This Chili’s Big Mouth Bites Copycat Recipe is to Die For

If you need a hearty recipe for the pickiest of slider fanatics, Chili’s Big Mouth Bites could be the answer. The highlights of the ingredient list pretty much tell the story: ground beef, bacon, onion, jalapeno ranch, and American cheese. Yep, that makes for one rich, gooey, hearty, and slightly spicy slider.

Note that Big Mouth is a registered trademark of Chili’s. And, although BlogChef first published this copycat recipe in 2013, this appetizer is still on Chili’s menu — included with the Triple Dipper appetizer.

Why make Chili’s Big Mouth Bites?

Make these because they’re delicious and filling. And you’re not able or willing to head into a Chili’s restaurant to snack on the real deal.

These gooey sliders are a fun party favor, too. Serve them on game days or for a hungry crowd. You’re guaranteed to get compliments on your cooking prowess. If you want to go for the full Chili’s experience, serve these with chips and Chili’s salsa.

Ingredients for Chili’s Big Mouth Bites

Here’s what you need to make these sliders:

• 1 lb. ground beef
• 7 slider buns (or dinner rolls)
• Butter (for spreading)
• Salt and pepper
• Sliced American cheese (cut into 4 squares)
• 4 pieces of bacon, cut into small pieces
• 1/4 medium onion, diced
• 2/3 cup ranch dressing
• 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, minced
• 1/4 cup pickled jalapeno, chopped OR 1-2 tablespoons chopped green chile
• 1 Roma tomato, chopped

If you don’t have prepared ranch dressing on hand, you can make your own. Mix 2/3 mayo with 1 teaspoon each of salt, lemon juice, dried mustard, dried parsley, dried dill, and a pinch of garlic powder. Taste and add more dill and parsley as needed.

And if you don’t have pickled jalapeno, use any moderately spiced chile or even dried chile powder. (I live in New Mexico and always have roasted green chiles on hand, so I regularly swap them in for other chiles in recipes. If you’re not sure of the substitution amount, start small and add more to taste.) Or, if you don’t like spicy food, skip the jalapeno entirely!  

How to make Chili’s Big Mouth Bites

1. Make the jalapeno ranch dressing

Start by chopping up a tablespoon of cilantro, a Roma tomato, and whatever chile you’re using. Add 2/3 cup ranch dressing to a small bowl, then mix in the cilantro, tomato, and chile. I like having the tomato chunks intact, so I will combine these ingredients by mixing with a spoon.

If you prefer a smooth sauce texture, though, you can process the ingredients in a blender.

Cover the dressing and refrigerate while you continue prepping the sliders.

2. Form the sliders  

Form the ground beef into seven patties. You can use a one-quarter cup measurer to form the patty, but you’ll have to smush them by hand to get the thickness right. Aim for ¾ of an inch. I left mine a little too thick and they cooked down to be a tad small for my slider buns.

Crack some salt and pepper over each side of your patties.

3. Cook onion and bacon

Chop up one-quarter of a white onion and slice the bacon on the short side into small strips.

Place a skillet large enough to cook your sliders over medium-high heat. Add the bacon and fry it up until it’s crispy. Remove the bacon pieces with a slotted spoon and let them drain on paper towels.

Turn the heat down slightly and then toss the onions into the same skillet with the bacon grease. Sauté until tender. Remove those with a slotted spoon to a small bowl.

4. Fry the patties

Check the amount of oil left in your skillet after cooking the bacon and onion. If it’s more than 1 tablespoon, drain some off. Then return the skillet to medium-high heat and add your slider patties.

Use a splatter screen if you have one. Otherwise you’ll have oil splatter everywhere.

The patties should take about 5 minutes per side to cook but use a meat thermometer to verify they’re done. The target temperature is 160°F or 71°C.

While the patties fry, get two slices of American cheese and cut each into four squares. When the patties are almost at your desired temperature, add two squares of cheese on each patty. Place a lid on the skillet and let that cheese melt.

5. Toast slider buns

Spread softened butter on the slider buns. Place them face down in a large skillet over medium heat. Let them toast to your preference, then flip and repeat.

6. Assemble the sliders

To build Chili’s Big Mouth Bites, spread a layer of the jalapeno ranch on the inside of the bottom bun. Top that with crispy bacon bits, fried onion, and then the cooked patty. You can optionally add more jalapeno ranch to the inside of the top bun. Top your masterpiece with that top bun and enjoy.  

What to serve with Chili’s Big Mouth Bites

If these sliders are the headliner of your dinner menu, you probably want a side dish or two. I like them with something simple like sauteed cauliflower seasoned with salt and pepper. But there are many other options, such as:

• French fries or sweet potato fries
• Onion rings
• Coleslaw
• Pickles
• Grilled vegetables
• Green salad with vinaigrette
• Chips and salsa

You could also go full-on Triple Dipper and serve these sliders alongside boneless wings and Southwest eggrolls.

As for drink pairings, you can’t go wrong with a cold, easy-drinking beer.

Here are a few more copycat recipes you might like:

• Chili’s queso recipe
• Chili’s salsa recipe
• KFC Georgia Gold chicken recipe
• KFC Twisters
• Applebee’s queso dip
• Applebee’s Asian chicken roll-up