Cheesy BBQ Chicken Sliders

Soft rolls filled with smoky BBQ chicken, finely shredded cabbage and red onion, then topped with cheese and baked until golden. Made with rotisserie chicken and cut into thirds to serve, they are an easy option for parties, casual gatherings or a simple family dinner.

Party food needs to be generous, easy to pick up and, preferably, something that can be prepared without spending half the day in the kitchen. These BBQ chicken sliders have been one of my favourite ways to turn a couple of rotisserie chickens into something that feeds a crowd properly.

Rather than slicing the rolls in half, I cut a channel through the top and pack the filling inside. The chicken is tossed with a smoky BBQ sauce, finely shredded cabbage and red onion, then tucked into the rolls and covered with cheese before baking. The cabbage stretches the filling beautifully while adding a little texture, and the channel keeps everything where it belongs when the sliders are picked up.

Cut each one into thirds and twenty rolls becomes sixty pieces, which is the right size for a plate people walk past rather than sit down at. Warm from the oven, with the cheese still bubbling and the sauce soaking down into the bread, they disappear faster than anything else I put out.

Prep: 30 min · Cook: 15 min · Yield: 20 Makes 20 sliders, or 60 finger-food pieces · Cuisine: Australian · Category: Lunch

Ingredients

Cheesy BBQ Chicken Sliders

• 20 hot dog rolls
• 2 whole rotisserie chickens, meat shredded
• ¼ large green cabbage (about 250 g), shredded very finely
• ½ large red onion, finely diced
• 1 x 250 g jar smoky BBQ sauce
• Extra BBQ sauce, for brushing the rolls
• 500 g grated tasty cheese

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan-forced. Arrange the rolls across two large baking dishes or lined baking trays, packing them snugly side by side.
2. Using a small serrated knife, cut a long channel from the top of each roll, taking care not to cut through the base. Remove enough bread from the centre to make room for a generous amount of filling.
3. Combine the shredded chicken, cabbage, red onion and the jar of BBQ sauce in a large bowl. Toss well until everything is evenly coated. The mixture should look generously saucy rather than lightly dressed, as the bread absorbs a good deal of it in the oven.
4. Brush or spread a little extra BBQ sauce along the inside base of each channel. This keeps the bottom of the roll from drying out while the sliders bake.
5. Divide the BBQ chicken mixture between the rolls, pressing it gently into the channels.
6. Scatter the grated cheese generously over the filling.
7. Bake for 12–15 minutes, or until the filling is hot, the cheese has melted and the edges of the rolls are lightly toasted. Swap the trays between shelves halfway through if your oven browns unevenly.
8. Cut each slider into thirds and serve warm.

Serving Suggestion

Sliders want something fresh on the table beside them. Crunchy Asian Cabbage Slaw cuts straight through the BBQ sauce, and Charred Corn, Capsicum & Carrot Salad with Hot Chilli Honey brings colour to a spread that is otherwise mostly golden. If the sliders are doing the work of a whole meal rather than sitting among other party food, add Crispy Garlic Butter Hasselback Potatoes (Potato Bugs) and call it dinner.

Make Ahead Notes

The chicken filling can be mixed earlier in the day and kept covered in the refrigerator. Fill the rolls and add the cheese shortly before baking so the bread does not become soggy.

Storage

Store leftover sliders covered in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat them in a moderate oven or air fryer until the filling is piping hot and the bread has crisped again.

Notes

Finely shred the cabbage so it softens as the sliders bake and becomes part of the chicken filling rather than dominating it.

Choose soft hot dog rolls that are sturdy enough to hold the filling. Cutting a channel from the top gives you more room for chicken while keeping the base intact.

A smoky BBQ sauce is worth seeking out here. Sauces vary considerably in sweetness and intensity, and the flavour comes through strongly in the finished sliders, so use one you already enjoy.

Rotisserie chicken is the shortcut, but shredded Dry Brined Roast Chicken Breast works beautifully and is worth using if you have some already cooked.

For a smaller gathering, halve everything and make ten rolls. The filling quantities scale down cleanly.

The Grace Table Tip

Pack the rolls in snugly so their sides are touching. The sides stay soft while the exposed tops crisp, which is exactly the contrast you want when someone picks one up. If the cheese starts browning before the filling is heated through, lay a sheet of foil loosely over the dish for the last few minutes.

To make these vegetarian, replace the chicken with four 400 g cans of chickpeas, drained and simmered in vegetable stock for a few minutes to soften, then drained again and partially mashed. Toss the warm chickpeas with the sauce, cabbage and onion exactly as you would the chicken, and fill the rolls the same way.