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    Home » Side dishes

    Published: Sep 8, 2023 by Zen · This post may contain affiliate links.

    27 Asian Side Dishes for Chicken Tenders

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    The Best Asian Side Dishes for Chicken Tenders, beyond the classic side dishes of pasta salad, cornbread or Mac and cheese, to make a complete meal.

    A bowl of gochujang sauce with 2 trays of roasted butternut squash around it.
    Jump to:
    • What are Chicken Tenders?
    • Veggies
    • Carbohydrates
    • Korean-inspired Mac & Cheese
    • Bread
    • Sauces & dips
    • Drinks
    • How to Cook
    • Variations
    • Expert Tips
    • FAQs
    • 💬 Comments

    What are Chicken Tenders?

    Also known as Chicken fingers and Chicken goujons, chicken tenders are pieces of white meat taken from either side of the chicken's breastbone. (Although also a fast food item, I prefer them to other fast food dishes such as Chicken Nuggets as the latter often contains extraneous ingredients such as wheat starch etc.)

    Every chicken has 2 tenders and they are usually more juicy than the breast, which is traditionally quite dry (and flavorless.) The tenders are often cut into thin strips, breaded then deep fried and are a very popular at parties (think Super Bowl gatherings!)

    In fact, many supermarkets sell frozen boxes of this delicious snack for easy weeknight dinners!

    Whilst fried chicken is delicious regardless of the form it comes in, it's the tasty side dishes that help to complete the meal! You can't go wrong with classic sides such as green beans, zucchini pasta and pea salad, but if you're looking for something different, try the following easy Asian side dishes!

    Note: If you'd like more ideas of what to serve with Chicken strips, click here for some Taiwanese side dish recipes or Japanese sides.

    Veggies

    Mango Cucumber Salad

    Using a spoon to mix tomato halves, mango cubes and cucumbers.
    Mango Cucumber Salad (Asian)
    This Mango Cucumber Salad (Asian recipe) is a light and refreshing side dish full of tropical flavor. Quick and easy, it's a sweet, savory and crunchy recipe perfect for camping or a summer barbecue. Plus, unlike many salads, there is no sour cream or olive oil used, so it's healthier and less heavy!
    Click here for the Asian salad recipe.
    A bowl full of mangoes, tomatoes and cucumber salad.

    Pickled Cucumbers

    Sliced cucumbers in a glass container from Ikea.
    Asian Quick Pickled Cucumbers (5-min)
    These easy and delicious Asian Quick Pickled Cucumbers are ready in 5 minutes, and make a great cooling side dish in summer! (I show you how to make 2 versions: 1 that can be immediately after tossing in the brine (the 5-min recipe) and a 2nd that has a milder flavor and needs to pickle for 15- 30 minutes.)
    Click for the Asian pickles recipe.
    A jar of homemade pickled cucumbers with chilies and an onion next to it.

    Cucumber Salad

    A bowl of spicy cold cucumber salad.

    Fried foods taste great but they can also be a bit drying on the mouth, which is why they go super well with green salads.

    A typical easy side dish for Chicken fillets would be coleslaw, but why not try this healthy side dish of cucumber salad recipe for a change? It makes for a nice and crunchy starter!

    Cold cucumber salad recipe
    The easy Chinese cold cucumber salad recipe is delicious and full of spicy flavor. Best of all, it only requires 4-ingredients and takes 5-10 minutes to make. 
    Click here for the 4-ingredient salad recipe.
    Close-up of red spicy asian cucumber salad.

    Baked Veg

    For a simple but delicious side dish, you can also serve the chicken tenders with easy baked vegetables, such as roasted zucchini, fish sauce Brussel sprouts or roasted honey glazed carrots.

    Soy mushrooms

    A plate of seared mushrooms tossed in a butter soy sauce.
    Quick Eryngii Mushrooms (3-ingredients)
    A 25-minute, easy to make and delicious eryngii mushroom recipe. These have a nice meaty texture which make them great meat substitutes for vegan meals.
    Click here for the 3-ingredient mushroom recipe.
    A plate of seared mushrooms tossed in a butter soy sauce.

    For more delicious Asian mushroom recipes, click here

    Creamed corn

    If you want a super easy side dish, serve the chicken tenders with the canned cream corn that you can find in most supermarkets.

    Zucchini chips or fries

    Step over potato wedges, zucchini fries are the new in thing!

    You can grill or fry thinly sliced zucchini and serve with sauces such as sambal mayo or tangy toyomansi.

    Carbohydrates

    French fries

    Close-up of gochujang butternut squash baked fries.

    If we're having finger food, how can we not have sweet potatoes fries or wedges?

    Many supermarkets sell packets of frozen potato fries next to the chicken tenders. A great way to make the meal more nutritious is to choose sweet potato fries or try these easy baked butternut squash fries.

    Easy Gochujang Butternut Squash recipe
    An easy 5-ingredient gochujang butternut squash recipe that is bursting with flavour. The hardest thing about this roasted Asian butternut squash recipe is cutting the squash!
    Click here for the butternut squash fries.
    Close-up of gochujang butternut squash baked fries.

    You can even make vegetables fries using grilled asparagus spears (bake for around 10-12 minutes at 425F.)

    Turmeric Potatoes

    A close-up of baked turmeric potatoes on a white plate.

    These golden spuds are the perfect side dish to add some color to your meal!

    📋 Quick & Easy Turmeric Potatoes
    These roasted turmeric potatoes are super quick and easy as the potatoes aren't parboiled before baking. Golden and spiced from the turmeric, they're nonetheless delicious- firm outside but warm and melt-in-your-mouth inside! (I also show you how to parboil them for a super crispy turmeric roast potatoes, if that's what you're looking for!)
    Click here for the Asian roasted potatoes.
    Roasted potatoes which are beautifully golden thanks to turmeric on a white plate.

    Potato salad

    Instead of baked potato, I find that the softness of mashed potato salad makes a great textural contrast to the crispiness of the fried chicken fingers. My favourite potato salad is the Korean version in which the sweetness of the apple pieces go so well with the creaminess of the mayo.

    Note: If you need more ideas for Asian dishes which use potato, click here!

    Korean-inspired Mac & Cheese

    The kimchi helps to cut through the fat of the cheese sauce, making the flavor of the Mac and Cheese more complex.

    Soups

    If you've had too much fried food, serve the chicken tenders with some soup to help wash everything down better!

    A bowl of vegan asian wonton soup with vegetarian balls
    Sprinkle some fried onion slices or fried garlic bits on the soup, if you have them!
    Easy Vegan Wonton Soup for Colds
    Done in 20 minute vegan Chinese wonton soup that tastes as good as the traditional version. Gluten-free and made without commercially bought stock/ bouillon cube OR hours of making homemade stock! A great flu fighter thanks to the ginger and garlic!
    Click here for the vegan chicken soup recipe.
    Chinese wontons in a bowl of clear chicken soup.

    Bread

    To make the meal more filling, serve the juicy chicken tenders with a side of fluffy biscuits, rice, pasta or noodles.

    Alternatively, you can eat the chicken tenders with some pickled chilies, fresh veggies & Asian rolls- i.e. make your own mini Zinger burger a la KFC! (You'd probably need 1 of the sauces below or some sesame dressing to make your burger less dry.)

    Cheese Bread

    Close-up of a half-bitten mochi cheese bread ball.
    Cheese Mochi Bread
    This delicious Cheese Mochi Bread Recipe is crisp on the outside and soft and oozy on the inside! It's also a super easy recipe: you just mix everything and bake. Plus no sugar is used so you don't have to feel guilty about snacking! (Baked) (Air Fried)
    Click for the Asian cheese ball recipe.
    Close-up of a half-bitten mochi cheese bread ball.

    Mochi Waffles

    Holding up a slice of cheese waffle mochi.
    Cheese Mochi Waffles Recipe
    This delicious Cheese Mochi Waffles Recipe- also known as Moffles!- is crisp on the outside and soft and oozy on the inside! Thanks to the glutinous rice flour, these waffles stay crispy and don't become soggy as easily. On the table in 15-20 minutes, they're perfect for breakfast or brunch! (This recipe works with both a traditional and vertical waffle maker. It is NOT just putting a mochi in a waffle machine!) (Gluten-Free)
    Click for the cheese waffle recipe.
    Holding up a slice of cheese waffle mochi.

    Matcha Bread

    2 green matcha mantou buns, 1 wrinkled and 1 smooth, due to differing steaming methods.
    Easy Matcha Buns (1-rise Mantou)
    An easy matcha bun (Chinese mantou bao) recipe which only requires 1 proof (1 rise), along with a mantou FAQ section on how to use a metal steamer (instead of the traditional bamboo steamer) and why your naturally vegan matcha buns aren't smooth.
    Click here for the green tea bun recipe.
    1 matcha green tea bun before being steamed.

    Steamed mantou

    6 green & white mantou buns on a serving board.
    Spiral Pandan Mantou (Steamed Chinese Buns)
    A prettier version of the typical white Chinese steamed bun recipe.
    Click here for the spiral mantou recipe.
    A few steamed spiral mantou buns on a serving board.

    Sauces & dips

    A garlicky cream cheese dip with chopped green chillies.

    Delicious as fried foods are, they can be made even better with the right dipping sauce. Simple sauces include:

    • tomato ketchup
    • chilli sauce
    • sriracha
    • spicy mayonnaise
    • aioli
    • brown sauce
    • sweet soy sauce
    • dark soy sauce
    • mustard
    • salsa
    • pesto sauce
    • sour cream

    Other compound sauces that go well with fried chicken tenders include:

    A spoonful of homemade Korean Gochujang Paste.
    Korean Gochujang Sauce + Homemade Paste Recipe
    I show you an easy homemade Gochuajng Paste recipe- with a shortcut for the fermentation (+ vegan option)- as well as how to turn the paste into a delicious Korean Gochujang sauce. (Gochujang Paste is different from Gochuajng Sauce- it's usually mixed with other ingredients and not really eaten on its own in Korea!)
    Click here for the Korean chili sauce recipe.
    A spoonful of homemade Korean Gochujang Paste.
    Easy 3-ingredient Sambal Aioli (Sambal Mayo)
    This spicy, tangy sauce goes well with french fries, grilled corn, hard boiled eggs, chicken salad and a whole host of other things.
    Click here for this easy 3-ingredient recipe.
    Close-up of sweet potato fries topped with spicy sambal mayo.
    Sautéing melted butter with curry leaves, chili and mashed up salted egg yolks.
    Salted egg yolk sauce
    A versatile, easy creamy salted egg yolk sauce recipe that can be used for tofu, chicken, pork, prawns and so much more!
    Click here for this umamilicious salted egg sauce.
    Salted egg yolk tofu with a box of tea.
    A bowl of olive mayonnaise and cream cheese dip with crackers around it.
    5-min cream cheese olive dip recipe
    A super easy, 5-minute olive dip recipe with cream cheese that has everyone asking for seconds! Made with 3 simple ingredients, this easy appetizer can be made ahead of time so you don't have to stress on the day of your dinner party or picnic!
    Click here for the 5-minute dip recipe.
    A bowl of olive and cream cheese dip with crackers around it.
    A cracker with Philadelphia cream cheese garlic dip spread on it.
    Easy Philadelphia Cream Cheese Dip Recipe
    A 5-ingredient, easy Philadelphia cream cheese dip recipe with lots of garlic and hard boiled eggs, and that comes together in 5 minutes. This recipe never fails to please!
    Click here for the garlicky dip.
    A cracker with Philadelphia cream cheese garlic dip spread on it.
    A bowl of garlic and chilli mixed with calamansi lime and soy sauce .
    Toyomansi sauce & marinade (Calamansi soy sauce)
    A classic and super easy to make Filipinno dipping sauce and marinade, toyomansi is bursting with delicious, tangy flavours. Eat it with steamed seafood or to marinade pork and chicken for your next BBQ!
    Click here for the tangy dipping sauce recipe.
    A bowl of garlic and chilli mixed with calamansi lime and soy sauce .
    Korean Mayonnaise mixed with kimchi being spread on white toast.
    Kimchi Mayo
    A spicy, tangy and creamy spread, Kimchi Mayo Sauce is delicious on toast, as a vegetable dip (or for French fries!) and as a salad or pasta sauce! (Gluten-free)
    Click here for the Korean aioli recipe.
    A bowl of kimchi mayo spread, with some slathered on a piece of toast to the side.
    Close-up of someone dipping a SPAM fry into Gochujang Aioli.
    Gochujang Aioli
    This makes enough to go with 1 can of Spam Fries.
    Click here for the red pepper mayo recipe.
    Close-up of someone dipping a SPAM fry into Gochujang Aioli.

    Drinks

    A cup of turmeric ginger cinnamon tea with lemon and honey amongst edible flowers.

    Fried food can be hard on the digestive system, so why not wash your chicken fingers down with 1 of the following drinks? Tea, in particular, is great for removing any greasy aftertaste!

    Turmeric ginger cinnamon lemon honey tea
    Easy, healthy, naturally golden and only requires 5 ingredients.
    Click here for this healthy tisane.
    Close-up of naturally golden turmeric, ginger and cinnamon tea.
    Cup of golden home roasted barley tea, also known as boricha, mugicha and damaicha
    Korean Barley Tea Recipe (Boricha) (Mugicha)
    A deliciously nutty and aromatic no-caffeine tea that can be drunk both hot and cold. Ice barley tea is great on a hot day!
    Click here for this perfect summer drink.
    A glass of cold roasted barley tea.
    A cup of homemade Starbucks copycat guava black tea held against a blue backdrop.
    Starbucks Iced Guava Black Tea Copycat
    A cool and refreshing drink for a hot summer's day, this Starbucks copycat recipe tastes exactly like the original Starbucks Iced Guava Black Tea but costs much less. (Also you don't have to leave the AC in this heat to grab your favourite drink! Simply use a white tea bag if you prefer the original white tea version.)
    Click here for the guava tea recipe.
    A cup of iced guava black tea.
    A teacup full of Japanese royal milk tea.
    Hong Kong Coffee milk tea recipe
    Also known as Yuanyang, Yun Yeung or Yuenyueng tea, Hong Kong Coffee milk tea is a simple 4-ingredient, 3-step recipe that anyone can easily make at home. Tastes great both as a hot drink or cold- warming in winter and refreshing in summer!
    Click here for the Hong Kong tea recipe.
    Overhead shot of a cup of Hong Kong coffee milk tea.
    A teacup full of Japanese royal milk tea.
    Japanese Royal Milk Tea Recipe
    An easy 3-ingredients Japanese milk tea recipe (Royal milk tea), with directions for popular variations such as Hokkaido milk tea, Okinawa milk tea, iced milk tea, and bubble tea!
    Click here for the Japanese milk tea recipe.
    A cup of Royal Milk tea with a sugar caddy and milk jug behind.
    homemade-boba-tea
    Tiger Milk Tea
    Tiger Milk Tea Boba, also known as Brown Sugar Bubble Tea, is a super popular beverage in many Asian countries thanks to its creamy, deep toffee-like flavor. Like most bubble tea recipes, it's not difficult to recreate at home- cheaper too! Plus, it's done in under 20 minutes and requires only 3 ingredients!
    Click here for the Taiwanese milk tea recipe.
    2 glasses of milk tea with brown streaks on the walls of the glasses.
    Starbucks Iced White Chocolate Mocha Copycat Recipe
    This Starbucks Iced White Chocolate Mocha Copycat Recipe is a quick and easy 5-ingredient recipe that helps you save money and time. It's creamy, rich and delicious!
    Click here for the Starbucks Mocha recipe.
    Close-up of a homemade white chocolate mocha with ice.
    Starbucks Matcha Chai Latte
    This easy copycat recipe makes a delicious spiced Starbucks Matcha Chai Latte recipe using only 4 ingredients and 5 minutes! It's delicious both hot on a cold day or iced in summer and allows you to easily recreate your coffee house experience at home!
    Click here for the Starbucks matcha chai latte recipe.
    A glass of cold Matcha Chai Latte with Masala Chai spices next to it.
    A glass of hot Suanmeitang Drink in a glass cup.
    Chinese Sour Plum Drink (Suanmeitang)
    An ancient Chinese drink drunk by royalty, this classic summer beverage remains popular even today thanks to its sweet-sour-salty-smokey taste! Reduced to its 3 most basic ingredients whilst keeping a great flavour so that everyone can make Chinese plum tea easily at home!
    Click here for the suan mei tang recipe.
    Overheat shot of a cup of Chinese Sour Plum Drink next to hawthorns and flowers.

    How to Cook

    1. Traditionally: chicken tenders are deep-fried.
    2. Healthier methods: If you're trying to watch what you eat, why not bake or air fry the chicken tenders instead of deep frying them?
    3. In a skillet: you need to use a good pot (that heats up evenly) over high heat so that you don't overcook the meat.

    Variations

    A bowl of garlic and chilli mixed with calamansi lime and soy sauce .
    You can easily vary this dish by switching up the sauce!
    1. Breading: For super crispy chicken tenders, switch to Japanese panko breadcrumbs, tempura-like batter (found in the Asian supermarket), Cheese crackers or Ritz crackers for the coating. If you want to try other biscuits, do be careful what you use. My friend once used Marie biscuits, and it didn't go well with the flavor of meat!
      • If you can't get Japanese panko- which makes an extra light batter- toast your breadcrumbs first and that'll take the chicken breast to the next level.
      • You can even add some pecan nuts or parmesan cheese to the coating- yum!
    2. Sauce: You can even coat the fried tenders with a honey soy glaze or the Yang Nyeom (Korean Fried chicken) sauce!
      • If so, to keep the chicken crispy and crunchy (i.e. to ensure it doesn't go soft under the sauce), you will need to double fry the chicken!
    3. Wrapped: Or wrap with a slice of parma ham or maple syrup coated bacon to make this dish even more indulgent.

    Expert Tips

    The meat

    1. For those making their own chicken tenders, marinating the meat overnight before breading and frying makes them even more flavorful. (Breast meat runs dry and can get very stringy! You can marinate in anything from a mixture of soy sauce and shao xing wine to buttermilk.) However, if the tender is very thin, marinating is not necessary.
      • Extra meat can be used for teriyaki chicken meatballs
    2. There is usually a tendon (white bit) attached to the tender that can hard to bite so snip it off before coating with the batter.

    Breading

    1. Switch your usual breadcrumbs for Japanese panko breadcrumbs and you'll be blown away by how much crispier your chicken fingers are! If you can't get them, toast your breadcrumbs first and that'll help to make them really sing.

    Frying

    1. Make sure you have a slotted spoon on-hand if deep-frying, to allow for the excess oil to drain away from the chicken tender, so that it doesn't get soggy!
    2. Don't add too many pieces of chicken to the pot at the same time, or the temperature of the oil will fall and your chicken won't become crispy.
    3. Also, don't forget that chicken tenders are quite thin and thus cook quite quickly (overcooking will make them tough and dry)- cook to 165F which can take anything from 10-25 minutes.

    FAQs

    Should you wash chicken tenders before cooking?

    Although many traditional Asians wash their meat before cooking, it is actually NOT recommended to do so (FDA) as the water splashing around can spread bacteria around your sink and countertops! Moreover, water will soften the breading around the chicken tender and you won't be able to get it nice and crispy after frying!

    How much does a chicken tender weigh?

    It obviously depends on the size and can range from 4-10 oz. For reference, the calorie counting app MyFitnessPal counts 2 chicken tenders as 3.5 oz (100g) i.e. 1.75oz each or 50g.

    What's your favourite Asian side dish to go with delicious chicken tenders? If this list of the best side dishes was helpful, would you like to sign up for my newsletter?

    I have other recipes you may like here! :)

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. eric says

      June 22, 2022 at 12:43 pm

      I like the idea of turning the chicken tenders into Asian sliders! Will try the mantou recipe but maybe not matcha flavor!

      Reply

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    Greedygirlgourmet eating 2 sandwiches in Scotland

    Hi I'm Zhen also known as GGG! I couldn't boil water till I was 18! However, I love creating community and nurturing people, so when I lived abroad (in St. Andrews then London) for 11 years, I started hosting regular parties for friends and that's how I started cooking! I even organised a supper club for charity, which strangers came to! Learning to cook late, I make sure my recipes go into enough detail for those new to Asian cuisine or who love a test kitchen approach to cooking!

    More about GGG ->

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