Tangy buffalo sauce and cool Ranch dressing combine to make the perfect sauce for these unforgettable Buffalo Chicken Sliders! Throw in smooth cream cheese, tender shredded chicken and warm melted cheddar piled high on crisp Hawaiian rolls and you have the ideal appetizer for your next game day or party. Serve them with your favorite soup or salad to round your meal with a hearty kick!
If you love Buffalo anything, then you know it’s all about that sauce! And there’s nothing better than spicy, vinegary Buffalo sauce perfectly balanced with a little Ranch and cream cheese. It’s the perfect cool and tangy duo. Perfect for smothering shredded chicken. And perfect for creating little hot sandwiches baked up crisp & golden brown.
What You Need To Make Shredded Buffalo Chicken Sliders
It’s hard to beat a good sandwich, especially one that has a warm, spicy chicken and melted cheese center. Sliders, or small sandwiches on little buns or rolls, are the perfect size for snacking on game day, as a hearty party appetizer or as a hand-held partner for soup or salad.
- rotisserie chicken or 2-3 prepared boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Hawaiian rolls
- buffalo sauce
- Ranch salad dressing (see options for adding bleu cheese below)
- cream cheese
- shredded cheddar cheese
- green onions & dried parsley
What’s the Best Chicken to Use for These Sliders
There are pros and cons to using rotisserie chicken for this recipe. It all depends on what you like. Rotisserie chicken from your local grocery is an A #1 short cut that many people love. The chicken is already prepared, tender, moist and nicely seasoned. All lend itself to a really tasty slider. And it does cut down on the prep time.
However, 3 Cups of chicken usually means using ALL of the chicken, the white AND the dark meat, complete with breaking down and working with a whole chicken. If dark meat or working with a whole chicken isn’t your thing, you might want to consider using boneless, skinless chicken breasts to make this recipe. Boiling the breasts in heavily salted water and shredding them (either with a fork or hand mixer) is an easy all white meat alternative.
How To Make Buffalo Chicken Sliders
Prep the bread. Use a serated bread knife to carefully slice the rolls in half keeping all the tops connected to create a “top slab” and all the bottoms connected to create a “bottom slab.” Working with “slabs” is genuis because it enables you to make one big slider that can be baked, sliced and served instead of having to build 12 individual small sandwiches.
Before moving on to the next steps, place the bottom slab in a 9×13 baking dish and lightly toast it in your oven. This keeps the bottoms of your sliders from being completely soggy when baked.
Mix the chicken. Mix shredded chicken with Buffalo sauce, Ranch dressing and cream cheese. Fold in shredded cheddar and chopped green onions to complete the Buffalo chicken filling.
Assemble. Evenly spread the Buffalo mixture across the toasted bottoms. Make sure to pile it on nice and thick out to very edge. Place the “top slab” on the chicken mixture and very gently press down. Brush tops with extra Ranch dressing. The dressing has plenty of oil in it that will help your tops bake up nice and golden, not to mention all the zesty herbs and spices to make it tasty. Sprinkle with a little dried parsley for extra pizzazz!
Bake. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for 5 minutes more to crisp up those seasoned tops of your sweet Hawaiian rolls.
Buffalo Chicken Sliders & Bleu Cheese
Serve with Bleu Cheese dressing for dipping, if you’re craving that classic combo. Or add bleu cheese crumbles on top of your chicken mixture before you put on the tops! Complete the combo with a side of chips and celery sticks for classic game day eats.
Can these be made ahead?
These gorgeous sammies can be made ahead, frozen and stored for up to 3 months. Just assemble, but leave off Ranch and parsely toppings. When ready to prepare, bring to room temp, brush and sprinkle on toppings and bake as directed!
Leftovers
Leftovers? Never! But if you happen to have a few, reheating in the oven covered in foil is preferrable to the microwave because it keeps the bread nice and crisp.
Other Buffalo Recipes
More Hot Sandwiches You’ll Love
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Shredded Buffalo Chicken Sliders
Ingredients
- 12 ct. Hawaiian rolls
- 3 C shredded chicken (rotisserie or prepared chicken breasts)
- 1/2 C Buffalo sauce
- 1/2 C Ranch salad dressing + 1/4 C to brush on tops
- 4 oz cream cheese, room temp, cut into pats
- 2 C shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/4 C chopped green onion tops
- dried parsley as garnish, if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° degrees Fahrenheit.
- Use a large bread knife to cut the rolls into tops and bottoms, keeping all the tops connected as a slab and all the bottoms connected as a slab. Set tops aside. Place the bottoms in the bottom of a 9×13 pan and toast in oven for 5 minutes.
- In a medium mixing bowl, mix together chicken, buffalo sauce, Ranch dressing, cream cheese. Fold in cheddar cheese and green onion tops. Spread chicken mixture evenly over bottom of rolls.
- Place tops of rolls on top of the chicken mixture. Press down gently. Brush tops with 1/4 C Ranch dressing. Sprinkle with parsley. Cover with foil. Cook in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for 5 more minutes to brown and crisp tops.
