Baked BBQ Chicken Sliders

There’s something about sliders that just makes people happy. Maybe it’s the size, maybe it’s the way they remind us of backyard cookouts and Friday night football games. Either way, these BBQ chicken sliders are one of my favorite recipes for when I’m having people over for a meal but I want to it to stay super-casual.

What I love about these is the layering of flavors and textures. You’ve got tender shredded chicken swimming in your favorite BBQ sauce, melty pockets of cheddar cheese, and soft brioche buns brushed with garlic butter. Then right before serving, you pile on a cool, crisp coleslaw that gives you a nice crunch in every bite.

What You’ll Need

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Coleslaw

• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• 1½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• ½ tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup shredded red cabbage, any cabbage works, red is just pretty
• 1 cup shredded carrots

For the chicken filling

• 2½ cups shredded, cooked chicken, rotisserie chicken is perfect here
• 1 cup BBQ sauce, homemade barbecue sauce is of course delicious, but store-bought works just fine.
• ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese, cheese you grate yourself melts better than pre-shredded

Assembly and Topping

• 1 package (12-count) brioche slider rolls or Hawaiian rolls
• 2 tablespoons salted butter, melted
• 1 clove garlic, grated (about 1 teaspoon), or ½ teaspoon garlic powder in a pinch
• 1 tablespoon chopped green onions

Instructions

Make the Coleslaw First

Go ahead and make your coleslaw before you do anything else.

Whisk together the mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper, then toss in your cabbage and carrots until everything is well coated.

Pop it in the refrigerator while you work on the rest. This gives the flavors time to combine and the cabbage time to soften just a bit.

Preheat and Prep Your Pan

Get your oven heating to 350°F and spray your 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray. If you don’t have cooking spray, you can line the dish with parchment paper or brush it lightly with oil. Don’t skip this step…there’s nothing worse than your sliders sticking to the bottom of the pan and falling apart when you try to serve them.

Mix the Chicken Filling

In a large bowl, stir together your shredded chicken, BBQ sauce, and cheddar cheese. That’s it!

If you’re using rotisserie chicken, this whole recipe comes together in minutes.

Assemble the Sliders

Here’s the trick: don’t separate your rolls. Slice the whole package in half horizontally so you have one big top piece and one big bottom piece.

Lay the bottom half in your prepared baking dish, spread the chicken mixture evenly over it, and place the top half of the rolls on top. You’ll cut them into individual sliders after baking.

Bake Covered

Cover the dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes.

The foil is doing important work here. It traps steam so the chicken heats through and the cheese melts without the tops of your buns drying out or browning too quickly.

Add the Butter and Finish

While the sliders bake, stir together your melted butter, garlic, and green onions.

When the timer goes off, remove the foil, brush the tops of the buns with the butter mixture, and put them back in the oven uncovered for another 5 minutes. This is what gives them that golden, garlicky finish.

Top with Coleslaw and Serve

Pull the sliders out of the oven and lift off the top layer of buns. Add a generous layer of that coleslaw you made earlier, replace the top, and slice into individual sliders.

They’re delicious warm or at room temperature, which makes them perfect for parties where food sits out for a while.

Storage Instructions

• Storing Leftovers: Leftover sliders will keep in the refrigerator for about 3 days. To reheat, place them in an ovenproof dish and bake at 350°F for about 10 minutes, or microwave for a minute or two.
• Making Ahead: Youcan make the BBQ chicken mixture a day or two ahead and store it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to assemble. I’d wait to make the coleslaw and assemble the sliders until the day you plan to serve them—the buns will get soggy if they sit too long.
• Freezing: The chicken mixture freezes beautifully for up to 3 months. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator, then assemble and bake as usual. I wouldn’t recommend freezing the assembled sliders or the coleslaw.

Serving Ideas

Simple Variations to Try

• Switch up the cheese. Pepper jack adds a little heat, smoked gouda leans into that BBQ flavor, or skip it altogether if you’re feeding someone who doesn’t do dairy.
• Try a different sauce. Swap the BBQ sauce for buffalo sauce and top with blue cheese crumbles and a drizzle of ranch instead of coleslaw. Same method, completely different slider.
• Make it with pork. Pulled pork works just as well as chicken here if that’s what you have on hand or what’s on sale.

If you’re a sandwich lover like myself, try my other favorites: pulled beef sliders with caramelized onions and chicken artichoke sliders.

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