Fried Chicken Sliders With Simple Slaw And Hot Honey Recipe

We all know regular-sized burgers are delicious, but there's something about the mini-version that takes the cake when it comes to novelty. Even the most basic sliders recipe is bound to be a hit with family and friends; who doesn't love mini buns and mini patties? So by taking things up a notch and delivering a truly special sliders experience? You're going to have a new go-to recipe in your back pocket for every important get-together. 

"These sliders are easy and delicious hot or cold — perfect for a get-together or potluck," says recipe developer Erin Johnson of Probably in the Kitchen. To that end, it's also a fantastic recipe when you need to make a dish ahead of an event. "If you want to make this in advance, make all the components, then assemble [them] when you're ready to serve," says Johnson. 

Before getting started, make sure you have everything you need on hand. First, you'll need boneless, skinless chicken breasts. You can use other cuts of chicken, but don't swap in cuts with bones; a boneless cut of chicken is important in this sandwich. You'll also need salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, flour, eggs, panko breadcrumbs, and slider buns. For the hot honey sauce, you'll also want honey and chili oil. For the slaw, we're going for something super simple and easy to whip together so grab broccoli slaw mix and coleslaw dressing. You certaily could buy broccoli, purple cabbage, and carrots and make your own slaw mix, but before you go through the hassle of slicing and dicing the slaw veggies, check your grocery store's prepared produce section; you can usually find a package ready to be mixed at a reasonable price, and it often includes the coleslaw dressing, too. 

There's a little bit of prep work to take care of before getting into the meat (so to speak) of making your sliders. First, take the chicken breasts and cut them into pieces that are more or less equal in size. Johnson says to cut them slightly larger than the size of the slider buns, as the meat will contract somewhat while cooking. 

Next, season the chicken with salt, pepper, onion and garlic powders, and paprika. Set the chicken aside and pour the flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs into three separate, shallow bowls to make your dredging station. Finally, heat the vegetable oil in a skillet, but don't overdo it here! Just add enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan. 

One by one, dredge each piece of chicken first in the flour, then in the egg, and finally in the breadcrumbs. Set the breaded pieces onto a plate while you finish the process.

When all the chicken is dredged, add as many pieces as you can to the hot skillet. "The chicken shouldn't touch, so you may need to cook in two batches if [you're] using a small skillet," says Johnson, adding that there's no need to clean the oil of breadcrumbs between batches. 

Simply fry the chicken for about five minutes per side. Check the internal temperature for doneness, aiming to hit at least 165 F. If you'd rather use an air fryer to cut down on your oil consumption, Johnson also says it's possible to air fry the chicken. "Just spray them with some cooking spray, and cook for 12 minutes or until they reach 165 F," she says. 

As the chicken is frying, mix the sauce by simply combining the honey and chili oil, stirring well. "The amount of chili oil should be based on your heat preference," Johnson advises. If you don't like spicy, add just a few red pepper flakes and make this a mostly sweet sandwich. If you love spice, add as much chili oil as you can handle. 

It's so quick and easy to whip up the broccoli slaw that you can also prep this step as the chicken is frying. Simply combine the prepared broccoli slaw with the coleslaw dressing and set the bowl in the fridge until the sliders are ready to build. Also, Johnson is quick to point out that if you don't like broccoli, there's no need to be a martyr for the recipe. You can switch it out for a cabbage slaw, instead. 

With all the individual parts ready to go, the last step is to build the sliders. Separate the slider buns and lie them on a plate. Spoon some slaw on the bottom half of each bun, then layer a piece of chicken on top. Finish things off with a drizzle of hot honey before adding the top bun to the sliders. 

When it comes to serving, you have lots of options. Johnson prefers serving the sliders with additional broccoli slaw on the side, but she says that any typical fried chicken side will work. That means french fries, mashed potatoes, green beans, or fried okra are all good choices.