BBQ Chicken Sliders
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With three simple steps, you’ll have this finger-licking good BBQ Chicken Sliders recipe on the table. Make it in the crock pot or Instant Pot as a dump-and-go meal. Be sure to double and freeze the recipe to save your future self time!
“My family absolutely loves this recipe! A healthy, budget friendly alternative to pulled pork or beef…I highly recommend making the Thriving Home BBQ sauce to use in this recipe.”
– Anna ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Why We Love BBQ Chicken Sliders
- Dump-and-go meal for the crockpot OR Instant Pot.
- Takes just minutes to prep.
- All ages like it.
- Can easily be prepped as a chicken freezer meal (so double and freeze one for later using our instructions).
- Easy to serve for large group meals.
With the popularity of our Ham & Cheese Sliders and our Chicken Parmesan Sliders, we have a hunch this BBQ Chicken Slider recipe will be a winner for you, too.
Ingredients Needed
You will be amazed at how easy this barbecue chicken sliders recipe is. Besides the buns, here’s what you’ll need…
Ingredient Notes:
- Pantry seasonings – Keep onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, and S & P in your pantry to make this recipe anytime. You could also had in some smoked paprika.
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts – Chicken thighs will also work and can cook a little longer than chicken breasts in the slow cooker (up to 4 hours).
- BBQ sauce – We prefer to use our Homemade BBQ Sauce, but feel free to take a short cut from the store. My favorite cleaner brand that’s easy to find is Stubb’s Original or Sticky Sweet. We use this same sauce on our BBQ Instant Pot Chicken Drumsticks.
- Slider buns – Sometimes these are hard to find at the store, especially ones that don’t have a lot of yucky ingredients. You can always make Bread Machine Wheat Rolls or cut hoagie or hot dog buns in half.
How to Make BBQ Chicken Sliders
Season the Chicken Breast
Stir the seasoning mixture in a small bowl. Then, sprinkle the seasoning over all sides of the chicken. Tip: You may want to put the chicken down the crockpot for this part for less mess!
Cook in the Crockpot or Instant Pot
Ah, now to the fun part–pressing a button and walking away!
Place the seasoned chicken in the slow cooker and top evenly with 1 cup of BBQ sauce. Turn the chicken to make sure it’s coated in the sauce. Cover and cook on LOW for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. That’s really it…otherwise you’ll dry out your chicken.
Keep scrolling if you want Instant Pot directions, too!
Instant Pot Directions
- Add 1 cup of water or chicken broth and the steamer rack in the bottom of the pot.
- Put the seasoned chicken breasts in a single layer on the rack and top evenly with 1 cup of BBQ sauce (turn halfway through so each side gets coated).
- Lock and seal the lid. Cook at high pressure for 7 minutes and quick release the remaining pressure. (If the chicken isn’t done, pressure cook for 1 more minute.)
Shred and Serve the Chicken Sliders
After your chicken is fully cooked (use an internal meat thermometer to ensure it is 165°F), remove it from the cooker and place it on a cutting board. Let it rest for about 5-10 minutes, and then use two forks to shred the chicken breast apart.
If you want a shortcut on shredding, consider tossing it into a Kitchen Aid Mixer (or a large mixer of your choice) and use the paddle attachment. Put it on low and watch it closely to make sure the chicken doesn’t get too shredded.
Once it’s shredded, add the chicken back into the crockpot or Instant Pot and stir in remaining 1/2 cup of BBQ Sauce.
When serving, I’d recommend laying out optional toppings for the sandwiches like pickle chips, 5-Ingredient Coleslaw (it’s fast and delicious), cheese slices, and Pickled Red Onions.
What to Serve with BBQ Chicken Sliders
Oh man, I have so many ideas for you! Here are a few really easy sides that would go great with this recipe (as well as our Baked BBQ Chicken Drumsticks)…
Make It a Freezer Meal
It’s no secret we are big fans of freezer meals around here. In fact, we have 2 freezer meal cookbooks, 1 Hour Freezer Prep Sessions, and even a round-up with healthy freezer meal recipes that you will love!
So, yep, we have freezer meal instructions for the sliders.
Freeze For Later: Follow Step 1. Add the seasoned chicken and 1 cup of BBQ sauce to the bag. Seal, squish around to distribute the sauce, squeeze out any excess air, and freeze alongside the buns (and extra sauce in a small bag, if desired). (Note: If you want to cook this from frozen in the Instant Pot, place the bag in a round container in the freezer until frozen and then remove. Try not to stack the chicken, but place it in one flat layer.)
Prepare From Frozen: Two options for cooking:
- Thawed in either cooker: Thaw completely and follow Steps 2-4.
- From frozen in the Instant Pot: Do not thaw. Place the frozen meal in the Instant Pot with 1 cup of chicken broth. Lock and seal the lid. Cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Follow Steps 3-4.
Recipe FAQs
Wait wait wait! We want to make sure you don’t overcook your chicken. For a long time, I chronically overcooked and dried out chicken breast in the slow cooker. After testing hundreds of recipes in the crockpot, we’ve honed in on the perfect timing: 2 1/2 – 3 hours on low.
Yes, you read that right. Chicken breast only takes 2 1/2 – 3 hours on low to be fully cooked. It makes us cringe when we see recipes out there that tell you to cook chicken for 6-8 hours. In fact, we have written an entire post about how long to cook your chicken in the crockpot if you want to read about it in more detail.
As cookbook authors and freezer meal experts, we commonly get the question, “Can I cook frozen food in the crockpot?” I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but simply put, the answer is no. You should not put frozen food in a crockpot. I know, we are sad too.
More Delicious Slider Recipes
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BBQ Chicken Sliders
With three simple steps, you’ll have this finger-licking good BBQ Chicken Sliders recipe on the table. Make it in the crock pot or Instant Pot as a dump-and-go meal. Be sure to double and freeze the recipe to save your future self time!
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne (do not use if using a spicy BBQ sauce)
- About 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (approx. 4 medium chicken breasts)
- 1 1/2 cups Homemade BBQ Sauce (or store-bought sauce), plus more for serving
- 8 slider buns or wheat rolls, sliced in half
- Optional Toppings: 5-Ingredient Coleslaw, Pickled Red Onions, pickles, and/or cheese slices.
Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
Make It Now:
- Season: In a small bowl, stir together the onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Season the chicken breasts on all sides with this rub. (Freezing instructions begin here.)
- Cook: Cook using one of these methods until the chicken is done (reaches an internal temperature of 165°F or no longer has any pink inside):
- Crock Pot: Place the seasoned chicken in the crockpot and top evenly with 1 cup of BBQ sauce (turn the chicken to coat). Cover and cook on LOW for 2 1/2 – 3 hours.
- Instant Pot: Add 1 cup of water or chicken broth and the steamer rack in the bottom of the pot. Put the seasoned chicken breasts in a single layer on the rack and cover all sides of the chicken with the 1 cup of BBQ sauce. Lock and seal the lid. Cook at high pressure for 7 minutes and quick release the remaining pressure. (Chicken is done when there’s no more pink or it’s 165°F internally.)
- Shred: Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and let rest 5-10 minutes. Use two forks to shred it. (If making in the Instant Pot, discard the liquid and remove the rack in the Instant Pot.) Return the shredded chicken to the cooker to keep warm and stir in the remaining 1/2 cup BBQ sauce.
- Serve: Use a slotted spoon or tongs to add the shredded chicken to slider buns. If desired, set out slider toppings like more BBQ Sauce, 5-Ingredient Coleslaw, Pickled Red Onions, pickles, and/or cheese slices.
Freeze For Later: Follow Step 1. Add the seasoned chicken and 1 cup of BBQ sauce to the bag. Seal, squish around to distribute the sauce, squeeze out any excess air, and freeze alongside the buns (and extra sauce in a small bag, if desired). (Note: If you want to cook this from frozen in the Instant Pot, place the bag in a round container in the freezer until frozen and then remove. Try not to stack the chicken, but place it in one flat layer.)
Prepare From Frozen: Two options for cooking:
- Thawed in either cooker: Thaw completely and follow Steps 2-4.
- From frozen in the Instant Pot: Do not thaw. Place the frozen meal in the Instant Pot with 1 cup of chicken broth. Lock and seal the lid. Cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Follow Steps 3-4.
Notes/Tips
- Gluten-Free Option: Use gluten-free buns.
- Chicken breasts only need to cook about 2 1/2 hours on LOW in the crock pot. Do not let them cook much longer!
- It isn’t safe to cook this meal from frozen in the slow cooker, because the chicken will sit in the “danger temperature zone” for too long. However, it’s safe and works great in the Instant Pot.
- Where We Get Our Chicken: We get our meat from ButcherBox. The chicken is organic and curated from small, trusted farms. We highly recommend this service to source healthy meat–like uncured bacon, wild salmon, and grass-fed beef–and have used it for years ourselves.
Our family loved this as well as a group at an appetizer get-together. Easy and delicious!
Yay! Glad the sliders were a hit with multiple groups! Thanks for taking the time to leave a review.
These were so easy to make and delicious! Super easy in the instant pot!
These are a great dump-and-go meal! Glad you enjoyed them Karen. Thanks for leaving a review.
I can’t get over how good these little sliders are. The flavor is a touch different than what we are used to which brings great variety. Also works with cooked, canned chicken. Super helpful for busy evenings!!
Hi Kim. Thanks for the tip about cooked, canned chicken. So glad you enjoy these and they are helpful in those busy times!
BBQ GOODNESS!
As another reviewer said, this is a great alternative to the usual beef BBQ sliders. I used this recipe in a slightly different way. I had used the instapot to cook a whole chicken, shredded it and have used the chicken for multiple recipes. I weighed out the amount of shredded chicken, added the spices and BBQ sauce and followed the recipe. I added a little bit of shredded parm after the sliders had been in the oven to warm up. 2 thumbs way up from my crew! Easy to assemble and an even better eat!
Love the idea of using a whole chicken and adding a little shredded Parm to the sliders. Thanks for sharing, Gretchen!
You slider recipes look amazing and I will be trying them for sure! However, I would love to see them sized for true ‘large groups’. These recipes serve 6 people. I need to serve 45. Can I just put 15 lbs of chicken in the crock pot (with adjusted amounts of spices & BBQ sauce) and still cook it for 3 hours on low? I know I can’t fit that much into my Instant Pot, but what is the max that will work without ending up with chicken that’s not cooked through?
Hi DuAnne. You could double (or maybe triple) this recipe in a 6 quart slow cooker. But I wouldn’t do more than that or it probably won’t cook evenly. If you want to serve that many people, I’d suggest doing it in batches ahead of time or borrow a few more slow cookers.
Here are some more recipe ideas for large groups: https://thrivinghomeblog.com/20-easy-meals-ideas-for-a-group-of-people/
Is your nutrition value including the bun?
Yes, it does.
Is the nutrition chart with or without a bun?
It’s with the bun.
My family absolutely love this recipe! A healthy, budget friendly alternative to pulled pork or beef. Leftovers make amazing quesadillas, too! I highly recommend making the Thriving Home BBQ sauce to use in this recipe. It’s the best BBQ sauce & the only one we eat.
Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review and feedback, Anna! Great idea to use leftovers for quesadillas.