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17 Healthy Sides for Chicken – Low-Calorie And Pair Perfectly

Published: November 14, 2023 by Madison Maxwell | Leave a comment

Cooking chicken for dinner and looking for some side dishes that will help keep your meal healthy? Calories can add up quickly if you're not sure what to keep an eye out for. These recipes have you covered. Check out these 17 healthy sides for chicken that are low in calories.

Healthy Mexican Corn Salad

Nutritional information per serving:

174 calories
21 grams of carbs
9 grams of fat
6 grams of protein

This healthy Mexican street corn salad is made with sweet corn, jalapenos (if you like spice), mayonnaise, cotija cheese, fresh cilantro, and lime juice. It's creamy and bright, and it makes a great side for grilled chicken.

Roasted Carrots

Nutritional information per serving:

110 calories
12 grams of carbs
7 grams of fat
1 gram of protein

This roasted carrots recipe is meant to mimic Weight Watchers. Weight Watchers assigns points to foods and assigns healthier foods lower points so you can consume more points. This is done to reduce calories and assist with losing weight, so these carrots offer a delicious side that is low in calories. For this recipe, all you need is carrots, olive oil, and salt and pepper.

Spinach Tomato Salad with Feta

Nutritional information per serving (half a bowl):

157.5 calories
6.5 grams of carbs
12.2 grams of fat
2.9 grams of protein

This spinach tomato salad with feta cheese is a great recipe for spring and summer when these vegetables are in season. If serving a whole bowl of salad as the main dish, this salad has 315 calories. But, if you're serving it as a side and serving half of a bowl, it's only 157.7 calories per serving.

Sauteed Baby Bok Choy With Ginger Sauce

Nutritional information per serving:

136 calories
7 grams of carbs
11 grams of fat
4 grams of protein

If you've never had bok choy, you'll fall in love with this recipe. It's quick and easy, only taking 15 minutes to complete. Bok choy is a super healthy leafy green vegetable with a crisp flavor. It can sometimes be bitter, but the ginger sauce is the perfect pairing to make this side delicious.

Garlic Parmesan Zucchini Fries

Nutritional information per serving:

83 calories
7.5 grams of carbs
3.6 grams of fat
6.9 grams of protein

Take the idea of fries but give it a twist. These garlic parmesan zucchini fries are delicious. It's a simple recipe, and these fries can be ready in under a half hour. All you need is zucchini, parmesan, Italian seasonings, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and olive oil.

Healthy Broccoli Salad

Nutritional information per serving:

169 calories
18.2 grams of carbs
9.6 grams of fat
5.3 grams of protein

This healthy broccoli salad makes eating broccoli fun. It's tangy and creamy, which is something you're likely not used to having when you eat broccoli. It's made with broccoli, red onion, roasted sunflower seeds, dried cherries, greek yogurt, olive oil, vinegar, and honey.

Tuscan Artichoke Tomato Salad

Nutritional information per serving:

157 calories
6 grams of carbs
14 grams of fat
1 gram of protein

This Tuscan artichoke tomato salad is great if you're looking for a vegan and gluten-free recipe. It's made with artichoke hearts, chickpeas, tomatoes, red onion, and a vinaigrette. The vinaigrette is made with red wine vinegar, olive oil, and seasonings.

Ratatouille

Nutritional information per serving:

194 calories
20.8 grams of carbs
5.7 grams of fat
5.7 grams of protein

Ratatouille is another recipe that can be used as a main or side dish. Made of just vegetables, it's a great vegan dish and is low in calories. It's made with zucchini, eggplant, tomatoes, peppers, and onions. It can be served by itself, or it's also great served over rice.

Although most people pick up a rotisserie chicken from the store, it's really easy to make a roasted chicken at home.
©Claudio Schwarz / unsplash – License

Healthy Green Bean Casserole

Nutritional information per serving:

112 calories
12 grams carbs
6 grams of fat
7 grams of protein

If you love green bean casserole but are shying away because of the calorie count, this healthy green bean casserole is just what you need. It is low in carbs and calories and is gluten-free. It's made with green beans, greek yogurt, almond milk, broth, almond flour, parmesan, and seasonings.

Low-Calorie Coleslaw

Nutritional information per serving:

40 calories
7 grams of carbs
2 grams of fat
3 grams of protein

This low-calorie coleslaw offers the least amount of calories of all the side dishes on this list. It's made with green and red cabbage, carrots, green onions, greek yogurt, lemon juice, dijon mustard, vinegar, and seasonings.

Roasted Winter Vegetables

Nutritional information per serving:

105 calories
24 grams of carbs
2 grams of fat
4 grams of protein

This roasted winter vegetables recipe is particularly great while these vegetables are in season. It's made up of carrots, parsnips, and Brussels sprouts. Seasoned with rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil, salt, and pepper, they bake in the oven at 400 degrees and are ready in about 35 minutes.

Mexican Street Cauliflower

Nutritional information per serving:

229 calories
12 grams of carbs
19 grams of fat
7 grams of protein

Cauliflower is normally very low in calories, this dish is a bit higher in calories due to the sauce being made out of mayonnaise. An easy way to reduce the calories is to substitute the mayo with Greek yogurt. If you love elote, this dish is the perfect way to fulfill your craving while keeping it healthy.

Mexican Three-Bean Salad

Nutritional information per serving:

177 calories
6 grams of carbs
19 grams

This Mexican three-bean salad is easy and quick. It also has a good amount of protein due to the bean content. Paired with chicken as your main dish, this is a great way to make sure you're meeting your protein needs. It's made with corn, black beans, kidney beans, northern beans, bell peppers, red onions, jalapeno, cilantro, avocado, olive oil, red wine vinegar, lime and lemon juice, honey, fresh garlic, and seasonings.

Roasted Green Beans With Caramelized Onions

Nutritional information per serving:

102 calories
19 grams of carbs
2.5 grams of fat
3.5 grams of protein

This roasted green beans with caramelized onions recipe is great if you're roasting a chicken. This dish is very simple as it only has two main ingredients; Vidalia onions and green beans. First, you'll place the green beans into the oven, and while those cook, you'll brown the onions on the stovetop.

Lemon Garlic Sauteed Cabbage

Nutritional information per serving:

105 calories
14.3 carbohydrates
6.4 grams of fat
2.7 grams of protein

Enjoy this fresh take on cabbage. It's simple and quick. While cabbage can naturally become sweet after cooking, the lemon in this dish brightens it up for a slightly tangy flavor. The dish stays savory, though, as the cabbage is also sauteed with garlic. Cabbage is super easy to cook. Once you've sliced the cabbage, cook it in a skillet on the stovetop. Although it might look like a lot of cabbage, it's important to note that cabbage shrinks and cooks down, so it will look like less once it's done cooking.

Herbed Spaghetti Squash With Garlic And Parmesan

Nutritional information per serving:

78 calories
1 grams of carbs
12 grams of fat
2 grams of protein

I'm a firm believe that spaghetti squash is not a direct substitute for pasta, but that doesn't mean that spaghetti squash can't be good. If you've written off spaghetti squash, make sure to give this recipe a try! This dish is delicious because it's coated in butter and parmesan. You can use it as a side to make healthy chicken parmesan and “pasta.”

Roasted Sugar Snap Peas

Nutritional information per serving:

70 calories
8 grams of carbs
5 grams of fat
2 grams of protein

If you've only ever had snap peas in a stir-fry recipe, it's time to let them be the star of the show. This recipe is low in calories and high in fiber. The peas are slightly sweet, and the onions bring in a savory flavor. It's super easy to make with just sugar snap peas, red onion, olive oil, and seasonings.