With hot and sweet sauce over tender chicken with a crispy crunch, these hot honey chicken sliders are perfect for game day, potlucks, brunch, or just a fun dinner at home. If you are looking for the perfect Nashville hot slider recipe that doesn't require a lot of time and effort, look no further.
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By starting with frozen chicken bites, this recipe goes from freezer to table in just twenty minutes. If you are entertaining and looking for quick, delicious, no-fuss recipes, be sure to check out my crowd-pleasing Brown Sugar Kielbasa Bites.
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What you need to make Hot Honey Chicken Sliders
- Frozen boneless chicken bites. I used Tyson crispy boneless chicken bites, which are fully cooked. If you use a brand that is not fully cooked, be sure to account for any extra time needed to cook from raw.
- Hawaiian rolls. I used King's brand. You can use a store brand, but King's doesn't stick to the cardboard tray like store brands tend to do. Slider buns or potato rolls can be substituted.
- Mayonnaise. Duke's mayo. It is the best. (You can use any mayo you have, but if you haven't tried Duke's, you should. It really is the best.)
- Garlic powder.
- Butter. Don't use spreads; they contain too much water.
- Honey.
- Frank's RedHot sauce. I like the flavor of Frank's in this recipe, but you can swap it for your preferred hot sauce.
- Paprika.
- Cayenne pepper.
- Sliced dill pickles.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make Hot Honey Chicken Sliders
Cook the chicken bites in the air fryer or oven according to the package directions (1). Slice the Hawaiian rolls in half.
Mix the mayonnaise and garlic powder (2) and spread it on the bottom half of the rolls (3).
I like to separate the rolls at this point and build each slider individually. If you prefer, you can keep the rolls together and use the alternate assembly instructions below.
Melt the butter in a large bowl (large enough to toss the chicken in) (4).
Add the honey, hot sauce, paprika, and cayenne pepper to the melted butter (5) and mix well (6).
When the chicken is cooked, add it to the hot honey sauce (7) and gently toss until all chicken is coated (8).
✨ Pro Tip: Measuring Honey ✨
When measuring honey, make clean-up easy by spraying the measuring cup with non-stick baking spray first. Honey slides right out!
Divide the chicken evenly among the rolls, placing it on the bottom half of the rolls (9). Top with sliced dill pickles (10). Cover with top half of rolls and serve immediately.
Alternate assembly instructions
If you prefer, you can leave the rolls attached for assembly.
After spreading the garlic mayo, place the chicken on the bottom half of the rolls, top with pickles, then replace the top half of the rolls.
Using a sharp knife, cut the sliders apart (you may need to cut through the chicken) and separate them for serving.
Make it your own
These Nashville-style hot honey sliders are mild to medium hot, so feel free to adjust the heat level.
- Spicier - use hot honey instead of regular honey, increase the amount of hot sauce, and/or increase the amount of cayenne pepper, or swap out the pickles for pickled jalapeño slices
- Milder - decrease the amount of hot sauce and/or cayenne pepper
- Cool contrast - keep the heat and add cole slaw for a cool contrast to the hot honey
Storage and freezing
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days (they will be eaten long before the 4 day mark, believe me!).
This recipe is not recommended for freezing due to the nature of the ingredients.
✨ Pro Tip: Advance Preparation ✨
If you need to prepare Hot Honey Chicken Sliders in advance, I recommend prepping just the garlic mayo and the hot honey sauce in advance. Store in the refrigerator in airtight containers until ready to use. For the best results, bake the chicken, heat up the hot honey sauce, and assemble the sandwiches just before serving.
Recipe
Hot Honey Chicken Sliders
Ingredients
- 24 ounces crispy boneless chicken bites
- 12 count Hawaiian rolls
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tablespoons Frank's RedHot sauce
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 8 ounces dill pickle chips
Instructions
- Cook 24 ounces crispy boneless chicken bites in the air fryer or oven according to the package.
- Slice 12 count Hawaiian rolls whole from the side. Remove the top layer and set aside.
- Mix ¼ cup mayonnaise with 1 teaspoon garlic powder and spread on the bottom of the buns.
- Replace the top section of the buns and separate into individual buns. Remove top half of each bun and set beside each bottom half.
- Melt 3 tablespoons unsalted butter and place in a bowl large enough to toss the chicken in. Add ¼ cup honey, 2 tablespoons Frank's RedHot sauce, 1 teaspoon paprika and 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper to the melted butter. Stir to mix.
- Add the cooked chicken to the bowl and gently mix until the chicken is completely coated.
- Evenly divide the chicken on the bottom half of each of the buns. You may need to tear or cut larger pieces of chicken to fit the buns.
- Top with 8 ounces dill pickle chips and replace top halves of buns.
- Serve immediately.
Alternate assembly instructions
- If you prefer, you can leave the rolls attached for assembly. After spreading the bottom half of the rolls with the garlic mayo spread, place the chicken on the bottom half of the rolls, top with pickles, then replace the top half of the rolls.
- Using a sharp knife, cut the sliders apart (you may need to cut through the chicken) and separate them for serving.
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