BBQ Chicken Sliders: Ready in 30 Minutes

Sliders are fun to eat, especially when sweet, sticky barbecue sauce is in play. These BBQ chicken sliders are a super party favor and easy to prepare in all four seasons.

Read on for the details on what to expect and ingredients, plus tips to ensure people will keep raving about your chicken sliders long after they’re looking the sauce off their fingers. Full instructions are in the recipe card below.

BBQ chicken sliders: What to expect

• Taste: Barbecue sauce takes the reins here. Cool, herby ranch adds zing.
• Texture: With grilled chicken, toasted slider buns, and some romaine lettuce, this dish starts with a crunch and ends with the satisfying softness of shredded chicken.
• Foolproof factor: BBQ chicken sliders are foolproof if you have a meat thermometer for the chicken. See the tips section below if you don’t have a meat thermometer.
• Timing: If you’re efficient in the kitchen, you can have these ready in about 30 minutes or less.  

Slider ingredients and how to use them

You need a total of seven ingredients for BBQ chicken sliders. Even better, you may have most of these ingredients on hand already.

• Boneless, skinless chicken breast: Two large boneless, skinless chicken breasts should provide you with roughly 2 lb. of meat.You don’t have to be exact here. Sliders are forgiving — stuff them tall if you have a lot of chicken or make low-profile sliders if you have less chicken.
• BBQ sauce: One-half cup of BBQ sauce does the trick. Choose whatever flavor you like in large doses. Spicey or sweet works.
• Sliced provolone cheese: Normal cheese slices are made for sandwiches, not sliders. I like the cheese to fit nicely within the small bun, so I will carve a smaller circle out from an average cheese slice. You could also cut a cheese slice into quarters and place two quarters on each slider. Mozzarella also works for this recipe if you don’t want provolone.
• Slider buns: You should get eight to 10 slider portions from this recipe, so buy a 12-pack of buns.
• Butter: Butter coats the buns before you toast them. You could skip this step and omit the butter entirely or you could substitute olive oil instead.
• Ranch dressing: Bottled ranch or homemade works equally well.
• Lettuce: One leaf of romaine lettuce torn into pieces will do the trick. You could also use iceberg or green leaf. Or, if you don’t like cold ingredients on a hot sandwich, skip the lettuce.  

Equipment needed for BBQ chicken sliders

You will need a BBQ or a stovetop grill pan to cook the chicken, plus two forks to shred the chicken. A meat thermometer is also useful, but not necessary.

Tips for success

The only point of possible failure in this recipe is cooking the chicken for too long or not long enough. A meat thermometer is the simplest solution. It’ll tell you when the thickest part of your breast reaches a safe temperature of 165°F or 74°C.

If you don’t have a meat thermometer, you can:

• Cook the chicken breast for 9 minutes per side, let it rest of three minutes, then check for doneness.
• Pound the chicken so it’s an even thickness. A thinner piece will cook faster, probably in 6 or 7 minutes per side. To pound chicken, place it between two pieces of wax paper, parchment paper, or plastic wrap. Then start pounding with a mallet or something else solid (like a rolling pin).
• Cut the chicken into strips first and then cook it. You can then cut open a strip to ensure doneness without losing all the juices from an entire breast.  

More party recipes

Sliders are a mainstay on Super Bowl party menus. Round out your party menu with these favorite party dishes:

• Chicken bruschetta
• Grilled jerk chicken wings
• Doritos chicken nachos
• Chili’s salsa
• Chocolate chip peanut butter cookies

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