Buffalo Chicken Sliders

Buffalo Chicken Sliders are the ultimate party food that brings big, bold flavors with almost zero effort! These sliders combine tender rotisserie chicken tossed in tangy buffalo sauce, creamy ranch dressing, and melty Monterey Jack cheese, all sandwiched between soft, buttery Hawaiian rolls.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Spicy, cheesy, and irresistibly satisfying, these Buffalo Chicken Sliders are the ultimate crowd-pleasing snack. Shredded buffalo chicken is layered on soft slider buns with melted cheese and a touch of ranch or blue cheese dressing for the perfect flavor balance. Great for game days, parties, or easy dinners.

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Ingredient List

For the Sliders:

• 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded (about 3–4 cups)
• 1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce
• 1/2 cup ranch dressing (or blue cheese dressing if you’re feeling fancy)
• 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 packages Hawaiian rolls (12-count each), kept attached—don’t separate them!
• 8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (or cheddar/pepper jack)

For the Butter Topping:

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

Optional:

• Coleslaw for topping or serving on the side (trust me on this—the cool, crunchy slaw is PERFECT with the spicy chicken!)

Substitution Notes:

• No rotisserie chicken? Use 3–4 cups of any cooked, shredded chicken you have on hand
• Ranch haters? Swap in blue cheese dressing for that classic buffalo wing experience
• Can’t find Hawaiian rolls? Any soft slider buns will work, though you’ll miss that slight sweetness
• Dairy-free? Use vegan cheese and butter substitutes

Why These Ingredients Work

Rotisserie chicken isn’t just lazy—it’s actually better. The meat’s already juicy and salty, and when I’ve used plain chicken breast these taste like hot cardboard. Not worth it. Buffalo sauce by itself is too sharp and one-dimensional, so the ranch mellows it out and makes it creamy. Cajun seasoning adds garlic and paprika and makes it taste like you actually tried.

Hawaiian rolls are the whole deal here. My aunt brought regular hamburger buns to a cookout once and tried to make these—everyone was polite but you could tell they were disappointed. Hawaiian rolls get sweet and buttery and golden on top while staying soft in the middle. That’s the texture you want. Monterey Jack doesn’t get greasy when it melts, and the Italian seasoning butter on top smells so good people come into the kitchen asking what you’re making.

Essential Tools and Equipment

• Large mixing bowl
• 9×13-inch baking dish or rimmed sheet pan
• Cooking spray or parchment paper
• Sharp serrated knife (for slicing the rolls)
• Pastry brush (for the butter topping)
• Small bowl (for melting and mixing butter)

How To Make Buffalo Chicken Sliders

Step 1: Prep Your Oven and Pan

Crank your oven to 350°F. Spray your pan. I use parchment paper under the rolls because last time I didn’t, the cheese stuck to the pan so bad I had to soak it overnight. Learn from my mistakes.

Step 2: Make the Buffalo Chicken Filling

Dump the shredded chicken in a bowl with buffalo sauce, ranch, Cajun seasoning, salt, pepper. Mix it with your hands—faster and honestly more fun. Should look saucy but not soupy. If you pick up a handful it should clump together, not drip.

Step 3: Slice the Hawaiian Rolls

Leave all the rolls stuck together. Cut straight across the middle like you’re splitting a bagel. One big bottom, one big top. I tried separating them the first time I made these and spent half an hour building individual sandwiches while my toddler screamed at me. Don’t be like past me.

Step 4: Build Your Sliders

Bottom half goes in the pan, cut side up. Half the cheese goes on the bottom—stops the bread from getting wet and gross. Spread all the chicken on top. Doesn’t have to look pretty, just cover everything. Rest of the cheese on top. Slap the top half back on.

Step 5: Brush with Butter Topping

Melt butter, mix in Italian seasoning. Brush it all over the tops. Use the whole thing. This makes them golden and crunchy, so don’t be shy about it.

Step 6: Bake to Perfection

Bake 10-15 minutes. My oven runs hot so I check at 10. Cheese should be melted and bubbly, tops golden brown. If it smells like butter and garlic it’s probably done.

Step 7: Slice and Serve

Wait two minutes or you’ll burn the roof of your mouth off. Cut along the lines where the rolls separate. Serve hot. Watch people fight over the corner pieces.

You Must Know

DO NOT separate the rolls before you build these. I’m serious. You will regret every life choice that led you to that moment. Twenty-four tiny sandwiches with chicken falling out everywhere and rolls sliding around—just don’t. Keep them together, your sanity will thank you.

If your chicken mixture has liquid pooling at the bottom of the bowl, you screwed up. Too much sauce. It should be sticky and coated, not wet. Wet chicken makes soggy bread and nobody wants that.

Personal Secret: Sometimes I buy the pre-shredded rotisserie chicken from the deli section because tearing up a whole chicken is annoying. Costs more but saves me 10 minutes and some hassle. Also I taste the mixture before I build anything because some buffalo sauces are way hotter than others.

Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

• Parchment paper saves your pan and your sanity
• Heat up the buffalo sauce before mixing—coats better
• Let the cheese warm up while you’re working so it melts faster
• Foil on top if the bread’s browning too fast
• Don’t cut immediately or cheese goes everywhere
• I throw the chicken bones away but my mom saves them for stock, do whatever

Common Mistakes to Avoid:

• No Cajun seasoning makes these boring
• Baking too long dries them out
• Cold chicken won’t get hot enough by the time the bread’s done

Flavor Variations / Suggestions

Spice It Up:

• Cayenne if you hate yourself
• Pepper jack cheese
• Hot sauce in the butter

Cool It Down:

• More ranch, less buffalo
• Mild sauce
• Coleslaw on every slider

Mix It Up:

• Blue cheese: Swap ranch for blue cheese dressing, throw in crumbled blue cheese
• BBQ buffalo: Mix some BBQ sauce in there
• Crunch: Thin red onion or celery pieces
• Ranch bomb: Dry ranch seasoning in the chicken
• Garlic: Garlic powder in the butter
• Herbs: Parsley or chives at the end

Make-Ahead Options

Mix the chicken stuff up to three days early, keep it in the fridge. Let it warm up a bit before you build, then bake.

Build the whole thing without the butter, keep it cold for a few hours. Brush butter on right before baking. Takes longer because it’s cold.

Freeze the chicken mixture for three months. Don’t freeze assembled sliders—bread gets nasty. Thaw the chicken overnight and build fresh.

Recipe Notes & Baker’s Tips

• Shred chicken while it’s warm or you’ll be there forever
• Cheese to the edges or it squishes out when people bite
• Pan size is flexible, just squish or spread as needed
• Double batch means two pans
• Butter on top is mandatory

Serving Suggestions

These are basically a meal but here’s what usually ends up on the table:

What Goes With These:

• Bag of coleslaw from the store
• Celery and carrots with ranch
• Chips or fries, whatever’s around
• Pickles
• Salad if you’re feeling guilty

Drinks:

• Beer
• Lemonade
• Sweet tea
• Cold water

When I Make Them: Game days, when someone shows up unexpectedly, forgot about potluck until this morning, regular dinner when I can’t think of anything else, kid’s birthday parties, honestly whenever.

How to Store Your Buffalo Chicken Sliders

Room Temperature: Fine for a couple hours at a party.

Refrigerator: Container in the fridge, three days. Bread gets softer but still tastes good.

Reheating:

• Oven: Foil wrap, 325°F, 10 minutes
• Microwave: 30-45 seconds, won’t be crispy
• Air fryer: 325°F, 3-5 minutes for crispy tops

Freezer: Just the chicken mixture, not the whole thing. Bread freezes weird. Thaw overnight, build fresh.

Allergy Information

Contains:

• Dairy (cheese, butter, ranch dressing)
• Gluten (Hawaiian rolls)
• Eggs (in ranch dressing)

Substitution Suggestions:

• Dairy-Free: Vegan cheese, vegan butter, dairy-free ranch
• Gluten-Free: GF slider buns, probably have to build separately
• Egg-Free: Check labels, lots of ranch and buffalo sauce has eggs

Questions I Get Asked A Lot

Can I use a different type of roll?

Sure. Won’t be as good though. Hawaiian rolls are sweet and soft and that’s why these work. I’ve done regular dinner rolls when the store was out and they were fine but not amazing. Up to you.

My sliders turned out soggy. What happened?

Too wet. Your chicken mixture was too liquidy. Should be saucy not swimming. Also don’t let them sit forever before baking or the sauce soaks in.

Do I have to use rotisserie chicken?

Nope. Any cooked chicken that’s shredded. I use rotisserie because I’m lazy and it tastes better. But leftover chicken, baked chicken, canned if that’s what you got—all fine.

Why do the rolls need to stay connected?

Because I have better things to do than build 24 tiny sandwiches. Keep them together, slice once, layer once, cut once after baking. Way easier and they come apart perfect.

💬 Tried this recipe? Leave a comment and rating below!Did you make these? Tell me in the comments!