Crispy Air Fried Chicken Sliders Recipe with Mayonnaise

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These quick and easy crispy chicken sliders only require the air fryer or oven for cooking and are made using just 5 simple ingredients. These mini chicken sandwiches are great to make when on a time crunch and also when you want minimal clean up since the only appliance required in the air fryer.

This slider recipe is perfect for football Sunday game day. They are also great to make as a an easy appetizer for any party or special occasion as it is the perfect party food. This crispy chicken slider recipe can also be a great option for a quick and easy weeknight dinner that the whole family will enjoy.

This was inspired by my chicken sliders with bang bang sauce recipe on this site, and pairs well with this 3 cheese mac and cheese recipe.

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Ingredients
Instructions
Substitutions
Variations
Equipment
How to Store Crispy Chicken Sliders
Top Tip
FAQ
Related
Pairing
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💬 Comments

Ingredients

To make these crispy chicken sliders you will need frozen breaded chicken tenders that can be cooked in the air fryer. For the slider rolls, brioche slider buns are used. In terms of toppings for this slider, they are kept simple and classic, just mayonnaise, dill pickle chips and shredded ice berg lettuce.

frozen chicken tenders
brioche slider buns
mayonnaise
dill pickle chips
shredded lettuce

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Step 1: Air fry the chicken tenders in a single layer for 14 minutes at 370 degrees flipping halfway through.

Step 2: Slice the slider buns.

Step 3: Spread mayonnaise on the bottom bun. Spread shredded lettuce over the mayonnaise.

Step 4: Add a chicken tender over the lettuce. Add 2-3 dill pickle chips on top of the chicken tender. Place top bun over pickles. Serve immediately or save for later.

Hint: to add more flavor and a buttery element, melt butter and grate a clove of fresh garlic in the melted butter. Baste the butter on the top half of the slider buns prior to serving.

Substitutions

Lettuce - instead of ice berg lettuce, you can use shredded romaine lettuce
Bun - use gluten free buns instead of brioche bread buns to make this gluten free
Vegetarian - the chicken strips can be replaced with a plant based chicken tender or tofu

Variations

Spicy - add a little hot sauce or buffalo sauce in the with mayonnaise to add a spicy sauce to this crispy chicken slider
Deluxe - add crispy onions or fried pickles
Hot Honey - baste hot honey on the chicken tenders for a sweet heat element
Chicken Parm - melt mozzarella cheese on the chicken tenders with marinara sauce for a chicken parm slider

See this hot honey chicken slider recipe on my website or this chicken parmesan slider version!

Equipment

To make this slider recipe, you will need an air fryer to cook the chicken. If slicing the lettuce yourself, a sharp knife and cutting board is needed. Additionally a sharp serrated bread knife will be used to slice the sliders.

How to Store Crispy Chicken Sliders

Store the leftover sliders in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days. Reheat prior to serving leftovers.

These ingredients don't stand up well to freezing after the sliders are assembled.

Top Tip

For an extra juicy piece of chicken, marinade skinless chicken breasts, chicken cutlets or chicken thighs in seasoned buttermilk mixture in a large bowl overnight. Coat chicken in a flour mixture and fry in hot oil until golden brown and once chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Making your own crispy fried chicken does require more work, but can give the best result.

If you choose deep frying the chicken, the best oils for frying are either canola oil or peanut oil.

FAQ

Should the chicken be seasoned?

Depending on the chicken tenders that you purchase, if they are not pre-seasoned, I suggest adding the season to the dish in some way if preferred. This can be done by either seasoning the chicken directly after cooking or by adding it to the mayonnaise. Some suggested seasonings for this recipe are onion powder, salt, black pepper and garlic powder.

Can sweet Hawaiian rolls be used instead of brioche buns?

Yes, Hawaiian slider rolls can be used and would be a great addition to this delicious recipe. I do suggest separating the rolls prior to adding the crispy chicken strips so the chicken is even on each of the mini sandwiches.

What other sauces could be added to this slider instead of mayonnaise?

If you prefer not to use mayonnaise, you could add ranch dressing or honey mustard. A garlic aioli or bang bang sauce could also be great options.

Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:

Pairing

These are my favorite dishes to serve with these crispy chicken sliders:

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