BBQ Chicken Sliders

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These BBQ Chicken Sliders are so delicious and easy to make with just 8 ingredients. Perfect for serving a crowd at aa party, picnic, or tailgate, they’re melty and cheesy, the perfect individual bite!

Sliders are a fan favorite in our family, we love them as an appetizer or main course for any party, tailgate, picnic, or even weeknight meal! These BBQ Chicken Sliders are highly requested at every tailgate by our family and friends and easy to cook in about an hour.

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With just 8 simple ingredients, you can have an easy these easy chicken sliders on the table in no time. We use rotisserie chicken to cut down on the prep time, leftover chicken works great too. The filling is piled on top of sweet Hawaiian rolls, with our favorite store-bought barbecue sauce and lots of cheese, of course.

If you love a good slider, you must try our other fan favorite recipes! Hot Brown Sliders, Asian Pulled Pork Sliders, and Roast Beef Sliders are three of the most popular on Dinner in 321!

Very easy to prepare. My family loves them. Great as an appetizer, lunch or dinner option with other sides you have suggested. Thank you for sharing this recipe. -Jackie

Table of Contents

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

8-Ingredient Appetizer. These chicken sliders are too easy not to make for a party or picnic. Any cook whether a beginner or expert can make this recipe.
Easy to Customize. Use your favorite bbq sauce, cheese, and toppings to jazz up the shredded chicken sliders. Add different spices to change the flavor too.
Crowd-Pleaser. Everyone always asks for more of these sammies, they’re just so delicious!
Perfect Make-Ahead Recipe. You can assemble them in advance and bake right when the guests arrive.

Laura Ashley’s Tip: Use your favorite store-bought bbq sauce for this recipe. Add some jalapeños, honey, or spice mixes to change the flavor profiles.

Ingredients

Scroll Down for Ingredient Amounts Listed in the Recipe Card Below

Hawaiian Slider Buns: The bun of buns for sliders. They are truly the best with a hint of sweetness and so soft. We love King’s Hawaiian brand.
Rotisserie Chicken: Makes this recipe so easy and taste homemade! You can also use canned chicken. These sammies are great for leftover chicken too.
Barbecue Sauce: Use your favorite store-bought sauce or whip up an easy homemade recipe if desired.
Colby Jack or Cheddar Cheese: The melty cheese on top! These are our two favorite types, you can use whatever you desire.
Sliced Red Onion: Adds a hint of zing to each bite.
Salted Butter: The gloss for the top of the buns. Mix with a little bit of honey before brushing for the ideal finish.
Honey: Mix with the butter for the perfect shiny, lightly sweet glaze for the top of the rolls.
Toppers: Such as bread and butter pickles, coleslaw, chopped parsley. These are all optional, but great for topping the sandwich!

The ingredients to make barbecue chicken sliders.

How to Make BBQ Chicken Sliders

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Place the bottom halves of the slider buns in a 9″x9″ baking dish.
In a mixing bowl, combine the shredded cooked chicken and barbecue sauce. Stir until the chicken is evenly coated with the sauce.

Mixing together chicken and barbecue sauce.

Spoon the barbecue chicken evenly onto the bottom halves of the slider buns.
Top the chicken with shredded Colby Jack cheese and thinly sliced red onion. Place the top buns on top of the filling.

Adding chicken, cheese and onion to buns in a pan.

In a small bowl, mix together the melted butter and honey. Brush the tops of the slider buns with the butter mixture, ensuring they are evenly coated.

Brushing butter on top of buns in a pan.

Cover with aluminum foil. Bake 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 5-10 minutes or until the buns are toasted and cheese melted.
Garnish the sliders with chopped fresh parsley or bread and butter pickles skewered with a pick, if desired. Serve the sliders hot and enjoy!

Adding a pickle skewer to the top of sliders.

Expert Tips

Add enough cheese to “glue” the sandwich. Be sure to add enough cheese on top of the chicken to make sure the bun adheres well when baked.
Cut the Hawaiian rolls with a serrated knife. If you don’t have pre-cut slider buns at your store, you can also use King’s Hawaiian sweet rolls. Use a serrated knife to cut all of the rolls in half without breaking them apart.
Great for leftover chicken. These pulled chicken sliders are the best way to use up leftover chicken breast.

Storage & Make Ahead

These barbecue chicken sliders should be eaten pretty immediately after baking when they are still warm and the cheese is still gooey. To store any leftovers, simply wrap the sliders in foil and place in the fridge for up to a day.

To reheat the sliders, place in the microwave for a few seconds until warmed through or pop them into a 300ºF in the foil to warm for about 10 minutes.

We don’t recommend freezing these sliders as it compromises the texture.

Variations

There are so many ways to change the flavors of these barbecue chicken sliders to make them your own! Some recommendations we have are:

Fresh or grilled pineapple
Avocado slices
Thinly sliced jalapeno or pickled jalapeno
Pepper Jack cheese
Homemade or store-bought coleslaw
Hot sauce or sriracha
Store-bought fried onions

Frequently Asked Questions

What do you serve with pulled chicken sliders?

We love to serve coleslaw, salad, chips, fries, corn, or any roasted vegetables.

What kind of cheese is good on bbq sandwiches?

We love cheddar, Colby Jack, Monterey Jack, or pepper Jack. You can’t go wrong with any of those!

How do I keep my slider buns from drying out?

Make sure you tent the buns with foil if they are getting too brown in the oven. This will keep the moisture in the bread and prevent them from toasting for too long.