Barbecue Chicken Sliders are bursting with shredded chicken tossed in a smoky-sweet barbecue sauce and topped with gooey melted cheese on tender buttery Hawaiian rolls.
Chicken sliders is an easy, crowd-pleasing recipe that is perfect for game day, backyard gatherings, parties or a quick and easy weeknight dinner.
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Chicken Sliders
Made with shredded rotisserie chicken and tossed in my homemade barbecue sauce and BBQ seasoning, these sliders are simple to make and oh so flavorful.
Each ingredient lends flavor and texture to every bite.
I love serving these bite size sandwiches when we are watching the big game or a movie and people love them when served as a party appetizer.
You can easily double the recipe to serve a crowd and they can even be prepped ahead making entertaining easy on the cook.
BBQ Chicken Sliders are an easy go-to recipe making them the perfect party food, ideal for potlucks and easy to serve on those busy weeknights when you crave comfort food with minimal effort.
Bold flavor, saucy chicken and cheesy goodness on tender rolls, what more could you ask for? A perfect combination!
Chicken sliders with Hawaiian rolls is guaranteed to satisfy your barbecue cravings in a bite-sized serving.
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How to make easy chicken sliders
This is a quick overview of how to make this pulled barbecue chicken sliders recipe. Scroll down for the full recipe instructions and ingredient amounts in the recipe card below
- Step 1: Combine shredded chicken, barbecue sauce and BBQ seasoning, stirring until evenly coated
- Step 2: Spread the chicken mixturre over the slider roll bottoms
- Step 3: Top with cheddar cheese, red onion and cilantro
- Step 4: Top with roll tops and brush with melted butter. Bake, covered with foil for 15 minutes, then uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the rolls are toasted and the sliders are heated through
Hint: You can use Hawaiian rolls or mini hamburger rolls
Expert recipe tips
- Even Layering - Spread the chicken mixture evenly and make sure the cheese covers the chicken filling completely for cheesy goodness in every bite.
- Make Ahead – You can assemble the sliders up to a day in advance, cover and refrigerate. Bake when ready to serve.
- Toasting Tip - For extra crispiness, toast the bottom halves of the rolls before topping with the chicken mixture.
Substitutions
- Chicken – You can make this recipe with shredded turkey or pulled pork in place of chicken
- Rotisserie Chicken – Use leftover chicken or cook chicken breasts or chicken thighs, shred and use in place of rotisserie chicken
- Cheese - For different melting textures and flavors you can substitute mozzarella cheese, provolone cheese or pepper jack cheese for the cheddar
- Rolls - Any slider buns or dinner rolls work as a substitute for Hawaiian rolls, however, you won’t get the touch of sweetness that Hawaiian rolls have
- Barbecue Sauce – I prefer to use homemade barbecue sauce but you can use a storebought bbq sauce. Make the sliders with your favorite barbecue sauce that's sweet, smoky, tangy, or spicy!
- Sauce Flavor – Change up the flavor profile and replace barbecue sauce with buffalo sauce, teriyaki sauce or honey mustard sauce.
- Red Onion - Sweet onion or yellow onion can replace red onion
- Cilantro - Not a fan of cilantro? Parsley can be used in its place
Variations
- Spicy - Stir diced jalapeños, a dash of hot sauce or a pinch of red pepper flakes into the BBQ chicken mixture.
- Bacon - Add crumbled cooked bacon in between the chicken and cheese layers.
- Bacon Ranch Sliders - Add crumbled cooked bacon in between the chicken and cheese layers and replace the barbecue sauce with ranch dressing.
- Coleslaw – Make it southern style andadd a spoonful of coleslaw before erving for added crunch and texture
- Buffalo Chicken Sliders - Replace the barbecue sauce with buffalo sauce and use crumbled blue cheese instead of cheddar cheese
- Chipotle – Add a dollop of chipotle mayo on top of the cheese layer
- Southern - Add pickle slices and cole slaw on top of the cheese layer before serving
Storage
- Refrigerate - Store leftover sliders in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheat – Wrap leftover sliders in aluminum foil and reheat in a 350°F oven for 10-15 minutes or until heated through.
- Freeze – You can wrap sliders individually in foil and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating as instructed above.
Ingredients
Ingredients for rotisserie chicken sliders
- Shredded Chicken – I love to use rotisserie chicken because it is so convenient and its tender texture soaks up the BBQ sauce beautifully.
- Barbecue Sauce – My homemade barbecue sauce is the perfect balance of flavors and easy to make too
- BBQ Seasoning – This spice blend adds an extra layer of smoky, savory depth to the flavorful sauce
- Cheddar Cheese - Melts smoothly with a mild, buttery flavor that complements the bold barbecue flavor
- Hawaiian Rolls - These slightly sweet, fluffy rolls are ideal for sliders, holding up well to the filling while adding a hint of sweetness.
- Melted Butter - Brushed on top of the rolls, melted butter adds a golden, irresistible finish and flavor.
- Red Onion - Adds a savory note with a touch of sweetness
- Cilantro - Cilantro adds a fresh herbal finish to the sliders
Slider Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
What to serve with chicken sliders
Barbecue Chicken Sliders Recipe
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Ingredients
- 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
- 3/4 cup barbecue sauce
- 1 Tablespoon BBQ rub seasoning
- 12 Hawaiian sweet rolls
- 6 slices cheddar cheese halved
- 2 Tablespoons melted butter
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
- 2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro
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Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the shredded chicken, BBQ rub seasoning and barbecue sauce, tossing until the chicken is evenly coated.
- Split the slider buns and arrange the bottoms on a baking sheet.
- Layer the chicken mixture over the bun bottoms and top each with a half slice of cheese.
- Arrange red onion over the cheese and sprinkle with chopped cilantro.
- Place the top half of the rolls over the filling and brush the tops with melted butter.
- Bake, covered with foil for 15 minutes, then uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until the rolls are toasted and the sliders are heated through
- Serve warm with your favorite sauce if desired.
I loved that these were super quick to make with easy to find ingredients, but they came out tasting entirely homemade. I used Costco's rotisserie chicken. The tip for brushing the tops of the buns with butter was super helpful! I'll be doing that with all my burgers and sliders from now on.
Hi Jen, So happy to hear that you enjoyed the recipe. Enjoy!