Buffalo Chicken Sliders Recipe

These buffalo chicken sliders are the perfect mini handheld appetizer for parties and game days. Tender shredded chicken tossed in a spicy sauce and baked in a soft roll with melty cheese.

Game day buffalo chicken sliders served on a foil lined pan.

Recipe Science

Marinating chicken in buffalo sauce before cooking allows the acids and spices to tenderize the meat and infuse it with a tangy, spicy flavor.
Cooking the chicken at a high temperature ensures a flavorful, caramelized exterior through the Maillard reaction while keeping the meat juicy inside.
Adding creamy blue cheese balances the heat from the buffalo sauce and provides a cooling contrast, enhancing the overall flavor profile.

Why It Works

This buffalo chicken slider recipe will help feed a hungry crowd! It tastes like my buffalo chicken dip but in a delicious handheld bun. You can create a big batch on a sheet pan. Tender chicken pieces are tossed with a creamy, spicy, tangy hot sauce. Serve in soft and fluffy dinner rolls with three types of melty cheese. It’s sure to be a crowd-pleaser!

Grab a rotisserie chicken from the market to make prep even quicker. Serve it for a gathering with dipping sauces and crunchy vegetables. My family loves it as a fun weeknight dinner with baked potato wedges or sweet potato fries.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Ingredients needed to make sliders with buffalo sauce.

Chicken: Use leftover meat or store-bought shredded rotisserie chicken for a quicker preparation. Shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces. You’ll need 3 cups, about ¼ cup per slider. Use 1 ½ pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs to make the chicken from scratch.
Hot Sauce: I use Frank’s RedHot cayenne pepper hot sauce. It’s thicker in consistency than other brands and clings nicely to meat. Alternatively, you can use buffalo sauce, which is thicker than hot sauce and has extra butter and garlic powder seasonings.
Dressing: Ranch dressing adds a creamy element and tames the fiery hot pepper.
Bread: Use King’s sweet Hawaiian rolls for quick and easy assembly. They sell them as classic sweet and butter flavor; either works well. If you have extra time, try your hand at homemade Hawaiian rolls.
Cheese: Use two types of melty shredded cheese: cheddar and mozzarella. Add creamy blue cheese crumbles for a tangy flavor.
Seasonings: Fresh green onions add a delicate allium flavor to the spicy chicken cheese sliders. The buns are brushed with melted butter and mixed with dried Italian seasoning, salt, and garlic powder.

See the recipe card below for all ingredients and measurements (US and metric).

Ingredient Substitutions

Chicken: I used my stovetop shredded chicken recipe for these sliders, but you can also make Crockpot shredded chicken.
Hot Sauce: Other types of hot sauce like Tobasco or Crystal can be used instead of buffalo sauce, but they are thinner and may not cling to the meat as much.
Dressing: Blue cheese dressing can be substituted for an extra tangy, aged cheese flavor.
Cheese: Shredded Pepper Jack, Monterey Jack, smoked gouda, or provolone are tasty swaps. Gorgonzola can be substituted for blue cheese.
Bread: Use mini pretzel buns or homemade dinner rolls instead of Hawaiian rolls.
More toppings: Add a layer of coleslaw for a refreshing crispness, shredded lettuce, sliced tomatoes, or pickled red onions.

How to Make Buffalo Chicken Sliders

Step 1: Preheat the Oven

Set the temperature to 350°F (177°C). After assembling the sliders, bake them on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet to give the Hawaiian rolls a warm, toasted texture.

Bowl of shredded chicken, hot sauce, and ranch.

Step 2: Make the Buffalo Chicken

You only need two simple ingredients to make a spicy buffalo sauce: hot sauce and ranch dressing.

Bowl of shredded chicken tossed in buffalo sauce.

Toss three cups of shredded chicken with the two sauces in a bowl. Now, you are ready to assemble the sliders.

Cutting Hawaiian rolls in half with a serrated knife.

Step 3: Slice the Rolls

A package of King’s Hawaiian rolls comes with twelve buns attached. However, they also sell a nine-pack of pre-sliced slider buns that are slightly wider. Slice the rolls in half lengthwise, creating one big top and bottom piece.

Layer of shredded mozzarella and cheddar spread over bread. — Cheese

Layer of shredded buffalo chicken over the cheese. — Cheese

Step 4: Assemble the Sliders

Place the bottom half of the bread on a foil-lined sheet pan, or place the sliced, separated halves tightly together. To help the sliders stay together when eating, the chicken mixture should be added between the layers of shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheese.

The melted cheese acts as a barrier to prevent soggy bread from the chicken juices and hot sauce. Finish with a sprinkle of crumbled blue cheese and sliced green onions on top.

Melted butter mixed with Italian seasonings, and garlic powder.

Step 5: Season the Rolls

In a small bowl, create the herb mixture of melted butter, dried Italian seasoning, salt, and garlic powder.

Brushing seasoned melted butter on top of the slider rolls.

Brush the mixture on top of the buns. Instead of herbs, sesame seeds, or everything bagel seasoning can be sprinkled on top.

Baked buffalo chicken sliders with browned bread.

Step 6: Bake the Sliders

Cover and bake in a 350ºF (177ºC) oven for 10 minutes to warm up the rolls and melt the cheese. Uncover and bake until lightly golden brown on the bread’s surface for about 5 minutes.

Tasty bite-sized buffalo chicken sliders served on a plate with carrots and celery.

Step 7: Ready to Serve

It’s best to serve these mini sandwiches while they are hot and melty. They are delicious straight from the pan!

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you add buffalo sauce before or after cooking?

Add the buffalo sauce to precooked shredded chicken. Then assemble and bake the sliders to warm and infuse the flavor into the meat. You can drizzle with more hot sauce or buffalo sauce before serving for a hot and tangy taste.

Can sliders be prepared the day before?

The filling can be prepared two days in advance. It’s best to assemble the buffalo chicken sliders the day you plan to serve so that the bread does not become soggy.

Can you freeze the buffalo chicken sliders?

The assembled sliders can be frozen for up to 3 months. Wrap them well in plastic, then foil, and place them in the freezer. Defrost in the refrigerator before baking. Add the butter topping and bake as per directions.

How do you keep the sliders warm?

If not serving immediately, cover them with foil and keep them warm in a 200ºF (93ºC) oven. Enjoy within a 1-hour to prevent the meat and bread from drying out.

Why do you use two types of cheese?

A high-moisture cheese like cheddar and mozzarella helps to bind the filling ingredients together. Sharp cheddar will add a more nutty and tangy flavor, balanced with the mild mozzarella. Monterey Jack, Colby, or smoked gouda are good swaps. Crumbled blue cheese is a classic pairing with buffalo chicken. It’s salty and creamy, making the slider more flavorful.