Need a quick and easy meal or appetizer? Add these Cheesy Chicken Sliders to your menu and watch everyone devour the loaded chicken sliders when you place them on the table. These easy rolls come together quickly with a chicken and veggie mixture, Hawaiian rolls, and lots of gooey cheese.
Now that our kids are older, we enjoy having them help us with dinner. When they were younger, they would help by opening cans and pouring the ingredients into the pots.
Now we have been having them plan and make dinner for us. It's not their favorite thing to do, but we want them to be prepared as they get closer to college age. Each week they give us their dinner idea, and we purchase the ingredients for their meal.
They still have lots of questions on how to do things, but they are getting so much better at reading a recipe and figuring out how to put it together in the right order.
Chicken Sliders
When we made this Cheesy Chicken Pasta a few months ago, one of our kids said the cheese filling would be good in a slider sandwich as well. That’s the beauty of a slider. You can stuff them with just about anything, and they will turn out.
Plus, there is just something about mini food that makes it so much more appealing. Am I right?
What is a slider?
They are small sandwiches filled with different meats and cheeses and baked in the oven until hot and melted. Sliders are so easy to customize with what you have on hand or made into a variety of flavors.
They are also the perfect meal for kids to make. Let them open and dump the cans and then stir the ingredients together.
Recipe Ingredients
These little chicken sliders are simple to make with just a few ingredients. Most of the items will be ones you may have on hand already.
- Hawaiian Rolls - You need 12-15 original rolls for this recipe.
- Butter, flour, garlic, and milk - cooked together makes a great base or roux
- Cheese - a mixture of shredded mozzarella and cheddar gives these rolls a great flavor and texture. Feel free to use your favorite type of shredded cheese.
- Shredded Chicken - canned chicken or shredded rotisserie chicken is great to use because they are already cooked and ready to use
- Diced Tomatoes - use a can that has oregano and seasonings added to it. Regular or tomatoes with green chilis
- Bacon - have this cooked ahead of time
- Spinach - gives the mixture some color and nutrients
- Ranch powder, salt, and pepper - adds flavor
- Melted butter, Worcestershire sauce, sesame seeds - add flavor and texture to the top of the rolls as they bake.
BRUCREW TIP: The cheesy chicken bacon ranch mixture also makes a great crack dip. Try it with some pretzels or crackers. It's delicious!
These chicken sliders taste delicious because the flavors work well together when served on sweet rolls. Best of all, they are perfect for a crowd. Kids and adults will enjoy these hot cheesy sandwiches.
How to make Cheesy Chicken Sliders
- Cut the Hawaiian rolls in half lengthwise keeping the bottom half attached to each other. Place the bottoms in a pan. You can cut them individually or cut the entire loaf. Use a large knife to get through the whole loaf.
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low-medium heat. Stir in the flour and let it cook for about a minute.
- Whisk in the garlic and milk slowly. Let this simmer over medium heat until it thickens. FYI: If you use a fat-free milk, it will not thicken as much.
- Stir in the shredded cheese and let it melt.
- Add the canned chicken, tomatoes, bacon, and spinach and cook until it is heated through and the spinach wilts.
- Spoon the mixture over the rolls in the pan. Top with shredded cheddar cheese and the tops of the rolls.
- Stir together the melted butter and Worcestershire sauce and pour over the top. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Cover the pan with foil and bake for about 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 5 minutes, so the tops can brown slightly.
- Use a sharp knife to separate the rolls and serve while hot.
BRUCREW TIP: Make sure you drain the chicken and tomatoes before you add them to the roux. The extra liquid from the cans will make the mixture way too runny. You want it to stay cheesy, so it stays put when you spoon it onto the rolls.
Make it a Full Meal
These easy chicken sliders are great for serving as an appetizer at parties or for part of a main meal. Here are some sides that you can serve with the chicken sandwiches to make it a finished meal.
- Fresh veggies and ranch dressing
- Chips and Pretzels
- One Pot Mac and Cheese
- Creamy Tomato Soup
- Oatmeal Cream Pie
- Blonde Brownies
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you make these chicken sliders ahead of time?
Yes, you can make and fill the rolls 1 day ahead of time, then cover and place in the refrigerator until time to bake. Pour the melted butter mixture on right before baking.
What bread is best for sliders?
Any small roll or dinner roll will work. We prefer the sweet Hawaiian rolls for different kinds of sliders.
More best appetizer recipes
Other easy dinner recipes
- Three Cheese Mac and Cheese
- Chicken Wraps
- Shrimp Burger
- Stuffed Shells with meat
- Pecan Chicken Salad
Please consider leaving a 5 star ⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further below.
Recipe
Cheesy Chicken Sliders
Need a quick and easy meal or appetizer? Add these Cheesy Chicken Sliders to your menu and watch everyone devour the chicken sliders when you place them on the table. These easy rolls come together quickly with a chicken and veggie mixture, Hawaiian rolls, and lots of gooey cheese.
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- ¾ cup milk
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 3 cups shredded cooked chicken (or 2 cans - 12.5 ounce cans chunk chicken breast, drained well)
- 1 - 14 ounce can basil, garlic, and oregano diced tomatoes, drained well
- ¾ cup crumbled, cooked bacon
- 1 tablespoon ranch powder
- ¾ cup diced fresh spinach
- salt and pepper
For the Topping
- 1 package Hawaiian rolls (12-15 rolls)
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut rolls in half lengthwise, keeping bottom attached as much as possible, and place in a 9x13 baking dish.
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the flour and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the garlic.
- Whisk in the milk slowly. Cook and stir over medium heat until the mixture thickens.
- Add the mozzarella cheese and ranch powder and stir until melted and creamy. Stir in the chicken, tomatoes, bacon, and spinach.
- Continue to stir until everything is heated through and the spinach is wilted. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Spoon the chicken mixture evenly over the rolls in the baking dish. Top with cheddar cheese. Place the tops of the rolls over the cheese.
- Stir together the melted butter and Worcestershire sauce. Drizzle over the tops of the rolls. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds.
- Cover the pan with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 5 minutes. Cut through the rolls and serve immediately.
Notes
- Use 2 cups shredded cooked chicken in place of the canned chicken.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 15 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 169Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 40mgSodium: 267mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 1gSugar: 1gProtein: 10g
Nutrition facts are an estimate and are not guaranteed to be accurate. If you need special diet advice, please see a registered dietician.
*The post for Cheesy Chicken Sliders was first published on December 9, 2016. The pictures and post were updated and republished March 2, 2021.
Joanne
These look delicious and easy to put together. I have never used canned chicken and will give it a try.