This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
These Buffalo Chicken Sliders are loaded with tender rotisserie chicken tossed in buffalo sauce, melty cheese, and a creamy homemade slaw, all tucked inside soft slider buns. They’re quick to make, ready in under 30 minutes, and perfect for game day, parties, or an easy weeknight dinner.
If you’re a fan of buffalo chicken, you’re going to love these sliders. As a certified nutrition coach, I’m always looking for simple recipes that are big on flavor without requiring much work, and this one checks all the boxes.
Using rotisserie chicken keeps prep to a minimum, while the buffalo sauce, melty cheese, and creamy slaw create the perfect balance of spicy, cheesy, and crunchy. They’re one of my favorite recipes to make for game day, parties, or even an easy weeknight dinner, and I highly recommend making a double batch because they disappear fast!
Recipe Overview
A Few Key Ingredients
Below are the key ingredients you’ll need to make Buffalo Chicken Sliders. The full quantities can be found in the recipe card further down the post.
Rotisserie chicken: A store-bought rotisserie chicken is the key to quick prep for this recipe. If you only have raw meat, you can poach a few chicken breasts or roast up your own rotisserie-style roasted chicken and shred it instead.
Hot sauce: The classic here is Frank’s red hot sauce but you can totally use your favorite hot sauce here instead.
Slaw veggies: A combo of shredded carrots and cabbage brings crisp crunch while green onions add savory flavor to the slaw.
Quick tip!
You can use the shredding attachment on a food processor to quickly shred your carrots and cabbage for the slaw.
Sriracha mayo dressing: A simple combination of mayo, sriracha, and lemon juice is used to dress the shredded veggies for the slaw. If you prefer a milder flavor, you can adjust the amount of sriracha in the dressing to taste.
Slider buns: Soft, small-ish buns are what you need here. You can go with Hawaiian rolls, brioche buns, or any soft dinner roll that comes in a batch of 12.
Blue cheese: You can buy pre-crumbled blue cheese or just crumble it up yourself. If you’re not a fan, feel free to leave it out or serve it on the side.
Garlic-parsley butter: Brushed over the buns before baking, it gives them a crisp, flavorful crust.
Quickly Shred Chicken in a Stand Mixer
While it’s pretty easy to shred a rotisserie chicken with a couple of forks or your hands, it can be a bit taxing! To speed things up, you can use a stand mixer to do the hard work for you:
- Use slightly warm or room-temperature meat for this. If the chicken is hot, the meat will become mushy. If it’s too cold, it won’t shred easily.
- Remove the meat from the chicken carcass, discarding any skin and making sure there are no bones or cartilage in the meat.
- Add the meat to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
- Mix on low speed for around 30 seconds, until the meat is shredded. Don’t leave it for too long or the shreds will start to break down into tiny pieces.
How to Make Buffalo Chicken Sliders
Step 1. In a bowl, mix shredded chicken with hot sauce, melted butter, and garlic powder until fully coated.
Step 2. In another bowl, combine carrots, cabbage, and green onions.
Step 3. Stir together mayo, sriracha, lemon juice, and salt and pepper, then toss with the slaw.
Step 4. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Step 5. Slice slider buns in half.
Step 6. Place the bottom buns in a sheet pan, cut side up. Layer first the shredded cheddar and buffalo chicken mixture in even layers. Bake for 10 minutes to melt the cheese and slightly crisp the meat on top. Remove from the oven, then continue to layer the slaw and crumbled blue cheese.
Step 7. Place the top buns on.
Step 8. Mix the melted butter, garlic, and parsley, and brush over the tops of the buns.
Step 9. Bake for 3-5 minutes, until the tops are just heated through.
Step 10. Slice and serve warm.
Recipe Notes
Storage: Store cooled leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheating: Reheat in a 350F oven for 10-15 minutes until warmed through.
Serve with a dip: Try a creamy ranch dip or blue cheese dip.
Add some crunch on the side: Balance out the heat by serving alongside some celery sticks or sliced red pepper for some fresh flavor.
Change up the cheese: Swap Cheddar for a milder option, such as mozzarella or Swiss. For more heat, use a spicy cheese like Pepper Jack instead.
Speed up prep: No time to make slaw yourself? You can use a pre-dressed slaw from the store instead!
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Don’t Skip Toasting the Sliders: Baking the assembled sliders helps the cheese melt and lightly toasts the buns, giving them the best texture.
- Don’t Add Too Much Buffalo Sauce: A little goes a long way. Too much sauce can make the sliders soggy and overpower the other flavors.
- Don’t overbake: Bake just until the cheese has melted and the buns are lightly golden. Overbaking can dry out the chicken.
- Don’t Assemble Too Far in Advance: If making these ahead, keep the slaw separate until just before baking or serving to prevent the buns from becoming soggy.
Questions I Get Asked a Lot
Yes, you can make the buffalo chicken and dressed slaw ahead of time and store covered in the fridge for up to 3 days. It’s not advised to assemble the rolls ahead of time as the bread can become soggy.
Go for a soft bread roll that comes as a batch of 12 rolls. The go-to is Hawaiian sweet rolls, but you can use something more neutral like soft dinner rolls. Brioche rolls work well for a sweeter, richer taste.
This is best avoided by layering everything and baking the rolls just before serving. If you layer them ahead of time, the bread can absorb moisture and become mushy.
Mozzarella, Monterey Jack, cheddar, provolone, or any combination melts beautifully and pairs well with buffalo chicken.
Absolutely. Use less buffalo sauce or mix it with a little ranch dressing to mellow the heat.
Soft Hawaiian rolls are a favorite because they’re slightly sweet and hold together well, but potato rolls or dinner rolls work just as well.
More Buffalo Recipes
- Buffalo Chicken Casserole
- Buffalo Shrimp
- Cottage Cheese Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Air Fryer Buffalo Wings
- Crispy Buffalo Chicken Tenders
- Buffalo Cauliflower Bites
- Buffalo Chicken Wrap
- Homemade Buffalo Sauce
Made these? Leave a comment below and let me know how it went. And tag me on Instagram so I can see your sliders!
Buffalo Chicken Sliders (Easy & Cheesy)
Ingredients
Buffalo Chicken:
- 3 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded
- 1/2 cup hot sauce, like Frank’s
- 2 tablespoons melted butter
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
Slaw:
- 1/2 cup shredded carrots
- 1 1/2 cup shredded green cabbage
- 3-4 green onions, sliced
Sriracha Mayo Dressing:
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 1-3 teaspoons sriracha, adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
Sliders:
- 12 slider buns, Hawaiian rolls, soft dinner rolls, or brioche slider buns
- 1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
Garlic Butter Topping:
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 small garlic clove, minced
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix 3 cups rotisserie chicken with 1/2 cup hot sauce, 2 tablespoons melted butter, and ½ teaspoon garlic powder until fully coated.
- In another bowl, combine 1/2 cup shredded carrots, 1 1/2 cup shredded green cabbage, and 3-4 green onions (sliced).
- Stir together ⅓ cup mayonnaise, 1-3 teaspoons sriracha, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and Kosher salt and pepper (to taste), then toss with the carrots, cabbage, and green onions.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Slice 12 slider buns in half.
- Place the bottom buns in a sheet pan, cut side up. Layer first the 1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese and buffalo chicken mixture in even layers. Bake for 10 minutes to melt the cheese and slightly crisp the top of the meat. Remove from the oven, then continue layering the slaw with 1/2 cup of1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese.
- Place the top buns on.
- Mix the 1 tablespoon butter (melted), 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, and 1 small garlic clove, and brush over the tops of the buns.
- Bake for 3-5 minutes, until the tops are just heated through.
- Slice and serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
