BBQ Chicken Sliders
Grab a napkin and dig in to these baked BBQ Chicken Sliders. Shredded chicken coated in a tangy BBQ sauce and topped with onions, cilantro, tamed jalapeños and creamy mozzarella cheese brings the summer barbecue flavors to classic chicken sliders that you’re entire family will love.
Summer nights are here which means I’m brainstorming all the easy weeknight dinners and tasty appetizers that I could bring with me to summer BBQ’s and pool parties.
While I love a good grazing board or veggie platter, sometimes you need appetizers that are heartier and will keep you fuller for longer! If you feel the same way, then these BBQ chicken sliders are the perfect recipe for you.
Chicken sliders loaded with tangy barbecue chicken, red onions, cilantro, jalapeños, and melted mozzarella cheese puts your favorite barbecue flavors into this easy, handheld appetizer.
Serve them for dinner, enjoy them poolside, or plate them up as a hearty appetizer. No matter how your serve these BBQ chicken sliders, they are sure to be a hit this summer!
Why you’ll love this recipe:
You’ll absolutely love these BBQ Chicken sliders because they’re:
Family friendly: The tamed jalapeños cut back on the spice level and make this recipe enjoyable for kids! If needed, remove the jalapeños all together to ensure this recipe is perfect for your entire family.
Quick cooking: This recipe uses convenient ingredients and comes together quickly. Once assembled, your sliders will simply bake until your cheese is melted and your meat is warmed through… making them the perfect recipe for when you realize it’s already 7pm!
Customizable: Change your protein, bread, and toppings to make these sliders exactly the way you want them.
Perfect for a meal or party appetizer: You can enjoy these sliders as your main dinner or bring them along with you to a party.
Easy to make: The hardest part of this recipe is pulling the sliders apart when you are ready to enjoy them! Be sure to have a napkin on hand.
You’re going to love them!
Ingredients:
Here’s what you’ll need:
For the BBQ sauce mixture:
BBQ sauce: any brand you like.
Tomato soup: the smallest can you can find… we won’t use the entire can.
Apple cider vinegar: could use white vinegar if you do not have apple cider vinegar.
Brown Sugar
For the Sliders
Original Hawaiian Sweet Rolls: In my opinion, these are the best buns for sliders! This recipe would also be delicious on mini pretzel rolls.
Cooked chicken: You can use rotisserie chicken, canned chicken, or cook two chicken breasts in the crockpot and shred.
Jalapeno’s: I used tamed jalapeños but you could use fresh if you want a spicier slider with a crunch.
Red onion
Fresh cilantro
Shredded Mozzarella cheese: I recommend shredding your own fresh mozzarella cheese, not using the bags of pre-shredded cheese. The bags contain stabilizing agents that keep the cheese from fully melting and that could change your sliders.
The process:
One of the best parts of these chicken sliders is how easy they are to make. All you’ll need to do is:
Step 1
Add your BBQ sauce, tomato soup, apple cider vinegar, and brown sugar to a large bowl. Stir until combined.
Step 2
Add your finely shredded, cooked chicken to the BBQ sauce and mix until evenly coated.
Step 3
Keeping your rolls together, slice your Hawaiian rolls in half horizontally to create a top and bottom half. You may add the bottom half to a 9x13 dish for building the sliders then baking.
Step 4
Layer the bottom half of your Hawaiian rolls with the BBQ chicken.
Step 5
Add your red onion, cilantro, and diced jalapeños.
Step 6
Add your freshly grated mozzarella cheese.
Step 7
Add top half of sliders, add to 9x13 dish (could also build them in the dish instead of a cutting board for easy transfer and slice into individual sliders), and bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes.
LTN Tip: To make it easier to pull your sliders apart, I would cut each slider apart once you are done building them up and prior to baking. Use a knife and gently cut along each pre-cut groove, being sure to each the bottom of the pan, to separate the sliders.
Swaps & Substitutions:
There are plenty of ways to serve this recipe exactly the way you like it including:
Change the protein: Change up your protein by simply swapping the shredded chicken for shredded pork or beef!
Simplify your BBQ sauce mixture: I like to add the tomato soup, apple cider vinegar, and brown sugar to the BBQ sauce because they add a nice tang but you could simplify that part of the recipe by simply using your favorite BBQ sauce.
Change your slider bread: I love to use the original Hawaiian rolls but you could also make this recipe on slider burger buns or pretzel buns.
Swap your toppings: Add your own favorites! One delicious addition to this recipe would be to pile it high with a crunchy coleslaw after your sliders are finished baking.
And more!
Recipe FAQ:
How far in advance can I make these chicken sliders?
Due to the saucy nature of the chicken, these sliders are best made when you’re ready to serve them. Otherwise, your lower bun could become soggy and no-one wants a soggy slider.
What cooked chicken should I use?
I cooked 2 chicken breasts in the crockpot on high for 2-3 hours and then shredded them once they reached an internal temperature of 165. You could also use canned chicken or rotisserie chicken.
Can this recipe be made with chicken thighs?
It can! If you prefer cooked chicken thighs to the cooked and shredded chicken, simply toss your chicken thighs in the tangy BBQ sauce mixture and add to each individual slider bun.
Help! I can’t get my sliders apart!
These sliders will have quite a few overlapping ingredients that could get a bit messy when you pull the sliders apart. To help with this, I recommend cutting each individual slider apart prior to baking so that they are ready to serve.
Need more appetizer ideas?
BBQ Chicken Sliders
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9x13 baking dish with non stick spray.
- Add your BBQ sauce, tomato soup, brown sugar, and apple cider vinegar to a large bowl and mix until well combined. Add your chicken to the BBQ sauce mixture and stir until coated.
- Keeping your 12 Hawaiian rolls together, press down on your Hawaiian rolls and carefully slice them half horizontally, separating them into top and bottom. Place the bottom half into your 9x13 baking dish.
- Layer your chicken onto the bottom half of your rolls then evenly sprinkle on your red onion, jalapeños, cilantro, and then cheese.
- Place your top half of the Hawaiian rolls over the cheese. Optional, but for ease of pulling apart the sliders in the future, you may now gently cut between the pre-made lines of each roll so that they form individual sliders.
- Bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes or until your cheese is melted and meat is warmed through. Serve warm and enjoy!
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Hey! I’m Lauren
I’m a Registered Dietitian and busy toddler mom committed to bringing you delicious, nutritious, and easy-to-make recipes!