Chicken gumbo is among the most popular dishes around the world. It’s a very delicious dish and has its own unique taste.
However, what to serve with chicken gumbo depends on your preference – spicy or mild.
Whichever way you want, there are countless options for you to choose from!
Here is a list of the perfect side dishes to pair with your chicken gumbo for the most enjoyable experience!
1. Rice
Gumbo is one of those recipes that needs nothing more than soup to complete it. But hot, steaming rice pairs beautifully with gumbo. Rice is a healthy supplement.
It enriches your food with fiber, minerals, and vitamins. Rice has a deliciously neutral flavor that works nicely as a backdrop for all the strong ingredients in your gumbo.
2. Steam Bread
If you’re looking for what to serve with chicken gumbo, consider steamed bread. It provides the ideal amount of crunch and texture to withstand the gumbo’s roux-based gravy.
For this, you can use any bread you like, including white bread and rolls.
3. Cornbread
Cornbread is perfect for serving soups and stews because it absorbs the flavor effectively. Because of this, you’ll notice that cornbread is one of the best side dishes to serve, say, with baked beans.
This is similar to how cornbread is one of the best sides with chicken gumbo.
Even better, you may prepare a variety of delicious cornbread varieties to suit your tastes.
Johnnycakes will be ideal if you like foods with crunchy exteriors. Corn pone is an excellent alternative to making cornbread without egg and milk.
4. Hush Puppies
Another typical Southern side dish that goes well with nearly anything is hush puppies. For what to serve with chicken gumbo, you can check them out.
The contrast between the salty flavor of the gumbo and the sweetness of these soft, sweet, chewy deep-fried nuggets makes it impossible to resist.
Many hush puppies are made with cornmeal or baking powder, but you may make your hush puppies into a tasty dish by adding buttermilk.
To enhance the flavor, you can also add some chili to the meal before serving.
5. Cajun Fries
Chicken gumbo and Cajun fries work together to provide the ideal harmony of flavor and texture.
You’ll want more fries (and possibly some water) after tasting the peppery, smokey flavor that the fries are fried in.
First, cut the potatoes into fry shapes and soak them in a mixture of cold water, salt, sugar, baking soda, and black pepper.
After that, add some vegetable oil to the pan and some flavor-adding butter, and heat it up until bubbles appear on the surface.
Then, reduce the heat to medium-high and cover the fries with aluminum foil. Make sure they are not touching one another as you do this.
After about 15 minutes, or when they turn golden brown, they are ready.
6. Fried Okra
If you’re looking for what to serve with chicken gumbo, try fried okra. The crispy chunks give just enough sweetness and crunch to balance out all the spiciness in the gumbo.
Okra has a taste that may not first appeal to many people due to its slimy texture.
Meanwhile, the most popular okra varieties are the fern variety you can get in the produce area of your neighborhood grocery store.
These veggies are suitable for use in soup or spicy sauce meals like gumbos since they take on any flavor added while cooking.
This recipe can take a while to prepare because heated oil must be used to sauté the ingredients for a few minutes on each side.
However, once you’ve finished the difficult part (the slicing), they’re simple to prepare and excellent as an appetizer or starters.
7. Fried Rice
There is no better way to add flavor to your chicken gumbo than with some hot and tasty fried rice.
It only requires heating some vegetable oil in a skillet and adding the following ingredients: eggs, soy sauce, garlic powder or minced garlic, rice, some vegetable oil (canola is a great all-purpose option), and either frozen peas or chopped onions.
And if you want to spice up your fried rice, consider including some diced ham or chicken in addition to those vegetables.
8. Baked Beans with Bacon Bits and Onions
If you’re looking for what to serve with chicken gumbo, try this tasty option! Baked beans with onion and bacon bits make a fantastic side dish to go with chicken gumbo for various reasons.
It firstly has the ideal sweet and salty balance that goes well with many different cuisines. In addition, it adds texture to the meal so that you aren’t eating only one kind of food.
You can use dry beans soaked in water overnight, canned beans, or even a slow cooker recipe to prepare this side dish.
Any kind of baked beans will taste great when combined with some onion and bacon bits. When adding bacon to a pot of simmering baked beans, cooking the bacon first for the best results is necessary.
9. Lousiana Crawfish Etouffee
For what to serve with chicken gumbo, Lousiana crawfish etouffee is a good option.
The ideal approach to make great etouffee is to start with freshly caught Louisianan crawfish tails fried over medium-high heat for about five minutes or until their shells turn bright red.
It would then be preferable if you drained out the extra water before being added back into the pot along with additional ingredients, including peppers, onions, celery stalks, garlic cloves, and okra.
Next, cook the mixture on low heat for about an hour while stirring it occasionally. Depending on the ingredients used, etouffée can be made vegetarian.
This makes it an excellent choice for entertaining guests with dietary preferences or constraints.
10. Tasso Scalloped Potatoes
Tasso Scalloped Potatoes are a delicious, important side dish that goes well with chicken gumbo. So if you’re wondering what to serve with chicken gumbo, look no further.
Tasso is also referred to as Cajun bacon. Still, it has a distinct flavor from the common pork belly delight that many Americans might like on their eggs benedict in the morning.
Also, tasso scalloped potatoes are not only simple to make but can also be made ahead of time so that you have one less thing to worry about while preparing this beloved French quarter dish.
The potatoes offer a different flavor than rice sometimes does and assist in lightening the texture of this hearty and savory soup or stew.
11. Shrimp Remoulade
Although the dish may sound odd, it is a Cajun classic and is the ideal way to add variety to your chicken gumbo meal.
Remoulade, sometimes known as “mayonnaise salad,” was first served as an hors d’oeuvre in France spread on slices of bread.
Today, it is frequently served with shrimp, crab cakes, fried fish, and even raw oysters.
This recipe calls for a few simple ingredients: homemade mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, spicy sauce, celery salt, and lemon juice to taste.
The kind of hot sauce you use will mostly determine the flavor.
12. Fried Cabbage
For what to serve with chicken gumbo, try fried cabbage. Cabbage is a wonderful choice if you’re searching for a vegetable-based side dish that is low in fat.
It’s not only nutritious but also extremely versatile, which makes it ideal for chicken gumbo.
For those who prefer their soups to be especially heavy but don’t want to overdo it on the calories, fried cabbage is the ideal side dish. You may serve the cabbage with the gumbo or top the gumbo with it.
Furthermore, you should be aware that the cabbage will become softer after cooking in the gumbo, so you should serve it immediately.
13. Cauliflower
There are numerous ways to enjoy cauliflower. Cauliflower is one of the most versatile vegetables available, whether you enjoy it as a side dish or choose to eat it as a main entrée.
Serve your chicken gumbo with some cooked cauliflower to kick up the flavor of this traditional dish. This meaty, rich stew gains a subtle flavor from adding cauliflower.
In addition to being low in calories, cauliflower is also exceptionally high in fiber and vitamin C.
14. Fried Plantains
This is another tasty dish to try if you’re looking for what to serve with chicken gumbo.
You may serve fried plantains as an appetizer or side dish to go with your gumbo if you want something quick and easy.
The banana, also known as plantain, is a scrumptious tropical fruit with a crisp texture and a touch of sweetness.
You can eat fried plantains as a snack or even add them to other foods like fritters and crepes.
15. Buttermilk Biscuits
Chicken gumbo goes well with buttermilk biscuits if you’re searching for a filling side dish.
The soup has a substantial flavor and texture, ideal for dipping a biscuit. Add fresh fruits like peaches or apples if you desire a slightly sweeter side.
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed our list of what to serve with chicken gumbos. This gumbo dish is versatile and goes with different side dishes.
Also, you can easily customize it to suit you and your family. Thanks for reading!
