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Need an easy party appetizer that everyone will love? Make these BBQ Chicken Sliders! Made with fluffy Hawaiian rolls, BBQ sauce and cheese, these sliders are also an easy dinner idea.

Hand grabbing a slider from the batch on the baking sheet.

Sliders check all the boxes as one of the best party foods. They’re quick and easy to make, you can eat them with your hands (no utensils required!) and everyone loves them. I also make this chicken sliders recipe often when I need an easy dinner idea for my family. It’s a great way to use up leftover cooked chicken and the sliders are hot and ready to serve in just about 30 minutes!

Why You’ll Love These Sliders

  • Game day favorite. Add these pull apart sliders to your spread of game day snacks.
  • Only 6 ingredients. I love recipes with short ingredient lists and this one is as simple as can be!
  • Feeds a crowd. As written, this recipe makes 12 sliders, but you can easily double or even triple the recipe to feed more people.
Chicken sliders stacked on a plate.

Chicken Sliders Ingredients

  • Hawaiian Rolls: Or use any small rolls, like these dinner rolls.
  • Shredded Chicken: You’ll need 2 cups of shredded, cooked chicken for this recipe. See my tips below for how to cook shredded chicken, or grab a rotisserie chicken from the store to save time.
  • BBQ Sauce: Use your favorite store-bought sauce or make this Homemade BBQ Sauce recipe.
  • Red Onion: Thinly sliced red onion mellows in the oven for delicious mild sweet onion flavor.
  • Cheese: Use sharp cheddar, pepper jack or Monterey jack.
  • Melted Butter: For brushing on the tops of the sliders. The butter adds flavor and helps the rolls to brown in the oven.

Find the full printable recipe with ingredient amounts below.

How to Make Chicken Sliders

Slice the rolls in half.

Mix together the shredded chicken and BBQ sauce.

BBQ sauce and shredded chicken in a bowl next to halved Hawaiian rolls.

Assemble the sliders. Spread the BBQ chicken in an even layer over the bottom halves of the rolls. Drizzle on more BBQ sauce, then top with red onion and shredded cheese. Place the top buns on the sandwiches.

Brush the tops of the rolls with melted butter.

Bake. Loosely cover the sliders with foil and bake for 12 minutes. Uncover and bake for 5 more minutes, until cheese is melted and buns are toasted. Then serve and enjoy!

Ways to Make the Shredded Chicken

There are lots of options for making the cooked shredded chicken for this recipe:

Once the chicken is cooked, use one of these 3 easy methods for How to Shred Chicken to shred it.

What to Serve with Sliders

When I’m making these chicken sliders for dinner, I like to round out the meal with a few of these easy side dishes:

To Store and Reheat

Leftover sliders can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. To reheat, place on a baking sheet, cover with foil and bake at 350° F for 15-20 minutes, until hot throughout.

Close up of stacked chicken sliders.

More Appetizer Recipes

Hand grabbing a slider from the batch on the baking sheet.

BBQ Chicken Sliders

Servings: 12 sliders
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 17 minutes
Total Time: 32 minutes
This easy Chicken Sliders recipe is a family favorite, perfect for a quick dinner or party appetizer. Soft Hawaiian rolls are stuffed with shredded chicken, BBQ sauce and cheese and then baked until hot and melty.

Ingredients

  • 12 slider rolls, such as Hawaiian sweet rolls
  • 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
  • ½ cup BBQ sauce, plus more for drizzling
  • ½ small red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, or pepper jack or Monterey jack
  • 1 tablespoon butter, melted

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Keeping the rolls attached together, carefully slice the rolls in half and place the bottom halves on the prepared baking sheet; set tops aside.
  • In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the shredded chicken and BBQ sauce.
  • Spread the BBQ chicken in an even layer over the bottom halves of the rolls. Drizzle with additional BBQ sauce, if desired. Add your desired amount of sliced red onion, spreading it out evenly. Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the top of the chicken and onions. Place top buns on sandwiches.
  • Brush the tops of the rolls with the melted butter.
  • Loosely cover with foil and bake for 12 minutes. Uncover and bake for 5 more minutes, until cheese is melted and buns are toasted.
  • Cut sliders apart before serving, using either a sharp knife or kitchen scissors.

Notes

  • Leftover sliders can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. To reheat, place on a baking sheet, cover with foil and bake at 350° F for 15-20 minutes, until hot throughout.
Serving: 1slider, Calories: 197kcal, Carbohydrates: 20g, Protein: 11g, Fat: 8g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 39mg, Sodium: 294mg, Potassium: 95mg, Fiber: 0.2g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 160IU, Vitamin C: 0.4mg, Calcium: 75mg, Iron: 0.4mg
Nutrition information is an estimate.
Cuisine: American
Course: Appetizer, Main Course
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