Buffalo Chicken Sliders are an easy game day appetizer made with rotisserie chicken, buffalo sauce, smoked mozzarella, blue cheese, and soft Hawaiian rolls. They’re cheesy, spicy, and ready in about 30 minutes, making them perfect for tailgates, football parties, or an easy dinner.
They’re basically buffalo chicken dip in slider form, with melty cheese, tangy buffalo flavor, and buttery hot-sauce-brushed rolls. Using rotisserie chicken keeps the prep fast and easy.
If sliders are your go-to for game day, try my Philly Cheesesteak Sliders next.
Recipe Summary: Buffalo Chicken Sliders
- ✅ Recipe Name: Buffalo Chicken Sliders
- 🕒 Ready In: 30 minutes
- 👪 Serves: 12 sliders
- 🍽 Calories: 141 per serving
- 🥣 Main Ingredients: Shredded chicken, buffalo sauce, blue cheese dressing, smoked mozzarella, blue cheese, Hawaiian rolls
- 📖 Dietary Info: Make-ahead friendly, easy to scale for a crowd
- ⭐ Why You'll Love It: Ready in about 30 minutes, these cheesy, spicy sliders are easy to make, perfect for game day, and great for feeding a crowd.
SUMMARIZE & SAVE THIS CONTENT ON
These Buffalo Chicken Sliders are one of my favorite game day recipes when I want something spicy, cheesy, and easy to share. Shredded chicken is tossed with buffalo sauce and blue cheese dressing, then layered with smoked mozzarella and crumbled blue cheese on toasted Hawaiian rolls and finished with hot sauce butter.
Using rotisserie chicken keeps the prep quick, while toasting the rolls helps them hold up to the creamy buffalo chicken filling. If you love buffalo chicken, try my Buffalo Chicken Sandwich recipe or Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Peppers next.
Why you'll love this recipe
- Ready in about 30 minutes: Using rotisserie or leftover chicken keeps prep fast and easy.
- Big buffalo flavor: Hot sauce, blue cheese dressing, smoked mozzarella, and crumbled blue cheese make every bite spicy, tangy, and cheesy.
- Easy to feed a crowd: Bake the whole tray at once, slice, and serve. If you love easy baked sliders, try my Philly Cheesesteak Sliders next.
- Perfect for game day: These fit right into a football spread alongside other easy appetizers like my Asian Chicken Wings.
- Make-ahead friendly: Assemble the sliders in advance, refrigerate, then bake when you’re ready to serve.
- Easy to customize: Swap ranch for blue cheese dressing, change up the cheese, or adjust the hot sauce to your preferred heat level.
Jump to:
Key Ingredients
- Shredded chicken: Leftover cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken keeps these sliders quick and easy.
- Hawaiian rolls: Their slight sweetness works really well with the spicy buffalo filling. I lightly toast the cut sides before assembling for a little extra texture.
- Smoked mozzarella + blue cheese: Smoked mozzarella gives you a creamy melt with a little extra flavor, while crumbled blue cheese adds that classic buffalo wing tang.
- Blue cheese dressing + hot sauce: These get mixed right into the chicken for a creamy, spicy filling. I usually use Frank’s RedHot and a good chunky blue cheese dressing.
- Hot sauce butter: Melted butter mixed with hot sauce gets brushed over the tops before baking for extra buffalo flavor and golden rolls.
See the recipe card at the end for the full list of ingredients with the quantities.
Variations
| Use ranch instead of blue cheese dressing | If blue cheese isn’t your thing, ranch works perfectly. |
| Add green onions | Stir thinly sliced green onions into the buffalo chicken for a little freshness and crunch. |
| Swap the cheese | Use shredded cheddar, Monterey Jack, or regular mozzarella instead of smoked mozzarella. |
| Use different rolls | Hawaiian rolls are my favorite, but any soft slider or dinner rolls will work. |
| Adjust the heat | Use a little less hot sauce for milder sliders, or add extra if you want them spicier. |
How to make Buffalo Chicken Sliders
- Step 1: Toast the rolls.
Slice the rolls in half horizontally and lightly toast the cut sides under the broiler for 1–3 minutes. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Step 2: Make the buffalo chicken.
Mix the shredded chicken with blue cheese dressing, hot sauce, and smoked paprika until evenly coated.
- Step 3: Assemble the sliders.
- Layer smoked mozzarella over the bottom rolls, then add the buffalo chicken mixture and blue cheese crumbles. Place the top half of the rolls over the filling.
- Step 4: Add the hot sauce butter.
Mix the melted butter with hot sauce, brush it over the tops of the rolls.
- Step 5: Bake.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds and bake for 15–20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the tops are lightly golden. Let the sliders rest for a few minutes, then slice and serve warm.
Expert Tips
- Toast the rolls first: A quick trip under the broiler gives the cut sides a little structure so they hold up better under the creamy buffalo chicken filling.
- Use rotisserie chicken: It keeps this recipe fast and gives you tender shredded chicken without any extra cooking.
- Don’t drown the filling: You want the chicken coated in buffalo sauce and dressing, not swimming in it. Too much sauce can make the sliders soggy.
- Keep the rolls connected: Assemble the sliders as one large sandwich, then slice them after baking. It’s much easier and less messy.
- Shred the cheese yourself: Freshly shredded cheese melts more smoothly than pre-shredded.
- Let them rest before slicing: Give the sliders a few minutes after baking so the cheese can settle and the filling stays put.
Make-Ahead
You can assemble the sliders ahead of time, cover them tightly, and refrigerate until you’re ready to bake. Set them out for about 10–15 minutes while the oven preheats, then uncover and bake as directed.
Buffalo Chicken Sliders FAQs
These sliders are filled with shredded chicken mixed with buffalo sauce and blue cheese dressing, then layered with smoked mozzarella and crumbled blue cheese on Hawaiian rolls. The tops are brushed with hot sauce butter before baking for even more buffalo flavor.
I use smoked mozzarella and blue cheese. The mozzarella gives you that creamy, stretchy melt, while blue cheese adds the tangy flavor you expect with buffalo chicken. Regular mozzarella, Monterey Jack, or cheddar also work well.
Serve them with extra ranch or blue cheese dressing for dipping, plus celery and carrot sticks for a classic buffalo-wing-style spread. For game day, they’re also great with fries, tater tots, chips, or other easy appetizers.
Yes. Assemble the sliders, cover them tightly, and refrigerate for up to a day before baking. Let them sit at room temperature for about 10–15 minutes while the oven preheats, then uncover and bake as directed.
Lightly toast the cut sides of the rolls before assembling and avoid adding more sauce than the chicken needs. The layer of cheese underneath the filling also helps keep moisture away from the bottom rolls.
Serving Buffalo Chicken Sliders
Let the sliders rest for a few minutes after baking, then slice and serve warm. I like them with extra blue cheese or ranch dressing for dipping, plus celery and carrot sticks for that classic buffalo wing combo.
Storage and Reheating
Store leftover sliders tightly wrapped or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
For the best texture, reheat them in a 350°F oven until warmed through. You can also microwave individual sliders for 30–60 seconds, although the rolls will be softer.
More Easy Slider Recipes
If you tried this Buffalo Chicken Sliders or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. Thanks for visiting today!
Buffalo Chicken Sliders Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 oz smoked mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1 12 ct package Hawaiian slider rolls
- 4 oz crumbled blue cheese
- 1 teaspoon white sesame seeds (for topping buns)
Buffalo Chicken
- 2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
- ⅓ cup Blue cheese dressing, such as Ken's
- ¼ cup hot sauce (such as Frank’s Red Hot)
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Hot Sauce Butter (for rolls)
- 3 tablespoon salted butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon hot sauce (such as Frank’s Red Hot)
Instructions
- Cut rolls in half, separating tops and bottoms. Place on a cookie sheet, and place under oven’s broiler on high for 1-3 minutes, until lightly toasted. Transfer to parchment lined sheet, and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine cooked shredded chicken, blue cheese dressing, hot sauce and smoked paprika. Stir well to combine.
- Layer shredded smoked mozzarella cheese evenly on the bottom layer of the toasted buns.
- Cover mozzarella with chicken mixture.
- Top evenly with blue cheese crumbles.
- Place top buns on.
- Melt butter, and whisk in hot sauce to make Hot Sauce Butter.
- Using a silicone brush, brush hot sauce butter all over the top buns and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
- Bake in preheated oven on parchment lined sheet for 15-20 minutes, until just toasty and cheese is melted.
Notes
- Chicken: Rotisserie chicken or leftover cooked chicken works great and keeps prep quick.
- Blue cheese dressing: Ranch can be substituted if you prefer.
- Cheese: Regular mozzarella, Monterey Jack, or cheddar can be used in place of smoked mozzarella.
- Make ahead: Assemble the sliders up to 1 day in advance, cover tightly, and refrigerate. Let them sit out for 10–15 minutes while the oven preheats, then bake as directed.
- Storage: Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Reheating: Reheat in a 350°F oven until warmed through for the best texture. Individual sliders can also be microwaved, but the rolls will be softer.
Sharon says
I’ve made these Buffalo Chicken Sliders a bunch of times for game day, and toasting the rolls first is absolutely worth the extra minute or two. It helps them hold up to the creamy buffalo chicken filling instead of getting soggy. I also love the smoked mozzarella here — it adds just enough extra flavor without taking over the buffalo and blue cheese.
Sam says
These will be perfect to eat while watching the Eagles win the Super Bowl next week! Go Birds! ?