Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Buffalo chicken sliders have the classic flavor you love, without bones or the mess! Spicy shredded chicken and gooey mozzarella are nestled between sweet Hawaiian rolls, brushed with savory garlic butter, and baked until golden.
How long it takes: 50 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: mixing bowl, serrated knife, baking dish
Servings: 12 sliders
Your Game Day Spread Needs These
Buffalo chicken dip in slider form. If that sentence did something to you, keep reading. I’ve been very into all things Buffalo chicken lately so obviously we needed to do sliders.
The filling is creamy Buffalo chicken – I love that the cream cheese blended with the spicy chicken helps temper the heat of the Buffalo sauce, making the filling spicy without being so spicy you can’t taste anything but the heat. (If you’re a fan of my popular crockpot Buffalo chicken dip, you’ll fall in love with these sliders!)
What makes them special:
- Melty cheese: If you love an epic cheese pull (and who doesn’t?!), you’ll appreciate the melty mozzarella in these sliders.
- Buttery, toasty Hawaiian rolls: The only thing better than sliders on Hawaiian rolls are sliders where the rolls are brushed with garlic butter and toasted until golden and crisp in the oven. Yes!
- Perfect for feeding a crowd: These Buffalo sliders are made for game day parties and get-togethers with friends and family. (Try my pizza sliders and turkey sliders too!)
Ingredient Notes
You’ll find the full ingredient list in the recipe card, but here are some notes to keep in hand.
- Hawaiian sweet rolls: I love the sweet contrast to the spicy Buffalo filling that Hawaiian rolls offer. You can use any dinner rolls you like, but look for rolls that are attached to each other. They’re much easier to fill!
- Cooked shredded chicken: Rotisserie chicken works great if you’re in a time crunch, or use my Instant Pot shredded chicken. You can also buy frozen shredded chicken.
- Cream cheese: Be sure to take the cream cheese out of the refrigerator an hour or so before you begin cooking. Softened cream cheese is much easier to blend into the other filling ingredients.
- Buffalo sauce: Purchased Buffalo sauce is a combination of hot sauce (such as Frank’s RedHot), butter, and other seasonings. Use your favorite brand; you can use more or less to adjust the heat level.
- Melted butter: You’ll add butter to the filling, and use more for brushing onto the rolls before baking.
- Garlic powder: Garlic powder is added both to the filling and the melted butter topping.
- Mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese: These two cheeses are both good melters, but they don’t have a strong taste that will overpower the other flavors in your sliders.
- Dried parsley and kosher salt: For stirring into the butter that’s brushed onto the Hawaiian rolls.
How to Make Buffalo Chicken Sliders
Make the filling. In a mixing bowl, stir together the shredded chicken, softened cream cheese, Buffalo sauce, melted butter, and garlic powder until everything is creamy and combined. The chicken mixture should be spreadable.
Prep the rolls. Using a serrated knife, slice the entire package of rolls horizontally, keeping the rolls connected if possible. Place the bottom half into a lightly greased baking dish. The rolls fit perfectly into an 11 x 8-inch baking dish, but you can use a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, too.
Assemble the sliders. Spread the buffalo chicken mixture over the bottom layer of rolls. Sprinkle the cheese over the chicken mixture, then cover it with the top half of the rolls.
Add the buttery topping. In a small bowl, mix together the melted butter, garlic powder, parsley, and salt. Brush the mixture over the tops of the rolls.
Bake. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake at 350°F for about 25 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for another 5 to 10 minutes, until the tops are golden brown and the cheese is melted.
Rest and serve. Let the sliders cool for about 5 minutes before slicing. They’ll firm up a little and be easier to slice. Serve warm.
Recipe Variations
- Make them spicier. You can stir a little extra Buffalo sauce into the chicken. However, to avoid making the filling too juicy, I prefer to add a pinch of cayenne pepper instead.
- Add blue cheese. Fold ¼ cup crumbled blue cheese into the filling.
- Make crockpot sandwiches. If you don’t want to bake sliders, consider making crockpot Buffalo chicken sandwiches. Tuck tender slow-cooked Buffalo chicken into buns with blue cheese or blue cheese dressing.
Serving Suggestions
Dipping sauce: If you like, dip the sliders into additional Buffalo sauce, ranch, or blue cheese dressing. I also like to serve crisp celery sticks and carrots with the sliders and dressing.
Chips or fries. Make your buffalo chicken sliders a meal by serving them with air fryer French fries or air fryer sweet potato fries. Air fryer Buffalo cauliflower bites are surprisingly tasty, too!
More game day appetizers. Serve homemade soft pretzels and creamy beer cheese dip. Refreshing fruit kabobs with cream cheese dip would be a great go-along. Offer additional slider options, like ham and cheese sliders or pizza sliders.
Refrigerate: Store leftovers wrapped in foil or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Reheat: Warm leftover buffalo chicken sliders in a 325°F oven, covering them with foil, until heated through. You can also microwave individual sliders, but the rolls will be soggier.
More Appetizer Recipes
Buffalo Chicken Sliders
Ingredients
- 12 Hawaiian sweet rolls (12 ounce package)
- 2 cups cooked shredded chicken (see note)
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup Buffalo sauce (see note)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella (or Monterey Jack cheese)
Topping
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 11 x 8-inch baking dish (a 9 x 13-inch baking dish will also work).
- Use a long serrated knife to slice horizontally through all 12 rolls at once, keeping the rolls attached if possible. Place the bottom half of the rolls in the baking dish.12 Hawaiian sweet rolls
- In a medium-sized bowl, stir together shredded chicken, softened cream cheese, Buffalo sauce, melted butter, and garlic powder until well combined and spreadable.2 cups cooked shredded chicken, 4 ounces cream cheese, softened, ½ cup Buffalo sauce, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Spread chicken mixture evenly over the bottom layer of rolls. Sprinkle shredded cheese over the chicken. Place the top half of the rolls over the filling.1 cup shredded mozzarella
- In a small bowl, combine melted butter, garlic powder, parsley, and salt. Brush evenly over the tops of the rolls.3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon dried parsley, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Cover tightly with foil and bake for 25 minutes.
- Remove foil and bake an additional 5 to 10 minutes, until tops are golden brown.
- Let rest 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Rolls: If you can’t find Hawaiian sweet rolls or don’t care for them, you can use any bakery rolls as long as they are attached. Individual rolls are more difficult to fill.
- Shredded chicken: Rotisserie chicken works great or use my Instant Pot shredded chicken. You can also buy frozen shredded chicken.
- Buffalo sauce: Purchased Buffalo sauce is a combination of hot sauce (such as Frank’s RedHot), butter, and other seasonings. Use your favorite brand.
- Make ahead, storage & reheating: The rolls can be sliced and filled ahead of time; cover with foil and refrigerate. When you’re ready to bake them, add the melted butter topping and bake according to instructions. Leftover Buffalo sliders can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. To reheat, wrap in foil, and warm in a 325°F oven, until heated through.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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