Buffalo Chicken Sliders with Ranch Blue Cheese Slaw

Name: Buffalo Chicken Sliders with Ranch Blue Cheese Slaw
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 12
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 12 count sweet Hawaiian rolls (or brioche rolls); ⅓ cup hot sauce (such as Frank’s); 2 cups cooked shredded chicken; 1 ½ cups shredded sharp cheddar (or Colby Jack, etc.); 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided; 1 teaspoon EACH: parsley AND ranch seasoning; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 3 tablespoons mayonnaise; 1 tablespoon EACH: buttermilk AND ranch seasoning; 2 teaspoons sugar AND apple cider vinegar; 1 teaspoon horseradish; ½ teaspoon celery salt; ¼ cup EACH: shredded carrots AND finely chopped celery; ½ (14.5 ounce) bag shredded coleslaw mix; ½ cup crumbled blue cheese (or use more to preference)

Jump to Recipe

Easy Buffalo Chicken Sliders made with cooked shredded chicken and a bag of coleslaw mix! They are quick to make – perfect if you’re watching football or hosting the big game!

Are you team football or just team football food?

I’m definitely the latter.

I mean, I’ll happily make the food. Just call me Monica; I’ve got the wings, sandwiches, all the other football-associated appetizer, and dips you can think of!

One of the reasons I love making buffalo chicken sliders is that they are no fuss – and they taste so good! You slice the buns in half, load them up with rotisserie chicken tossed in a bit of melted butter, buffalo sauce, and then you load up the bottom half of the Hawaiian sweet rolls with shredded cheddar to create a barrier so the buns don’t get soft. Pop on the buffalo chicken mixture and bake these rolls brushed with homemade ranch garlic butter. While all that’s happening, we make a quick coleslaw spiked with ranch seasoning and tons of crumbled blue cheese.

Serious question. What is buffalo chicken anything without a spot of ranch and a crumble of bleu cheese?

And also, aren’t these just perfect for game day?

close up of buffalo chicken slider with blue cheese and ranch slaw

Ingredients for buffalo chicken sliders:

Rolls: You can use brioche, Hawaiian rolls or any other dinner rolls for this recipe. My local grocery store sells jalapeño slider buns that would be delicious here as well. Basically, use any slider buns you’d like!
Hot sauce: I like to use this hot sauce for these rolls. It’s spicy but not over the top. Plus, we’re only using ⅓ cup so these rolls are not over the top hot! If you’d like to make them spicier, the same brand sells an extra hot version of the buffalo wing sauce that would work well. Or you could just add a sprinkle of cayenne pepper instead!
Shredded Chicken: I usually make a batch of chicken in my instant pot and use that but in a pinch (or if you’re cooking for a crowd) you can easily use rotisserie chicken from the grocery store!
Cheese: I like to use sharp cheddar for this recipe and I usually buy the kind that is thick cut! It melts beautifully for these sliders. You could also use pepper jack or Colby Jack if you aren’t a fan of cheddar cheese!
Butter: We’ll use the butter in two ways. The first is to toss the shredded chicken in. And also to make a garlic butter that we’ll brush on the buns before baking.
Seasonings: I use a bit of sugar, horseraasih, celery salt, and ranch seasoning. The ranch seasoning is sold in packets in the same aisle as ranch dressing. We’ll add a bit to the garlic butter and then use the rest in the ranch blue cheese slaw we’re making.
Mayonnaise: Is the base of the blue cheese slaw.
Buttermilk: A tablespoon adds just the right amount of tang and thins out the mayo!
Apple Cider Vinegar: Adds the signature zing to the slaw.
Veggies: I like to use shredded carrots and finely chopped celery in my slaw. You’ll also need about a ½ a bag of shredded coleslaw mix.
Blue Cheese: Crumbled blue cheese honestly adds the best flavor to the slaw!

How to make a buffalo chicken slider recipe:

Prep everything. Start by position a rack in the center of the oven. On a clean surface you’ll want to cut the rolls in half. Run the knife parallel to the cutting board, carefully slice through the buns to create a top and a bottom. A serrated knife helps get the job done more efficiently. You’ll want the buns to stay attached to each other because this will make it much easier to top and bake them!
Make buffalo chicken. Add the hot sauce and two tablespoons of butter to a medium bowl and zap this in the microwave until the butter melts. Then stir in the shredded chicken, set this aside for now.
Garlic butter. In a bowl, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter, parsley, and garlic. Zap this in the microwave until the butter melts. Then sprinkle in a teaspoon of ranch seasoning; set aside for now.
Assemble the sliders. Carefully lift the bottom half of the rolls and place them on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with shredded cheese, top with the shredded chicken mixture, followed by the tops of the rolls. I like to use a fish turner to help aid in lifting the rolls so that they all stay intact. Brush the garlic butter on the rolls. Bake this in a warm oven until you have melty cheese and the buns are nice and golden.
Slaw time. While the chick sandwich is in the oven, we’ll toss together the slaw. Add the mayo, buttermilk, ranch seasoning, sugar, apple cider vinegar, horseradish, and celery salt in a bowl and whisk to combine. Add the shredded carrots, celery, and coleslaw mix and toss. I like to leave the coleslaw a little less dressed so that it doesn’t make the buns completely soggy. But if you’re anticipating leftovers, you may not want to serve all the sliders dressed.
Serve. When the sliders are hot from the oven, carefully remove the top of the buns with a fish turner, top with the prepared slaw, cover and cut into pieces. Serve immediately!

slaw on sliders with celery sticks, ranch, buffalo sauce

FAQs about buffalo chicken sandwiches:

Can you serve these with a dipping sauce? Yes, though the sliders are pretty saucy to begin with, you can serve them with a sauce. I would serve blue cheese dressing or ranch dressing so that it complements the existing flavors.
How do you store leftovers? If I’m anticipating leftovers, I usually only top the sliders that will get consumed. If you’re serving these at a party, you can keep the slaw on the side and let everyone top their own. That way leftovers can be reheated easily.
What do you serve along side chicken sliders for a football party? I would definitely put out some carrot sticks and celery sticks with these. They are perfect for cleaning up the plate and work beautifully with the blue cheese and ranch slaw! And no one would be mad at a batch of wings with these!

If you like this recipe, you might also like:

Yield: 12 sliders