These 40 Easy Side Dishes Are Are Exactly What Your Chicken Dinner Needs

We all agree that roasting potatoes is the best way to cook 'em up, right? Right. Crispy on the outside, soft and creamy on the inside, and seasoned to absolute perfection, these onion soup mix roasted potatoes are going to be your new favorite easy-peasy dinner side dish. And if roasting potatoes in the oven wasn’t simple enough, we’ve made seasoning even simpler by using a flavor-packed packet of onion soup mix. Seriously, potatoes don’t get any better or easier than this.

Get the Onion Soup Mix Roasted Potatoes recipe.

We don’t believe in boring salads at Delish, and crunchy apples and tart cranberries bring a lot of life to this one. The slightly sweet and lemony dressing is easy to make, and you’ll want to have extra on hand to pour it over everything.

Get the Cranberry Apple Quinoa Salad recipe.

Thought vegetables couldn’t be the star of the show? This French onion cabbage gratin is here to blow your mind. Crisp browned cabbage wedges are smothered in a rich Gruyère sauce packed with jammy caramelized onions and topped with buttery breadcrumbs for a side that’s so indulgent and irresistible, you might be tempted to make it the main event.

Get the French Onion Cabbage Gratin recipe.

This recipe made us wonder, Why don’t we roast carrots more often? When they roast, their flavor concentrates and sweetens. Pair that with copious amounts of umami-packed Parmesan and just a touch of lemon, and you’ve got a super-irresistible dish that you’ll come back to again and again. Try it for yourself—carrots might just become your new favorite go-to side.

Get the Garlic-Parmesan Roasted Carrots recipe.

These green beans come with a treat: 8 cloves of creamy, buttery garlic that get air-fried alongside the green beans for bites of roasted garlic that don’t involve turning on your oven. You can eat them alongside the beans or reserve them for another use, like smearing alongside butter and flaky sea salt on a slice of toasted sourdough bread. 😋

Get the Air Fryer Green Beans recipe.

Versatile and oh so crispy, Brussels sprouts are easily one of our favorite roasted vegetables to serve with practically any weeknight meal or holiday dinner. While we love our classic roasted Brussels sprouts, we thought we'd take things up a notch in this recipe by adding two things: smashing, and plenty of cheese.

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You may have seen crisp, anise-y fennel bulbs dotting the famers' market stands, nuzzling up alongside sweet delicata squash and tart apples. The three find their way into this healthy side dish that's perfect for elegant dinner party menus, simple weeknight meals, or paired with richer, holiday spreads.

Get the Roasted Fennel With Delicata Squash & Apples recipe.

Looking for a new staple fall side? This sweet potato salad will be the answer to your prayers. Filled with the perfect balance of textures and sweet-tangy flavors, this superfood salad has everything we could ever want in a sweet potato dish. Ready in under an hour, this recipe is not only an ideal last-minute side, but makes for great lunch leftovers throughout the week

Get the Sweet Potato Salad recipe.

If you love creamy risotto, but not the time it takes to make it, this Italian-inspired orzo recipe is for you. It all comes together in one pot, with starch from the miniature pasta helping to thicken the sauce to great effect. The prep here is minimal and cleanup is easy, but the payoff makes this dish totally dinner party-worthy, all year round.

Get the Creamy Tuscan Orzo recipe.

When you’re looking for simple, refreshing, and reliable, you’d be hard pressed to find a dish better than classic Greek salad. Filled with fresh veggies, tangy feta, and a simple dressing made of ingredients you might already have in your fridge, this bright salad is one you’ll turn to all spring and summer long.

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Olive Garden is one of the most popular Italian American restaurants in the country and, other than the salad, soup, and breadsticks, we figure that that popularity is in large part driven by one dish and one dish alone: fettuccine Alfredo. Fettuccine Alfredo is the epitome of creaminess with a rich cheese sauce that makes it one of the best comfort foods out there, and we have a few easy tricks on how to nail the dish.

Get the Copycat Olive Garden Fettuccine Alfredo recipe.

Think about when something creamy hits your mouth at the same time as something crispy—YUM! This recipe is the perfect example of that satisfying texture combo: Hot, crispy potatoes are spooned onto a billowy cloud of whipped feta, then showered with lemon zest and fresh herbs. It doesn’t get much better than that.

Get the Whipped Feta Roasted Potatoes recipe.

Wild rice is one of our favorite rice varieties for its nutty flavor and its chewy bite. This recipe uses slowly cooked onions and chicken stock to add a punch of savoriness, but the vegetal, toasty flavor of the rice itself is definitely the star.

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Your sweet potatoes are tired of being baked. Give them the chance to become something much more exciting and turn them into sweet potato gratin. Just like the OG potatoes au gratin, these sweet potatoes are layered with plenty of cheese and herby cream sauce and baked until golden brown and bubbly. 😍

Get the Sweet Potato Gratin recipe.

When summer rolls around, we can’t get enough of the fresh flavors of bruschetta. With sweet cherry tomatoes and fresh basil, this classic snack has inspired many of our favorite summer recipes, from our bruschetta pasta to grilled bruschetta chicken. To create an easy side dish worthy of any summer potluck, we returned to the flavors of the tried-and-tried dish.

Get the Bruschetta Pasta Salad recipe.

These baked potatoes are KILLER. If you want to make 'em a meal, go for big russets. If you'd like to serve them as hors d'oeuvres, choose a smaller potato like a fingerling or Yukon Gold. Wanna go big? Try our classic French onion soup.

Get the French Onion Baked Potatoes recipe.

Grilling romaine for this wedge salad gives them just a slight char that goes perfectly with Caesar dressing. Serve whole as is, or chop your romaine hearts and toss them for easier eating.

Get the Grilled Romaine Caesar Wedge recipe.

Inspired by the popular Chinese takeout dish Kung Pao chicken, these saucy Brussels sprouts are dangerously delicious. If you want to up the spice level, feel free to add red chiles with the garlic.

Get the Kung Pao Brussels Sprouts recipe.

Briskly cooked over high heat, snow peas retain both their brightness, crunch, and inherent sweetness. You could simply fry them with a bit of garlic and oil, but adding more veg like mushrooms, and simple sauce elevate it into a proper side. Serve alongside cauliflower rice and some teriyaki chicken, and you’re all set.

Get the Stir-Fried Snow Peas recipe.

Sweet potatoes are one of the most versatile ingredients in the kitchen: They're amazing boiled, baked, sautéed, and fried (we love you, sweet potato fries), but one of the easiest and most convenient ways to cook sweet potatoes is to roast them.

Get the Perfect Roasted Sweet Potatoes recipe.