BBQ Chicken Sliders

Our BBQ chicken sliders are a delectable blend of tender shredded chicken, smoky barbecue sauce, and soft slider buns topped with crisp red onions, creating a crowd-pleasing snack or meal.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Appetizer, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: BBQ Chicken Sliders Recipe

Servings:

Calories: 307kcal

Ingredients

2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and shredded (this will yield approximately 3 to 3½ cups)
1¼ cups bottled barbecue sauce
15 ounces slider sized buns (12 buns)
⅓ cup red onions, very thinly sliced

Optional Toppings for Hot Sliders

6 sandwich slices mild cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh parsley, optional garnish

Optional Toppings for Cold Sliders

2 cups shredded coleslaw blend (cabbage, carrots, and red cabbage)
½ cup coleslaw dressing
24 dill pickle sandwich slices, patted dry

Instructions

In a mixing bowl, add the cooked and shredded chicken along with the barbecue sauce. Stir to evenly coat the chicken with the sauce. Be sure not to break up your chicken too much. You still want some larger, bite-sized pieces to remain.
Place the bottom half of the 12 slider buns (reserving the tops) into the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.
Spread the barbecue sauce-coated chicken in an even layer over the bottom slider buns in the baking dish.
Sprinkle the thinly sliced red onions evenly over the chicken.

Hot Sliders

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place the slices of mild cheddar cheese over the entire surface of the onions and BBQ chicken.
Place the tops onto all the BBQ chicken sliders and brush the tops with the melted butter. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the buns are lightly toasted.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle the tops with the finely chopped parsley, if desired, before slicing the sliders into single servings.

Cold Sliders

In a separate mixing bowl, stir together the shredded coleslaw blend with the coleslaw dressing until the shredded vegetables are evenly coated with the dressing.
To assemble the BBQ chicken sliders add a scoop of the coleslaw mixture to the bbq chicken, next top with a few slices of the thinly sliced red onions, followed by adding two dill pickle slices onto the top of the onion slices. Lastly, top the assembled sliders with the top portion of the slider buns and serve.

Notes

There are a number of ways to cook your boneless skinless chicken breast. I cooked mine in an Instant Pot with one cup of chicken stock, according to the manual instructions (eight minutes on pressure cook) for my brand Instant Pot, then shred it with two forks. You can bake or boil your chicken as well.
Depending on the brand of slider rolls, you may need to use a sharp, serrated knife to slice them in half to remove the tops. Some brands come pre-sliced either fully or partially.
If your red onion is on the larger side, you may want to cut your larger rings into halves or quarters. You want to be able to evenly distribute the very thinly sliced red onion over the BBQ chicken.

Nutrition