Easy Barbecue Chicken Sliders

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These Easy Barbecue Chicken Sliders are perfect for easy dinners or parties and only require chicken, bbq sauce, cheese, and Hawaiian rolls or slider buns.

BBQ Chicken Sliders recipe

There are all types of chicken sliders, but I have to say that Easy Barbecue Chicken Sliders are the best sliders recipe and are at the top of the “dinner favorites list” at our house.

I love how fast and simple these slider sandwiches are to assemble ahead and bake later, making them the perfect sliders for a party appetizer.

Start to finish, you can have a big pan of sliders on the table in less than 30 minutes.

And no matter where you take them, sliders are always well received – everybody loves sliders!

These BBQ chicken sliders are also easily transported out the door for meals on the go.

Easy Barbecue Chicken Sliders ingredients

• Cooked shredded or chopped chicken: You can use the meat from a rotisserie chicken or leftover grilled chicken or even cooked chicken breasts made in your Instant Pot. I also like to use the cooked meat from boneless, skinless chicken thighs since it comes out especially juicy and tender.
  
• French fried onions: Yep, just like what you put on top of green bean casserole!
  
• Your favorite barbecue sauce: Just use what you have on hand. You can also use sugar-free bbq sauce in this recipe – it works great.
  
• Shredded cheddar: We like sharp cheddar, but you can use your medium or mild, too.
  
• Hawaiian rolls: Or use regular slider buns. If you can’t find Hawaiian rolls or slider buns (sometimes the store runs out!), you can also just use smaller hamburger buns in a pinch.
  
• Melted butter: this makes the top of the rolls nice and shiny, plus they get crispy on top, too, if you remove the foil while the sliders bake.
  
• Sesame seeds: These are just as a garnish and are completely optional, but pretty.

How to make BBQ chicken sliders

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place the chicken, French fried onions, and 1 1/2 cups of the barbecue sauce into a large, deep skillet over medium heat.

Combine all the ingredients, gently stirring until the chicken is well coated with the barbecue sauce.

Bring to a high simmer and cook for 1-2 minutes.

Meanwhile, use a serrated knife to slice the sheet of Hawaiian rolls in half, so there is a top and a bottom.

Place the bottom sheet of the rolls into a greased 9×13-inch pan, then top with the prepared chicken mixture in the skillet.

Drizzle the remaining 1/2 cup of barbecue sauce over the top of the chicken.

Sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly over the chicken layer.

You can vary this recipe by changing up the type of shredded cheese you use.

We have made these sliders with shredded mozzarella and also with shredded smoked gouda.

Once, we didn’t have any shredded cheese on hand, so I used sliced provolone in a pinch – it worked great.

If you want your sliders to be especially “cheesy”, double the amount of shredded cheese you use.

You can also substitute very thinly sliced red onions for the French fried onions, if preferred.

Using a peeler to slice the red onion is an easy way to get them super thin.

Add the top sheet of Hawaiian rolls; using a silicone pastry brush, brush the rolls with melted butter.

If using, garnish with sesame seeds.

Cover the pan with foil and bake the sliders for 15-20 minutes, or until hot throughout.

Uncover the sliders and let them rest for 5 minutes before serving at once.

What goes with BBQ chicken sliders?

We really enjoy potato salad and slaw with sliders, and my sons like mac and cheese, no matter the time of year.

Corn salad with Fritos is really good alongside chicken sliders, too! Sometimes we make potato wedges in the oven or air fryer.

We also love Baked Beans from Scratch.

What to put on chicken sliders?

Because the melted cheese makes it hard to pull apart the buns of a warm slider, you can serve Ranch dressing or even additional bbq sauce on the side for dipping the sliders. Get saucy!

If you can get the top bun off the sliders, some people (like me!) enjoy coleslaw added on top of the chicken and cheese – the flavor combination is really good and the coleslaw adds good crunch.

Cooked, crumbled bacon would also be delicious sprinkled over the top of the baked chicken sliders as a garnish with the sesame seeds.

Can you use rotisserie chicken to make bbq chicken sliders?

You sure can and it makes this recipe even easier and faster.

Just pull the cooked meat from the rotisserie chicken (this is easier to do when the chicken is still warm, btw) then shred it with your fingers or chop it with a knife on your cutting board.

How much chicken meat will you get from a rotisserie chicken?

On average, one rotisserie chicken will yield about 3 1/2 – 4 cups of chicken once it is pulled from the carcass and bones.

How to reheat sliders

Reheat them wrapped in a paper towel in the microwave for a few seconds.

Or, reheat the sliders at 300 degrees F. in the air fryer for a few minutes if you want a crispy exterior – so yummy.

Sliders keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days.

More favorite slider recipes

Whether you’re hungry for a speedy weeknight meal or a tasty game-day bite, these Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Sliders are easy to make and take only a few ingredients.

Bacon Cheeseburger Sliders are made with savory Hawaiian Rolls in the oven and are perfect for tailgating, the big game, or any party or family gathering.

Beef Tenderloin Sliders are mouth-watering on sweet Hawaiian slider buns with tender caramelized red onions, zesty horseradish sauce, and melted cheese.