Delicious sliders with a kick to bring in 2024.
INGREDIENTS
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (see Recipe Notes, below)
1 (one) 1-ounce envelope ranch seasoning, divided
1/3 cup Cayanne Pepper Sauce
optional: 2 ounces crumbled blue cheese
12 dinner rolls (Hawaiian sweet rolls or dinner rolls of choice)
8 ounces colby jack or melty cheese of choice (pepper jack, cheddar, havarti, etc.), shredded
for serving, as desired: ranch dressing or bleu cheese dressing, for dipping
INSTRUCTIONS
Prep: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F, ensuring a rack is in the center position. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil for easy clean up as desired. Gather & prep all ingredients according to Ingredients List, above.
Sear the chicken: Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a medium oven-safe skillet over medium high heat. As the butter melts, season the chicken breasts. Measure out 1 heaping tablespoon of the ranch seasoning & set aside to reserve for buffalo slider assembly. Sprinkle the remaining ranch seasoning over the chicken breasts, seasoning generously. Once the butter in the skillet is melted, add the chicken to the skillet. Cook, browning the chicken, 2-3 minutes per side.
Bake & shred the chicken: Transfer the skillet to the oven. Roast for 12-15 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest portion of the chicken registers an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Set aside to cool slightly. Once cool enough to handle, carefully shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces – you can do so using 2 forks, or my favorite trick: pop the chicken breasts directly into a stand mixer & let the paddle attachment do the work for you (I swear this works!).
Mix the buffalo chicken: Add the shredded chicken back into the warm skillet with the hot sauce, 2 tablespoons of butter, & blue cheese crumbles (if using). Stir to combine, tossing the chicken to coat it evenly in the sauce & pan drippings. Set aside for slider assembly.
Buffalo chicken slider assembly: Place the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a small bowl. Microwave 30 seconds to melt. Set aside. Using a large serrated knife, cut the dinner rolls in half horizontally, creating 2 large slabs of roll tops & bottoms. Don’t pull them apart into individual rolls – we want these 2 large slabs of connected tops & bottoms for easy assembly. Lightly brush the cut sides of the slabs with butter, sprinkling some of the reserved ranch seasoning over top. Place the slab of roll bottoms on the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle half of the cheese over the roll bottoms, then pile the shredded buffalo chicken on top. Top with the remaining shredded cheese, then place the slab of roll tops over top. Lightly brush the top of the rolls with butter, sprinkling any remaining ranch seasoning over top.
Bake the buffalo chicken sliders: Loosely cover the assembled sliders with foil. Transfer to the oven & bake 10-12 minutes, until the cheese is melted. In the last two minutes, remove the foil to allow the tops of the rolls to brown slightly.
Serve immediately, with ranch or bleu cheese dressing for dipping as desired. Enjoy!
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