bread
29. Freezer dinner rolls
30. Cajun-spiced garlic bread
31. 30-Minute dinner rolls
32. Potato garlic baguettes
33. Cajun cornbread
34. Cornmeal sandwich rolls
35. Sweet potato bread
36. Buttermilk biscuits
37. Skillet cornbread

Desserts

After all that Cajun seasoning, dessert is bound to feel like a great idea. Serve these easy sweet treats after a blackened chicken meal to cool your palate and finish dinner off in style!

38. Caramel pecan pumpkin bread pudding
39. Beignets
40. Pecan praline coconut pie
41. Chantilly cake with fresh strawberries
42. King cake
43. Sweet potato pie
44. Fruit salad with honey lime dressing
45. Praline brownies
46. Brazillian grilled pineapple
47. Ice cream sundaes
48. Funnel cake
49. Rum-soaked pound cake
50. Popsicles from fresh fruit juice
51. Pecan pie
52. Bananas foster
53. Fresh peach muffins

🍷 Wine and cocktails

Serving a fun beverage is the perfect way to make any dinner feel like a party—even if it's just a party-of-one while you're cleaning! These wine and cocktail pairings add a ton of flavor to your delicious meal.

54. Bloody Mary
55. Hibiscus lemonade
56. Rum Runner cocktail
57. Pinot Noir
58. King cake Jello shots
59. Tropical pineapple sangria
60. Durango cocktail
61. Sazerac cocktail
62. Merlot
63. Watermelon pitcher margaritas
64. Hurricane cocktail
65. Pinot Grigio
66. Bourbon peach tea

🍇 Garnish

Garnish makes the distinctive flavors of blackened chicken pop and helps your dinner feel like it's restaurant-quality. Consider serving a few different things from this list to give your guests—and family—options!

67. Refrigerator-pickled okra
68. LTO for sandwiches (lettuce, tomato, and onion!)
69. Copycat Red Robin campfire sauce
70. Jalapeno pimento cheese
71. Hot sauce
72. Candied jalapenos (Cowboy Candy)
73. Panera copycat pickled onions
74. Fresh herbs, such as green onions or chives

💭 Things to know

For the best blackened chicken dinner ever, be sure to follow these tips!

• You can use any cut you prefer to make blackened chicken—large chicken breasts, bite-sized chicken pieces, chicken thighs, and wings.
• Pound out the chicken with a meat mallet so it all cooks more evenly.
• Use a homemade seasoning mix to adjust the spice rub to your preferences. For example, limit the salt, reduce the onion powder if you don't love the flavor, or add cayenne pepper if you want it extra spicy!
• For the most authentic flavor, use a cast-iron skillet (not a nonstick pan.)
• To get a good, strong sear, let the chicken come to room temperature, before slapping it onto a red-hot pan. Once it's down, don't move it!
• Always check for doneness with a meat thermometer. For chicken, pull it off the heat when the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees F and let it stand for 5 to 10 minutes to finish coming to a safe temperature of 165F.
• Tent the chicken with aluminum foil and let it rest for a few minutes after cooking. It makes a big difference in keeping the chicken juicy!
• The best side dishes to serve with blackened chicken aren't fussy. Simple sides let the blackening seasoning shine as the star of the show!
• Store leftover chicken in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Now that you know what to serve, head over to my copycat Popeye's blackened chicken recipe and get dinner started!