You’ve decided to make Chicken Cordon Bleu for dinner this week but have trouble thinking of side dishes to go with it. This type of dish is served in fancy restaurants, so you want to replicate that feeling of elegance in your own dinner menu.
This list of 12 side dishes that go good with chicken cordon bleu will have your guests feeling happy and full.
When it comes to side dishes, you can mix and match starches with vegetables. You can add a noodle dish and a broccoli or carrot side dish for a complete meal.
To mimic the restaurant experience you can serve a salad as the appetizer, then the main meal followed by a dish of ice cream, fruit sorbet, or a slice of homemade cherry or peach pie.
Best Side Dishes For Chicken Cordon Bleu
1. Garlic Butter Rice
This side dish is simple and delicious. The last thing you want with a classy main dish meal is a bland side. Plain rice just won’t cut it here.
Kick it up a notch with garlic, butter, and salt. Saute the garlic for a few seconds in the butter and add the rice. Saute the rice in the garlic butter to absorb the delicious flavors. Season the cooked rice with a sprinkle of salt to finish.
Related | Does Garlic Go Bad?
2. Lemon Orzo
Orzo is pasta that resembles rice. It makes an excellent substitute for rice when you’re short on time. The addition of citrus gives it a crisp, little zing.
Instead of steaming like rice, you cook orzo like noodles, but with just enough water to absorb easily like risotto. After the orzo is cooked, remove it from the heat and add lemon juice, oregano, or mint and salt and pepper.
3. Rice Pilaf
What is rice pilaf? Pilaf is a way of cooking the rice that adds broth instead of water and a series of herbs or spices, citrus, vegetables, or meat.
Different regions have their signature versions of this dish, such as India (Biryani), Nigeria (Jollof), and Pakistan (Pulao).
One of the best things about rice is that it absorbs the flavors of what is cooked with it.
So you can substitute chicken stock or beef stock for the water, add a teaspoon of parsley, oregano, cumin, turmeric, or any combination of seasonings that you like. Cooking is all about experimenting with flavors, so check out the recipe here.
4. Garlic Parmesan Noodles
Noodles are a great addition to meals to make them more filling and satisfying. When you say “pasta,” most people think of spaghetti, but there are so many ways to make noodles that taste good.
This is a simple dish requiring only a few ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen cupboard.
If you have a box of spaghetti noodles, butter, olive oil, salt and pepper, parmesan and shredded cheddar cheese in your pantry, you can make this dish in as little as 20 minutes.
Related | Best Pasta Makers
5. Pesto Pasta
This is another side dish that lends a luxurious feel to any mid-week dinner menu. Spaghetti noodles with a basil pesto sauce with a little added arugula, pine nuts, and red pepper flakes for a bit of kick.
Top the dish with a little grated parmesan before serving. You can use a jarred pesto sauce or your homemade sauce if you like.
6. Fettuccine Alfredo
Fettuccini noodles are a little broader than spaghetti noodles and flat. This recipe combines noodles with butter, salt, parmesan cheese, Italian parsley, and heavy cream in a delicious creamy sauce that will have everyone wanting more.
It is best to make the sauce fresh as the jarred version just does not do it justice. The store-bought sauces do not taste as good as the homemade version.
7. Buttery Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Mashed potatoes are probably the easiest dish for new cooks to master. You can use just about any type of potato and add butter, milk, garlic powder, and parsley flakes.
Peel and chop the potatoes into slightly larger than bite-size pieces. The reason for this is that you want the potatoes to remain intact while cooking.
After draining the water, use a potato masher or fork to mash the potatoes. Add butter, garlic powder, and milk to the hot potatoes and mix well. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with parsley flakes.
Related | When Do Potatoes Go Bad?
8. Steamed Broccoli
No recipe is needed for this simple side. If you have a basket steamer or a pan with holes over a pot of boiling water, you can make this in 10 minutes or less.
Some rice cookers include a plastic insert for steaming vegetables with your rice. If you plan to make the garlic rice, you could kill two birds with one stone. You can top steamed broccoli with butter and salt or drizzle a little cheese sauce over it before serving.
9. Asparagus With Lemon Butter
Asparagus is a vegetable that is delicious and goes good with many main dish meals. If you have access to fresh produce in season, this is a great dish served in a lemon butter sauce.
The ingredients you will need are two bunches of asparagus (trimmed), butter, lemon, parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper.
10. Creamed Peas
If you’ve never had creamed peas, it is an old recipe from your grandmother’s time. It is very simple and economical, using ingredients from your kitchen and pantry.
The basic ingredients for this dish are frozen peas, flour, butter, milk, and salt and pepper.
You make a roux similar to making gravy and add the peas, and season with salt and pepper. This recipe goes together in as little as 15 minutes.
11. Roasted Rainbow Carrots
This recipe is so simple and takes less than 20 minutes to put together. Rainbow carrots are colorful and give your dish a little variety and visual appeal.
In a bowl, combine three bunches of baby rainbow carrots, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Toss well to coat and then place on a baking sheet in a single layer. Roast in the oven at 450 degrees F, turning once, for about 15 minutes.
Sprinkle with salt and chopped chives before serving.
12. Oven Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Brussels sprouts roasted in the oven with a little olive oil and salt make a great addition to your dinner menu. These small vegetables resemble mini cabbages because of the leaves.
To make this dish, combine Brussels sprouts and oil to coat lightly. Place on a baking sheet and then roast for 20 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Sprinkle with salt and serve.
Final Thoughts
When storing leftover rice, noodles, or potatoes, the key is to let them cool down completely before putting them in the refrigerator. Store in a plastic food storage container with a lid or Ziploc storage bags.
Reheat just before serving and throw away any leftovers that remain. In other words, don’t reheat leftovers again and again. Try to use up the remaining leftovers so they don’t go back in the refrigerator again.
Some people experience an upset stomach from eating food that has been reheated several times.
To reheat food, place in a microwave-safe dish and heat through for 2 – 3 minutes or in a saucepan with a tablespoon or two of water or milk.
Related | Is Styrofoam Microwave Safe?
Many delicious and hearty side dishes will make your dinner feel like a meal at your favorite restaurant.
If you haven’t had a restaurant meal in a while, for whatever reason, then you’ll appreciate these suggestions for foods that go well with Chicken Cordon Bleu.
