Chicken Sliders
These chicken sliders are full of flavor and to-die-for good. These are a hit on game nights and I have also made them for Oscar parties, there is never leftovers! If you aren't familiar with the Oscars, it's a movie award show in Los Angeles and broadcast for the world. Growing up my family would eat and drink in front of the T.V. ( the only time that was acceptable) and print out ballets to take bets on who would win. As adults, my husband and I took the tradition and made it our own. Our oscar parties are usually dressy, with lots of finger food, ballot bets, Oscar bingo and themed drinks. We give out prizes for bingo winners and best dressed. It is always a lot of fun! It was delayed this year due to COVID-19 and since myself and many in our friend circle are vaccinated we are looking forward to our yearly Oscar party on a small scale.
These sliders don't need to be for a fancy night. They are also perfect for the family. The garlic aioli gives the sliders that extra delicious flavor. It is hard not to slather it all on. If you are looking for a gluten free bun, my favorite is the Trader Joe's brand. They used to be seasonal around the 4th of July but this year I've seen them year round. I always try to keep 1 in my freezer because I've found other brands to be sometimes challenging to find (usually in the freezer sections) and I'm also just worried that Trader Joe's will suddenly not stock them. They are the softest I've found. The thing about the gluten free buns is that they are small. They really do look like a little larger sliders, hence the name. For my guests, who are not gluten free, I did buy them some glutenous Trader Joe's buns which were much bigger. I like to toast by buns in the oven with some butter and garlic salt seasoning. The garlic salt seasoning I use also has parsley and is from Costco. This recipe is heavy on the BBQ sauce and heavy on the garlic because garlic is LIFE.
The recipe itself is so easy, as is the way with the magical crockpot. If you ever wondered why I have so many crockpot recipes it is because for about a year we lived out of ours because our landlords at the time would not fix our oven. We should have just left that place but we are long gone now.
I hope you enjoy this recipe. Stay tuned for more Oscar Party ideas!
- 3 large chicken breasts (~ 2.5 lbs)
- 2 tsp garlic salt (plus more for bread)
- 1 tsp paprika
- hamburger buns
- butter
- 3/4 cup mayo
- 2 tsp jarred garlic (or 1 garlic clove)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp fresh chopped chives (heaping)
- 1 tsp pepper
Season the chicken breasts on both sides then coat then in BBQ sauce (about 1/3-1/2 cup).
Don't worry about BBQ measurements. More BBQ sauce is just more BBQ sauce!Add the chicken to the crockpot and cook on high for 3.5 hours until the chicken can be easily shredded.
To make the aioli sauce, add all ingredients to a bowl and whisk together. Store in the fridge until ready to serve.
When the chicken is ready, shred it with 2 forks and stir in the juices of the crockpot. Add about 1/2-1 cup more of BBQ sauce and stir to combine. Put the lid back on until ready to serve.
To prep the buns, preheat oven to 350 degrees then butter the buns and season with garlic salt. Place on a baking sheet.
Bake the buns for about 5 minutes until lightly toasted. Keep an eye on them so they don't burn. Remove when ready.
To serve, top the bottom bun with BBQ chicken mixture and top that with spoonfuls of the garlic aioli. Add the top bun and ENJOY!