Chicken Parmesan Sliders

close up shot of a Chicken Parmesan Slider on a plate

Indulge in the savory delight of chicken parmesan sliders, where crispy chicken, zesty marinara sauce, and melted cheese come together in a perfect bite-sized package, ideal for any occasion.

Prep Time25

Cook Time13

Total Time38

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Chicken Parmesan Sliders Recipe

Servings: sliders

Calories: 290kcal

Ingredients

2.5 pounds bagged frozen Southern-style chicken breast tenderloins, prepared according to package directions
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
15 ounces slider-sized buns (12-count)
1¼ cups jarred marinara sauce
6 slices mozzarella cheese (sandwich-sized slices)
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
½ teaspoon garlic salt
½ teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1½ tablespoons parmesan cheese, grated

Instructions

Prepare the southern-style chicken breast tenderloins according to the package directions (Heat on a baking sheet in a 425°F conventional oven for 18-20 minutes for the brand I used).
Place the bottom halves of the slider buns into a 9x13 baking pan. Using a pastry brush, brush the tops with 1 tablespoon melted butter. Turn the buns upside down (bottoms up) and bake for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set the oven temperature to 350°F.
Turn the buns back to the bottom side down. Spread about ⅓ of the marinara sauce over the bottom slider buns.
Arrange the chicken breast tenderloins into a solid layer across the surface of the sauce-covered slider buns. You may not be able to fit all the pieces of chicken tenderloins onto the buns, but you should cover as much of the surface as you can.
Top the chicken with the remaining marinara sauce. Place the slices of mozzarella cheese in a single layer covering all the chicken. Place the tops of the slider buns onto the top of your chicken parmesan sliders.
In a small bowl, stir together the melted butter, garlic salt, and dried parsley flakes. Brush the tops of the slider buns with half the melted butter. You will reserve the remaining melted butter mixture.
Bake for 13-15 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the tops of the slider buns are lightly toasted.
Remove the chicken parmesan sliders from the oven, brush the tops of the buns with the remaining melted butter mixture, and garnish with a sprinkle of the grated parmesan cheese over the tops of all the slider buns.
Slice the chicken parmesan sliders into 12 individual servings.

Notes

You can substitute breaded chicken breast patties (prepared according to package directions). I have made these with chicken nuggets, but the nuggets are a bit too small for the size of slider buns. I like to use the wider, flatter, breaded chicken breast tenderloins as they cover more of the surface area of the slider buns.
You may find that you can not fit all the pieces of the chicken tenderloins onto your sliders. Sometimes I find that all the pieces are not a uniform shape, or size, so I will place the frozen chicken breast tenderloin pieces into the 9x13 pan to get the exact amount of chicken I need to heat up before assembling the rest of my recipe. This will ensure that you do not warm through too many pieces, and you can place the remaining pieces back into the freezer to save for a later time.
You can substitute sandwich sliced provolone cheese for the sliced mozzarella cheese. If you can not find it pre-packaged, you can get the slices from the deli counter at your grocery store.
You can substitute the Italian seasoning blend for the dried parsley flakes. If you do not have garlic salt, you can use ¼ teaspoon garlic powder and ¼ teaspoon salt as a substitution in your butter mixture. If using salted butter, omit the salt and use ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder.

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