Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: Ranch chicken sliders are the crowd-pleasing appetizer every game day party needs! Creamy, cheesy, and buttery, these sliders are easy to assemble and guaranteed to disappear fast.
How long it takes: 50 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: mixing bowl, serrated knife, baking dish
Servings: 12 sliders
Count Me In.
Ranch people, this one’s for you. (And yes, I’m also talking to myself. I am indeed, a ranch person.)
Ranch dressing and cream cheese make the filling more flavorful, rich, and creamy than using ranch alone. (Pssst—ranch lovers will also appreciate this chicken bacon ranch pasta!)
All that creamy ranch goodness is paired with melty mozzarella for the perfect cheese pull, and garlic butter drenched Hawaiian rolls. Needless to say, these are the ultimate game day food.
What makes them special:
- Perfectly melty cheese: For the most epic cheese pulls, I use mozzarella or Monterey Jack, which are awesome melters.
- Toasty Hawaiian rolls: As if Hawaiian rolls aren’t irresistible enough on their own, the garlic butter topping takes them over the top, with a nice sweet savory contrast.
- Great for getting a head start: The sliders can be assembled ahead of time. When you’re ready to heat them, simply add the melted butter topping, and pop them into the oven.
Ingredient Notes
You’ll find the full ingredient list in the recipe card, but here’s a quick rundown and some notes to keep in mind.
- Hawaiian sweet rolls: I love how Hawaiian rolls balance the savory ranch filling, but you can use other packaged dinner rolls, as long as they’re connected to each other.
- Cooked shredded chicken: Rotisserie chicken is a great time saver, or use my Instant Pot shredded chicken or easy poached chicken.
- Ranch dressing: I use store-bought, but if you’re feeling ambitious, you can make your own or use my jalapeño ranch for a little kick.
- Cream cheese: It’s important to soften the cream cheese before you get started so it mixes smoothly into the filling. Take it out of the refrigerator an hour ahead of time to allow it to come to room temperature.
- Seasoning: Garlic powder and black pepper add extra savory flavor to both the filling and topping. You don’t need a lot of extra seasoning because ranch dressing seasons the filling, too.
- Mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese: Both types of cheese melt beautifully and create that irresistible cheese pull that is characteristic of most baked sliders.
- Melted butter topping: A mixture of butter, garlic powder, and dried parsley is brushed over the top of the rolls before they’re baked for loads of flavor and a golden brown crispy top.
How to Make Ranch Chicken Sliders
Prep the rolls. Preheat your oven to 350°F and lightly grease a baking dish. It’s important that the oven is fully preheated before you put the sliders in. Using a long serrated knife, slice the entire package of rolls horizontally, keeping the rolls connected as best as you can. Place the bottom half into the baking dish.
Make the filling. In a mixing bowl, stir together the shredded chicken, ranch dressing, softened cream cheese, garlic powder, and black pepper. Keep stirring until the cream cheese is evenly distributed. The mixture should have a spreadable consistency.
Assemble the sliders. Spread the chicken mixture evenly over the bottom layer of rolls. Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the filling. Place the top half of the rolls back on. Press down gently so they stick, but not so hard that you smash them.
Add the buttery topping. In a small bowl, stir together the melted butter, garlic powder, and parsley. Brush the garlic butter over the tops of the rolls.
Bake. Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and bake for about 25 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for another 5 to 10 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown and the cheese is melted.
Rest and serve. Let the sliders cool for about 5 minutes before slicing into individual rolls, and serving.
Recipe Variations
- Add bacon. You can add bacon bits as an optional topping after the sliders come out of the oven, but if you really want to bacon it up, cut bacon strips into thirds, cook them, and place them on each slider, over the filling and cheese.
- Make them spicy. Add sriracha or another hot sauce to the filling mixture.
- Try cheddar cheese. You won’t get the creamy melt, but you will get a sassier cheese flavor.
What to Serve With Sliders
- Fries. If you want to make these sliders a meal, serve them with air fryer French fries or air fryer sweet potato fries. Air fryer tater tots are always a hit, too! Serve them with extra ranch dressing on the side as a dipping sauce.
- Coleslaw. Crisp coleslaw is a nice contrast to these sliders. Try my healthy coleslaw recipe or classic creamy cole slaw.
- Potluck salads. If you’re hosting a crowd, serve a favorite potluck-style salad like dill potato salad or pea salad. 7 layer salad is another popular choice and you can make it ahead.
- Other game day favorites. Add these to a game day spread with homemade soft pretzels and beer cheese dip, or make a slider station with pizza sliders, turkey sliders, and ham and cheese sliders.
Refrigerate: Store leftover ranch chicken sliders in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I like to keep it easy and simply wrap them in foil, then I reheat them in the foil, too.
To reheat: Warm the foil-wrapped sliders in a 325°F oven until heated through, or microwave individual sliders (remove the foil first!). An air fryer can be used to reheat the sliders, too, but watch them carefully so they don’t get too brown.
More Appetizer Recipes
Ranch Chicken Sliders
Ingredients
- 12 Hawaiian sweet rolls (12 ounce package)
- 2 cups cooked shredded chicken (see note)
- ½ cup ranch dressing
- 4 ounces cream cheese (softened)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella (or Monterey Jack cheese)
For Topping:
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter (melted)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- sliced green onions or crispy bacon bits, optional
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 bowl, mix shredded chicken, ranch dressing, cream cheese, garlic powder, and pepper until creamy and well combined.2 cups cooked shredded chicken, ½ cup ranch dressing, 4 ounces cream cheese, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- Spread the chicken mixture evenly over the bottom layer of rolls. Sprinkle shredded cheese evenly over the top. Place the top half of the rolls on the filling.1 cup shredded mozzarella
- In a small bowl, stir together melted butter, garlic powder, dried parsley, and salt. Brush mixture evenly over the tops of the rolls.3 tablespoons unsalted butter, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- Cover the pan 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
- Cooked chicken: Rotisserie chicken is an easy option. I usually make poached chicken ahead of time; it’s easy to do and more economical than rotisserie chicken. Another option is Instant Pot shredded chicken.
- Make ahead: The sliders can be assembled ahead of time, except for the melted butter topping, covered, and refrigerated for up to 12 hours. When ready to heat, add the butter topping, and heat as instructed.
- Variations: There are different varieties of ranch dressing available that you could try. Maybe you already have a favorite! For spicy ranch chicken sliders, add hot sauce (sriracha or Frank’s RedHot) to the filling. Using cheddar cheese instead of mozzarella is another flavor option.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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