These chicken bacon ranch sliders are the perfect simple and easy appetizer to make for football season. To make the process of making this recipe even easier, a rotisserie chicken is used, so all you have to do is shred the chicken, cook the bacon, assemble and bake. In just 4 simple steps, you will have to number one slider recipe for game day and it will be a huge hit.
These delicious chicken bacon ranch sliders are a great appetizer option for game day since they can feed a lot of people and will get everyone's taste buds going. They are also a great option for an easy dinner to serve on a busy weeknight that the family will love. These sliders can also be a great option to serve as an appetizer around the holidays, especially for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
This was inspired by my Philly cheesesteak sliders on this site, and pairs well with this truffle fries or potato chip nachos recipe.
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Ingredients
The easiest way to get good quality, juicy chicken for this recipe is to get a rotisserie chicken and shred it for this recipe. You can also use chicken breasts or thighs that you cooked yourself for the chicken.
Creamy ranch dressing, crispy bacon and shredded cheddar cheese are used for the filling in the sliders to get that signature chicken bacon ranch flavor. Hawaiian sweet rolls are used for the sliders buns and that is topped with melted butter mixed with ranch seasoning.
- sweet Hawaiian rolls
- rotisserie chicken
- sharp cheddar cheese
- ranch dressing
- bacon
- butter
- ranch seasoning
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
- Step 1: Shred rotisserie chicken. Cook and chop bacon. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Step 2: In a large bowl, mix shredded chicken and ranch. Shred cheddar cheese.
- Step 3: Cut the slider rolls in half. Place bottom buns in a medium casserole dish. Drizzle a little ranch over the bottom half of the rolls and spread out over rolls. Layer half of the cheddar cheese over the ranch dressing. Layer ranch chicken mixture over the cheddar cheese. Sprinkle bacon on top of chicken. Add the other half of cheddar cheese on top of chicken. Place top half of the rolls on top of cheese.
- Step 4: Melt butter for about 30 seconds in the microwave. Add ranch seasoning and mix. Baste on the tops of the rolls. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake 15-20 minutes or until chicken is warm, buns are golden brown and cheese is melted. Serve immediately or save for later.
Hint: instead of buying pre-shredded cheese, shred a block of cheese using a cheese grater. This helps the cheese melt better and more evenly due to the film added to shredded cheese to help preserve it longer which prevents the cheese from melting evenly.
Substitutions
- Chicken - instead of rotisserie chicken, you can use poached or baked chicken breast or chicken thighs
- Bun - use gluten free buns instead of sweet Hawaiian roll buns to make this gluten free
- Ranch - make homemade ranch instead of using store bought for a fresher version
- Bacon - use turkey bacon if preferred
Variations
- Philly Cheesesteak - use shredded beef and cooper sharp cheese
- Cheeseburger - use ground beef as the main meat and add burger sauce
- BBQ Chicken - mix the chicken with bbq sauce instead of ranch for a bbq version
See this Cheeseburger Slider version on my website!
Equipment
To make this recipe, you will need a frying pan or griddle to cook the bacon. A large bowl is needed to shred the chicken into and to mix the ranch and chicken together in. A cheese grater is needed to shred the cheese.
To make the sliders, you will need a sharp bread knife to slice the slider rolls in half. A casserole dish or baking sheet is needed to bake the sliders. A basting brush or a pastry brush is also needed to baste the butter on top of the rolls.
How to Store Chicken Bacon Ranch Sliders
Store the leftover sliders in an airtight container in the fridge Good for 2-3 days.
The slider rolls, bacon and chicken can be frozen prior to using for up to 2 months. The rest of the ingredients do not stand up well to freezing.
How to Reheat Chicken Bacon Ranch Sliders
To reheat the sliders in the oven, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the leftover sliders in a small baking dish. Cover with tin foil and bake until warm, about 10-15 minutes. This is the best way to reheat the sliders as they will turn out as fresh as they would be when originally baked.
The sliders can also be heated up in the air fryer. Heat at 370 for about 5 minutes. This might toast the rolls a little more than preferred so if you do not want a toasted roll, use the oven method.
These sliders can also be reheated in the microwave. Please note this will cause the bread to become a little rubbery.
Top Tip
To get a little toast on the buns, remove the tin foil for the last 5 minutes of baking. This will cause the rolls to crisp a little instead of staying fluffier. The buns can also be baked for 5 minutes prior to assembling the sliders to get the same result.
FAQ
It can but a lot of swaps need to be made. Tofu or a vegan chicken product can be used for the chicken. Vegan ranch, vegan cheese and vegan bacon will need to be swapped as well. For the tops of the buns, use vegan butter.
A rotisserie chicken can typically be purchased at any grocery store.
Absolutely, that is one of the best things about this recipe because it can be made in advance to save you time when prepping for a busy party or game day event.
I like to add a little extra ranch prior to reheating to assure my sliders don't dry up. You also can serve a little ranch on the side as a dipping sauce to prevent this.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with chicken bacon ranch sliders:
📖 Recipe
Easy Chicken Bacon Ranch Sliders Recipe with Cheddar
Equipment
- 1 casserole dish or baking sheet
- 1 Frying Pan
- 1 Basting Brush
- 1 bread knife
- 1 large bowl
Ingredients
- ½ rotisserie chicken
- ½ cup ranch dressing
- 8 oz sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 9 slices bacon
- 4 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon ranch seasoning
- 12 sweet Hawaiian rolls
Instructions
- Shred rotisserie chicken. Cook and chop bacon. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large bowl, mix shredded chicken and ranch. Shred cheddar cheese.
- Cut the slider rolls in half. Place bottom buns in a medium casserole dish. Drizzle a little ranch over the bottom half of the rolls and spread out over rolls. Layer half of the cheddar cheese over the ranch dressing. Layer ranch chicken mixture over the cheddar cheese. Sprinkle bacon on top of chicken. Add the other half of cheddar cheese on top of chicken. Place top half of the rolls on top of cheese.
- Melt butter for about 30 seconds in the microwave. Add ranch seasoning and mix. Baste on the tops of the rolls. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake 15-20 minutes or until chicken is warm, buns are golden brown and cheese is melted. Serve immediately or save for later.
Notes
- save leftovers in an airtight container for up to 2-3 days.
- these ingredients can stand up well to freezing prior to cooking.
- reheat leftovers in the oven at 350 degrees covered in a pan with aluminum foil for 10-15 minutes.
Nutrition
If you have any questions about how to make these bacon ranch chicken sliders or need other appetizer suggestions, leave a comment below!
Teddy says
Straight fire 🔥
Alicia Moyer says
Thank you!