BBQ Chicken Sliders are the savory cousin of the famous and beloved Pulled Pork Sandwiches – they are the ultimate party food. Nothing says crowd-pleasing quite like a platter stacked high with juicy pulled chicken sliders – they’ll disappear faster than you can say “help yourself!”
Pulled chicken combines all the smoky, tangy flavors of traditional pulled pork in a portable, handheld form. Start with succulent shredded chicken tossed in your favorite BBQ sauce. Pile it high on soft slider buns along with crisp, creamy coleslaw for that signature sweet-savory contrast with some crunch to it.
From there, the topping possibilities are endless – from bread & butter pickles and pickled red onions to grilled pineapple or crispy fried shallots. Simple or supremely loaded, these mini BBQ chicken sandwiches make for the perfect fuss-free party snack or meal. Even better? The pulled chicken can be prepped entirely in advance for easy day-of assembly.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Pulled Chicken – Smoked, slow cooker or rotisserie chicken all work great! You also can purchase pre-cooked pulled chicken or used leftover BBQ Chicken.
- BBQ Sauce – Homemade or your favorite bottled sauce.
- Slider Buns – Look for soft, lightly sweetened Hawaiian rolls or slider buns.
- Coleslaw – A crunchy, creamy slaw is a must!
Additional Condiments & Topping Ideas
Aside from BBQ sauce and slaw, a few more options are:
- Bread & Butter Pickles – These sweet and tangy chips add a perfect crunch.
- Pickled red onions
- Onion rings – Thinly sliced crunch-salty onion or shallot rings go great on top (or on the side).
- Grilled pineapple – Sweet and tart flavors pair wonderfully with the smoky chicken.
- Cheese – If you go with cheese, try cheddar, jack or mozzarella that gets nice and melty. You can assemble the sliders and then melt the cheese on in the oven.
Assembling the Sandwiches
- Heat the pulled chicken and combine it with BBQ sauce.
- Toast the buns with a little butter on the sliced side.
- Place about a few tablespoons of pulled chicken on each bun.
- Top with your favorite toppings.
- Drizzle with a little extra BBQ sauce.
- Enjoy with amazing sides!
Sauce Tip: Don’t over-sauce the chicken. People can always add more on top of their individual sliders. If you are starting with smoked chicken, then there’s already a lot of flavor in it and it won’t need much sauce.
Making Pulled Chicken
There are many ways to make pulled chicken, from the smoker (which is the most flavorful), to the slow cooker (which is the easiest) and many options in-between. In a rush, I have even quickly boiled the chicken, drained it, shredded it and tossed it with sauce. They all make for great sandwiches. Even if you have leftover grilled or BBQ Chicken or even rotissary chicken.
Once you have your cooked chicken, I like to use two forks to shred it apart, still leaving some slightly bigger pieces for a varied texture.
Make It a Slider Party!
Make the pulled chicken, keep it warm in a Crockpot and put out all the sides for everyone to make their own sliders the way they want and fill their plates with delicious sides.
Recommended Sides
- Creamy Coleslaw
- BBQ Baked Beans
- Potato Salad
- Refreshing Cucumber Salad
- BBQ Sauce – Serve extra barbecue sauce on the side in a fun squeeze bottle.
- Onion Rings
- Potato Chips or Fries
More Delicious Sandwiches to Try
View All The Burger and Sandwich Recipes →
BBQ Chicken Sliders
Ingredients
- 2 lbs pulled chicken (smoked, slow cooker or rotisserie)
- 1 cup BBQ sauce (plus more for serving)
- 12 slider buns or Hawaiian rolls
- 2 tbsp butter, melted
Optional toppings:
- pickles (bread and butter or sweet pickle relish)
- pickled red onions/
- onion rings
- grilled pineapple
Instructions
- If the pulled chicken is cold, reheat it gently in a skillet or crockpot until warmed through.
- Add the desired amount of BBQ sauce and toss with the pulled chicken until fully coated.
- Slice the buns in half (if not already sliced), brush on a layer of melted butter on the cut side and lightly golden.
- Assemble the sandwiches by spooning on a few tablespoons of the chicken in each bun, drizzling on some BBQ sauce and adding your favorite toppings. Add the top bun and enjoy!
Notes
- You can use leftover pulled chicken or purchase pre-cooked from the grocery store.
- Chicken thighs make the juiciest, most tender pulled chicken.
- Don’t oversauce the chicken. You can always add more on top.
- If your pulled chicken already has sauce added, then skip that step.