6 Items on the KFC Sides Menu, Ranked

After 70+ years in business, Kentucky Fried Chicken has locked down a chicken recipe that keeps people loyal. But a fast-food chicken chain is only as good as its sides, so how does KFC do in that department? Should you grab corn or slaw? And what manner of potato? Do you miss the now-discontinued KFC green beans and baked beans as much as we do? 

The answers to these questions and more have arrived. Here are the six KFC side dishes, ranked.

Prices and availability are subject to change.

This story was updated in October 2023.

$2.99

Well, well, well. What do we have here? I’m blown away. These are among the best fast-food fries I've tasted. I want steak with these frites. I want a burger, too — or yes, even a big honkin' piece of fried chicken. These fries are southern comfort at their best. 

We’re talking about thick, crunchy potato wedges, jagged and angled like a piece of battered fish. They’re seasoned, but not overly so. I’m all about it. Really nice job on these things, Sanders. I'd be willing to say they're the best thing on the entire menu.

Oh, and if you need the perfect KFC dipping sauce to go with these, the honey mustard is my go-to pick.

$1.19

What's your biscuit strategy? KFC's biscuit is quite good, and versatile enough to satisfy each type of biscuit desire. If you want to rip it into little pieces and eat it bite by bite, it's dense enough for that. If you're like me, and you're always trying to make sliders out of every biscuit you come across, these work for that as well.

And if you just want to squeeze some honey on it and enjoy on its own? This will satisfy the purists, too.

$2.99

I can’t imagine there are many people in the world who would say they don’t like mashed potatoes. Even children who are picky eaters love it. Potatoes just have the magic that way. Boil ‘em, mash ‘em, stick ‘em in a stew, ya know? 

KFC's mashed potatoes are probably the second food you think of when you think about the restaurant, and definitely the first side dish. There's good reason for that. KFC serves them creamy, pleasantly salty, and both sticky and smooth at the same time thanks to that unctuous gravy. It's just good food.

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$2.99

Nasty fast-food chain coleslaw is a side I’ll always love. It unlocks some sort of childlike memory in me, I guess. Takes me back to the days of growing up on El Pollo Loco’s slaw. That finely-diced mix of cabbage and carrots drenched in weird, sugary mayo will always call to me. 

This is what you're getting from the slaw at KFC. It's classic, and that cool creamy, crunch will forever remain a perfect counterpart to fried chicken.

Can't wait to pick up some KFC coleslaw at the drive-thru? There are plenty of copycat recipes out there that you can make at home, including ones from The Chunky Chef and Love From the Oven.

$2.99

This is admittedly one of KFC's most bland sides, but kernels of corn are always going to be a killer sidekick to fried chicken. All you really need to do to give this a boost is mix it in with your mashed potatoes. The taters get texture and the corn gets flavor. Everybody wins.

Also, huge missed opportunity not calling these “Colonel’s Kernels.”

Psst: If you're looking for a way to make the perfect corn on the cob at home, we've got a secret ingredient that'll take your corn up a notch.

Related: KFC Ditches Popcorn Chicken, 4 Other Items To Simplify Menu

$2.99

There are certain dishes in this world that represent soul. Macaroni and cheese is one of them. A good mac has a lot of soul, and it pains me to say that KFC’s has absolutely none. 

There's just a big, fake cheese flavor happening here. The pasta itself is weird and chewy and hard to get down. As for the cheese sauce, it barely even clings to the noodles. It’s like two separate components. Such a shame. No soul at all.

Related: KFC Doesn't Offer Free Bucket Refills. Try Telling That to TikTok