Our top 10 list of Pizza Hut sides is chosen based on what makes the best accompaniments to your pizza order. When Dan and Frank Carney started their humble pizza shop in Wichita, Kansas, in 1958, they had no idea it would grow into a franchise with over 18,000 locations worldwide. While pizza is usually the main reason customers keep coming back, sometimes they have a craving for other items on Pizza Hut’s menu. Of course, the meaning behind the name sides can change depending on the restaurant. In most restaurants, sides usually mean French fries, mashed potatoes, and macaroni and cheese. Yet, in Pizza Hut, the word “sides” has a slightly different meaning when pizza is the main dish.
Speaking as someone who once worked as a cook for Pizza Hut, I know firsthand the ingredients and recipes that went into some of the sides mentioned in the list provided. I also know that since WingStreet became part of the Pizza Hut menu, the chicken wings have become almost as popular as the pie-shaped classics themselves. What’s featured in the list includes bygone sides many foodies are begging to be returned, as well as sides I know are slated for removal as Pizza Hut once again revamps its menu.
Top 10 Pizza Hut Sides
# 10 – Dips
As much as people are fans of pizza, they’re not always eager to eat the crust after devouring a tasty slice that holds the toppings they ordered. Pizza Hut came up with solutions, such as its infamous Stuffed Crust pizza, to combat this problem. They also came up with a variety of dips to entice customers to eat the entire pizza slice, crust and all. The option between Cheddar Jalapeno, Creamy Garlic, Marinara, and Peppercorn Ranch offers consumers a tasty add-on to their favorite slice of pizza. Among garlic lovers, Creamy Garlic does the trick for them just about every time. Among pizza fans who like some kick, the Cheddar Jalapeno is too good to resist. There’s also Marinara and Peppercorn Ranch, both of which are often chosen as a side to go with a Pizza Hut order.
# 9 – Breadsticks
Usually, when Pizza Hut has a meal deal in place, their infamous breadsticks are often included as a side dish to accompany the main dish ordered. Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, these are chosen most often when diners opt for pasta over pizza when placing their orders. Breadsticks are an everyday staple in most restaurants that serve Italian-style dishes. Pizza Hut’s breadsticks are made from the same dough used for its signature Pizza Pan dough. That’s partly what makes them so popular, especially with marinara sauce. I like to switch it up and try some of the other dips that Pizza Hut offers.
# 8 – Fries
As odd as it may sound for some foodies to pair up fries with pizza, this isn’t as uncommon as one may think. For some, they’re even better when seasoned with the blend of spices that comes with the Cajun seasoning. If that seems a bit too spicy for the palate, there’s also lemon pepper seasoning. The fries are crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside, making them just as enjoyable on their own.
#7 – Mozzarella Sticks
Some restaurants bake their mozzarella sticks, while companies like Pizza Hut opt to fry them deep. Crisp on the outside and wonderfully gooey on the inside, this is a cheeseaholic’s dream sidekick to go with their pizza order. This is a highly addictive food item that tastes even better when dipped in marinara sauce. Fans of mozzarella sticks have also been known to use some of the other dips that Pizza Hut offers.
#6 – Boneless Bites
While chicken wings have been an all-time favorite side to go with pizza, not everybody is necessarily a fan of dealing with those little bones. As a solution, Pizza Hut introduced breaded chicken pieces known as Boneless Bites. These breaded bites are easy enough to pop into your mouth, either as the perfect companion to your pizza order or on their own. Much like Pizza Hut’s infamous chicken wings, this popular side dish comes with sauce of your choice, including buffalo, Cajun, garlic Parmesan, honey barbecue, lemon pepper, spicy garlic, and sweet chili. If you’d rather enjoy boneless bites without any sauce, that works too.
#5 – Caesar Salad
As an ideal starter, Caesar salads often pair well with pizza. This side option from Pizza Hut is no exception. The creamy Caesar dressing, combined with croutons and Parmesan cheese, mixed with romaine lettuce, has been a fan favorite for years. Customers can never seem to get enough of this extremely popular food item. If you’re not in the mood for Caesar specifically, you can always substitute it with ranch dressing. This twist to one of Pizza Hut’s most popular side items isn’t uncommon.
#4 – Tuscani Chicken Alfredo Pasta
Some Pizza Hut fans will either order the Tuscani Chicken Alfredo Pasta as a side dish or as an entrée to include in their meal choice. Speaking from experience as someone who used to work at a Pizza Hut location, whenever we had the salad bar open, the Tuscani Chicken Alfredo Pasta would sometimes empty out even faster than the pizzas did. What makes this cheesy dish so tasty is the creamy Alfredo sauce, which adds a lot of flavor. Some may argue this doesn’t qualify as a side, but I beg to differ. Several customers often ordered this particular pasta dish with their pizza order. Among those who sat in the restaurant where I worked, this would sit right next to a slice of pizza on a customer’s plate whenever the two items were ordered together.
#3 – Cheesesticks
When I worked for Pizza Hut, one of the most common side items ordered to go with pizzas was the Cheesesticks. These are breadsticks that have been improved upon by adding a generous dose of mozzarella cheese, as well as some garlic butter and Parmesan. This tends to be ordered far more often by customers than any other bread product that Pizza Hut offers. On many occasions, the desire for dips of any kind doesn’t seem to be a requirement for many customers who enjoy the cheesesticks enough on their own.
#2 – Stuffed Garlic Knots
Wonderfully stuffed with cheese, Pizza Hut’s Stuffed Garlic Knots make the perfect sidekick to any main course meal featured on its menu. Highly addictive, this twisted-up dough of goodness is brushed with garlic butter and decorated with grated Parmesan cheese. Unfortunately, not all Pizza Huts carry them, and they are often treated as a limited-time special. Fans of this product are known to dip either these little beauties into marinara sauce or eat them plain. Among those who feel they need more garlic in their diet, there’s the Creamy Garlic dipping sauce that also works well with this. Speaking on a personal note, I wish this became a regular feature on all the Pizza Hut menus as it is popular enough to keep the customers coming back for more.
#1 – Chicken Wings
Pizza Hut fans are likely to be familiar with WingStreet. In 2003, under the Yum! Corporation, both of these entities became one. By 2010, the international success of this partnership resulted in more than 4,000 new Pizza Hut locations opening across America alone. Chicken wings were already growing in popularity as a favorite menu item, with so many bars and restaurants that it only made sense for Pizza Hut to capitalize on the opportunity to serve them with pizza to go. Between breaded or traditional, customers can choose their favorite flavoring. As buffalo wings with the infamous Buffalo sauce, customers can choose from three degrees of spice: mild, medium, and hot. The other sauces the chicken wings are offered in are cajun, garlic Parmesan, honey barbecue, lemon pepper, spicy garlic, and sweet chili. There’s also the option to have them completely naked. For years, chicken wings and pizza have gone together in perfect harmony, forming a pair of food items that have become huge fan favorites.
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