These buffalo chicken sliders are the perfect mini handheld appetizer for parties and game days. Tender shredded chicken tossed in a spicy sauce and baked in a soft roll with melty cheese.

Table of Contents

1. Chicken selection
2. Make buffalo chicken
3. Bread selection
4. Assemble the sliders
5. Bake the buffalo chicken sliders
6. Serve this with
7. Frequently asked questions
8. Buffalo Chicken Sliders Recipe

When you need to feed a hungry crowd, this buffalo chicken sliders recipe will come in handy! They taste like buffalo chicken dip, but in a delicious handheld bun. You can create a big batch on a sheet pan. Tender pieces of chicken are tossed with a creamy, spicy, and tangy hot sauce. Serve in soft and fluffy dinner rolls with three types of melty cheese. It’s sure to be a crowd-pleaser!

Grab a rotisserie chicken from the market to make prep even quicker. For a gathering, you can serve it with dipping sauces and crunchy vegetables. My family loves them as a fun weeknight dinner with crispy potato wedges or sweet potato fries.

Chicken selection

Use leftover meat or store-bought shredded rotisserie chicken for quicker preparation. Shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces. You’ll need 3 cups, about ¼ cup per slider. To make the chicken from scratch, use 1 ½ pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs.

I use my shredded chicken recipe for cooking the pieces quickly. If you purchased thin sliced chicken breasts, try my stovetop method. You can also make the chicken in a slow cooker to yield juicy bites.

Make buffalo chicken

You only need two simple ingredients to make a spicy buffalo sauce; hot sauce and ranch dressing. I use Frank’s RedHot cayenne pepper hot sauce. It’s thicker in consistency than other brands to help cling to the meat. You could also use buffalo sauce.

The wing sauce is thicker than hot sauce and has extra seasonings like butter and garlic powder. Ranch dressing adds a creamy element and tames the fiery hot pepper. Blue cheese dressing can be substituted if you want an extra tangy, aged cheese flavor. Toss the shredded chicken with two sauces, then assemble the sliders.

Bread selection

Use King’s Hawaiian rolls to make for quick and easy assembly. They sell both a classic sweet and a butter flavor; either works well. The slider buns are attached, so it’s less messy when adding the toppings. Twelve rolls come per pack. However, they also sell a nine-pack of pre-sliced slider buns that are slightly wider.

Slice the rolls in half lengthwise, creating a top and bottom that are still stuck together. If using separated rolls, place the bottom halves on the sheet pan tightly.

Assemble the sliders

Place the roll’s bottom half on a foil-lined sheet pan or baking dish. This makes cleaning up a lot easier! To help the slider stick together when picked up, layer the chicken mixture between the shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheese. The bottom cheese layer also helps prevent the bread from becoming soggy.

Sprinkle crumbled blue cheese and sliced green onions on top. The delicate allium flavor from the onions adds a lovely freshness to the sandwich. Add the top rolls, then brush with an herb mixture of melted butter, dried Italian seasoning, salt, and garlic powder. Sesame seeds or everything bagel seasoning can be sprinkled on top instead of the herbs.

Bake the buffalo chicken sliders

Cover and bake in a 350ºF (177ºC) oven for 10 minutes to warm up the rolls and melt the cheese. Uncover to lightly brown the bread’s surface for about 5 minutes. It’s best to serve the sliders while they are hot and melty.

They are delicious straight from the pan! However, you can add extra toppings or serve on the side for guests. My favorites are coleslaw for a refreshing crispness or pickles for an extra sweet and tangy bite in the mini sandwiches.

Serve this with

Frequently asked questions