Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website.
For an easy, crowd-pleasing appetizer or a quick weeknight dinner, these buffalo chicken sliders are always a hit! Everyone loves the tender chicken, zesty wing sauce, Ranch seasoning, and melted cheese stuffed inside Hawaiian rolls, finished with seasoned butter, and baked until hot and delicious!
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love these Buffalo Chicken Sliders
- What is a buffalo slider?
- Ingredients for Shredded Buffalo Chicken Sliders
- How to Make Buffalo Chicken Sliders
- How to Keep the Sliders Warm
- What to Serve with Buffalo Chicken Dip Sliders
- Preparation and Storage Tips
- Recipe Variations
- Tips for the Best Buffalo Chicken Sliders Recipe
- Buffalo Chicken Sliders Recipe
If you love party-friendly baked sliders as much as we do, be sure to try these Hanky Panky sliders, a pan of easy “crack” chicken sliders, the wildly popular Kentucky Hot Brown sliders, and these hot ham and cheese sliders, too!
Why You’ll Love these Buffalo Chicken Sliders
- Easy. Thanks to help from a store-bought rotisserie chicken, a bottle of wing sauce, and a packet of Ranch seasoning, these little party sandwiches come together quickly and easily.
- Make Ahead. You can assemble the sandwiches in advance and keep them stashed in your fridge for a few hours before baking. So convenient when you’re hosting party guests or rushing around on a busy weeknight!
- Full of Flavor. Between the spicy wing sauce, the herby Ranch seasoning, the rich cream cheese, and the sweet and savory butter sauce, every bite is bursting with tangy, zesty, creamy flavor. Each little sandwich packs a powerful punch!
What is a buffalo slider?
In terms of American food, a “slider” refers to a small sandwich that’s made with a bun. These can be served as hors d’oeuvres, snacks, or entrées, and they can be stuffed with anything from hamburger patties to ham and cheese, turkey and cheese, or (in this case) buffalo chicken.
The buffalo chicken mixture is simply a combination of cooked, shredded chicken, mixed with a spicy and tangy wing sauce, softened cream cheese, and Ranch seasoning. It tastes like buffalo chicken dip that’s stuffed inside soft, sweet rolls! Bake the buffalo filling with additional cheese and a sweet-and-savory butter sauce inside the little Hawaiian buns for the ultimate chicken sliders!
Ingredients for Shredded Buffalo Chicken Sliders
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for our favorite buffalo chicken sliders. As always, specific measurements and step-by-step cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Chicken: I use shredded rotisserie chicken for ease, but you can sub with shredded chicken that you cook in the Crock Pot or boil at home. Canned chicken works, too!
- Celery: a classic companion for buffalo wings, the crisp veggie adds a little bit of crunch to the chicken filling.
- Buffalo wing sauce: use a mild sauce for a kid-friendly option, or make it hot with a classic spicy buffalo sauce. We like Frank’s RedHot brand, but any similar variety will work.
- Cream cheese: the creamy, cheesy “glue” that holds the chicken filling together and balances the heat of the wing sauce.
- Ranch seasoning: you’ll just need about half of a 1-ounce packet of the dry seasoning mix. Do not prepare the ranch dressing according to the package directions.
- King’s Hawaiian sweet rolls: these sweet little slider buns pair nicely with the savory filling.
- Shredded cheese: just about any variety will work, so pick your favorite. I like Monterey Jack, Colby Jack, cheddar, or mozzarella cheese in this recipe.
- Salted butter, light brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and onion powder: this melted butter sauce soaks into the rolls, giving the sliders tons of flavor and helping them brown and crisp in the oven.
- Poppy seeds and/or sesame seeds: an optional garnish for a little bit more flavor and texture.
How to Make Buffalo Chicken Sliders
These easy sliders can be assembled in advance with minimal prep time, making them ideal for busy weeknight dinners or party hosting. The detailed directions are included in the recipe card below, but here’s the quick overview:
- Stir together the buffalo chicken filling.
- Assemble the sandwiches with the buffalo chicken mixture and the shredded cheese.
- Arrange them in a greased baking dish.
- Stir together the melted butter sauce.
- Pour or brush the melted butter sauce over the sandwiches. Sprinkle with poppy seeds and sesame seeds, if desired.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the cover and bake for 3-5 more minutes.
- Serve warm, while the cheese is melty, ooey, and gooey!
How to Keep the Sliders Warm
If you want to keep the sliders warm at a party or football tailgate, keep them covered with foil to trap the heat and moisture. You can also wrap them individually in foil, place them in a crockpot, and keep on the “warm” setting for a few hours.
What to Serve with Buffalo Chicken Dip Sliders
For a regular weeknight dinner, pair the sliders with a simple green salad, wedge salad, cut-up carrot sticks and celery sticks with Ranch dip or blue cheese dressing, potato salad, coleslaw, macaroni salad, baked potato wedges, dill roasted potatoes, or potato chips.
If you’re serving the sandwiches as a part of a larger appetizer spread for a Super Bowl party or Game Day tailgate, here are some more options that go well with buffalo chicken sliders:
- 4-Ingredient Sausage Dip with Corn
- Beer Cheese Dip
- Hummus and pita chips
- Crispy Baked Chicken Wings
- 4-Ingredient Cream Cheese Apple Dip with apple and pear slices
- Homemade Nachos
- Pimento Cheese and crackers
- Deviled Eggs
- Italian Pinwheels
- Cream Cheese and Pepper Jelly Dip
- 5-Minute Corn Dip
- New Orleans-Style BBQ Shrimp or Shrimp Cocktail
- Onion Dip with potato chips
- Refrigerator Dill Pickles
- Easy Stromboli Crescent Braid
- Homemade Soft Pretzels
- Candied Bacon
- Shrimp Dip
- Crispy Virginia Fried Oysters
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Make Ahead: Assemble the sliders up to 24 hours in advance (but don’t add the butter sauce), cover, and keep refrigerated. When ready to bake, allow the sliders to sit on the counter and come to room temperature for at least 30 minutes before they go in the oven. Pour the melted butter sauce over the top of the sliders up to 4 hours before you bake them.
- How to Freeze: Once the sandwiches are assembled with the butter sauce, you can wrap the dish tightly and keep it in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can then bake them directly from the freezer! You’ll just need to add about 10-15 minutes to the total baking time. Make sure that you use a freezer-to-oven-safe dish.
- How to Store Leftovers: Leftover sliders will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat individual sandwiches in the microwave just until warmed through. Alternatively, reheat a larger pan of sliders (covered) in a 350°F oven until warmed through.
Recipe Variations
- We like the sweet King’s Hawaiian slider rolls, but you can use any small slider buns that you prefer.
- The poppy seeds and/or sesame seeds are optional, so leave them off if you like.
- Add dill pickle slices to each slider for an even more tangy, acidic bite.
- Want these sliders even spicier? Add some extra hot sauce to the buffalo chicken mixture.
- For a cool contrast to the zesty meat, drizzle a little bit of creamy ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing on the sandwich filling before sprinkling with cheese.
Tips for the Best Buffalo Chicken Sliders Recipe
- Instead of spreading all of the rolls with the meat filling at once, you can separate the individual rolls and spread the filling on them one at a time.
- If you want to be able to lift all of the sliders out of the pan so that you can transfer them to a serving board, line your baking dish with parchment paper. Let some of the parchment hang over the edges of the pan (like handles), and then just lift out the entire tray of sandwiches when they’re done baking. Your guests can pull them apart, or you can cut through them with a knife.
- For even more flavor, add some herbs to the butter mixture. For instance, dried parsley, basil, chives, or oregano would be delicious. You can also garnish the finished sliders with sliced green onions or chopped fresh parsley.
More Buffalo Chicken Recipes to Try
Buffalo Chicken Casserole
40 minutes mins
Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Chili
6 hours hrs 5 minutes mins
Dump-and-Bake Buffalo Chicken Pasta
1 hour hr
Buffalo Chicken Sliders
Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked diced chicken (you can also use about 2 cans of chicken if you prefer)
- ½ cup finely-diced celery
- ½ cup buffalo wing sauce
- ½ of a 1-ounce packet of dry Ranch seasoning mix (about 4 teaspoons total)
- 8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1 (12 ounce) pkg. King’s Hawaiian sweet rolls, halved horizontally
- ½ cup shredded Monterey Jack, Colby Jack, or Cheddar cheese (or more to taste)
- ¼ cup salted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
- ¾ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon onion powder
- Optional garnish: poppy seeds and sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, stir together chicken, celery, buffalo sauce, and Ranch seasoning powder. Add the cream cheese and stir until everything is completely combined.
- Place the bottom half of the rolls in a greased 12 x 8-inch or 11 x 7-inch baking dish. Spread the chicken mixture over top. Add a layer of shredded cheese. Place the top half of the rolls on top.
- In a small bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together warm melted butter, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, and onion powder. Drizzle the sauce onto the rolls, sprinkle with poppy seeds and sesame seeds (if desired), and cover with foil.
- Bake until the cheese is melted, about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the tops are lightly browned, about 3-5 more minutes. Serve warm.
Notes
- Instead of spreading all of the rolls with the meat filling at once, you can separate the individual rolls and spread the filling on them one at a time.
- If you want to be able to lift all of the sliders out of the pan so that you can transfer them to a serving board, line your baking dish with parchment paper. Let some of the parchment hang over the edges of the pan (like handles), and then just lift out the entire tray of sandwiches when they’re done baking. Your guests can pull them apart, or you can cut through them with a knife.
- For even more flavor, add some herbs to the butter mixture. For instance, dried parsley, basil, chives, or oregano would be delicious. You can also garnish the finished sliders with sliced green onions or chopped fresh parsley.
Those little sandwiches look so delicious. I saw, just this morning, that my local Wal-Mart sells pulled rotissirie chicken(no sauce) in containers, both plain and with extra seasoning. I spoke to an employee who said that he buys the chicken regularly and is satisfied. I plan to try some soon. That would be such a useful item for me. So many of your salads, dump-and-bakes, and other recipes look so good. I just don’t want to handle raw chicken or fight with taking a cooked chicken apart. So messy and besides, my cats would be all over me! I found it in the section where prepared salads, barbequed meats are sold if you want to check it out.
Thanks for sharing, Marion! Pre-cooked chicken would make a great shortcut.
This was so delicious! I had some rotisserie chicken leftover and was wondering how to use it. So glad this recipe was in my email today! I left out the celery because I didn’t have any on hand. I used sharp white Cheddar slices because that’s what I had as well. After I removed the foil I continued baking longer than the recommendation (about 7-8 minutes more.) Yum Yum!
Thanks, Lori! I’m so glad that you enjoyed them! I bet the sharp white cheddar was delish. 🙂