BBQ Chicken Sliders made with shredded chicken, sweet and tangy homemade barbecue sauce, and creamy coleslaw make the perfect game day or party snack!
Two southern favorites, barbecue chicken and creamy coleslaw come together in one handheld package in this flavor-packed recipe. The barbecue-pulled chicken in this recipe is surprisingly easy to make and the coleslaw comes together in a only couple of minutes!
For more tasty Southern recipes, check out our Jalapeno Cheddar Biscuits and Southern Hush Puppies next!
Table of Contents
- Ingredients You Need To Make This Recipe
- How To Make This Recipe
- Variations and Substitutions
- What To Serve With Barbecue Pulled Chicken Sliders
- What Is The Best Way to Shred Chicken?
- Make-Ahead and Storing Instructions
- Recommended Tools For This Recipe
- More Delicious Weeknight Meal Ideas You Will Love!
- 📖 Recipe
Ingredients You Need To Make This Recipe
Barbecue Pulled Chicken
- 1.5 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken thighs. You will need about four to six chicken thighs, depending on how big they are, for the barbecue pulled chicken.
- Salt, cracked black pepper, and garlic powder. The chicken is seasoned with these spices before being coated in homemade barbecue sauce.
Barbecue Sauce
- 1 15-ounce can of tomato sauce. This is the base for our homemade barbecue sauce.
- ¼ cup of finely diced yellow onion. For added flavor to the barbecue sauce.
- 2 cloves of minced garlic. This adds delicious garlicky flavor to the sauce.
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar. For added acidity in the barbecue sauce.
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar. For sweetness and depth.
- 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce. Another layer of depth and delicious flavor. I recommend Lea & Perrins!
- 1 tablespoon of whole-grain mustard. You can also use yellow mustard if that is what you have. The mustard adds subtle bite and tanginess.
- 1 tablespoon of dark molasses. The molasses adds depth and subtle sweetness. You can also use light molasses but I do not recommend using blackstrap molasses, which is extremely intense and bitter. Brer Rabbit Dark Molasses is what I used.
- 2 teaspoons of liquid smoke. This gives the barbecue a delicious smoky flavor. I love Colgin Hickory Liquid Smoke.
- Salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper. These are the spices used to build flavor in the barbecue sauce.
Southern-Style Coleslaw
- 1, 10- ounce bag of shredded cabbage such as Dole Angel Hair Coleslaw
- ½ cup shredded carrots
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Cracked black pepper to taste
How To Make This Recipe
- Preheat your oven to 400°F. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- Seasoned chicken thighs on both sides with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Transfer the chicken to the baking dish and set aside while you make the barbecue sauce.
- Whisk together the tomato sauce, chopped onion, garlic, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, molasses, liquid smoke, and spices in a medium mixing bowl. Pour the barbecue sauce over the chicken thighs, making sure all of the chicken is coated in sauce.
- Bake the chicken in the preheated oven for 35 to 45 minutes until cooked through.
- Meanwhile, add the shredded cabbage and carrots to a large mixing bowl. In another small mixing bowl whisk together the mayonnaise, sugar, apple cider vinegar, mustard, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Refrigerate the coleslaw until you are ready to assemble the sliders.
- Once the chicken has cooled enough to handle, transfer it to a large mixing bowl and shred it with your fingers or two forks.
- Separate the Hawaiian rolls and cut them in half lengthwise so that there is a top and bottom for the sliders. I recommend only assembling the number of sliders you will be serving at a time so they do not get soggy.
- Using silicone-tipped tongs, pile barbecue pulled chicken onto the bottom half of the slider bun. About ¼ cup of chicken should be a good amount, but pile on as much as you like! Top the chicken with 2-3 tablespoons of coleslaw and place the top half of the Hawaiian roll on top of the coleslaw. Enjoy!
Variations and Substitutions
Feel free to add additional toppings to the sliders or substitute the coleslaw if you like. Try the sliders with some of these delicious topping ideas:
- Sliced jalapenos
- Shredded cheese
- Sliced dill pickles
- Sliced green onions
- Purple onions
What To Serve With Barbecue Pulled Chicken Sliders
Nothing goes better with barbecue in the south than creamy coleslaw! Since we've already got that covered, serve these sliders with the following:
- French fries
- Potato salad
- Baked beans
- Corn on the cob
- And my favorite...Southern Sweet Onion Hushpuppies!
What Is The Best Way to Shred Chicken?
There are a number of ways to shred chicken easily. You can use a handheld electric mixer to shred the chicken, which is the quickest way. You can also shred the chicken by hand by pulling it apart with your fingers. Or you can shred the chicken using two forks to pull the chicken apart.
Since this chicken is cooked with barbecue sauce, I recommend either shredding the chicken by hand or with two forks. Using a handheld electric mixer to shred the chicken could create a mess and sling barbecue sauce across your kitchen.
Make-Ahead and Storing Instructions
The chicken can be cooked with barbecue sauce and shredded up to two days in advance. Just store the pulled chicken in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve the sliders.
You can also prepare the coleslaw a day in advance and stored it in an airtight container in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve the sliders. However, for the best texture, I recommend waiting until the day you are serving the sliders to prepare the coleslaw.
Leftover pulled chicken and coleslaw can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Recommended Tools For This Recipe
More Delicious Weeknight Meal Ideas You Will Love!
📖 Recipe
BBQ Chicken Sliders
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs about 4-6 chicken thighs depending on the size
- ½ teaspoon salt and
- ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Barbecue Sauce
- 1, 15-ounce can tomato sauce
- ¼ cup yellow onion finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar packed
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard or yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon dark molasses* see notes
- 2 teaspoons liquid smoke
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Southern Coleslaw
- 1, 10-ounce bag of shredded cabbage such as Dole Angel Hair Coleslaw
- ½ cup shredded carrots
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice fresh squeezed
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400°F. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- Seasoned chicken thighs on both sides with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Transfer the chicken to the baking dish and set aside while you make the barbecue sauce.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the tomato sauce, chopped onion, garlic, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, molasses, liquid smoke, and spices. Pour the barbecue sauce over the chicken thighs, making sure all of the chicken is coated and sauce.
- Bake the chicken in the preheated oven for 35 to 45 minutes until cooked through.
- Meanwhile, add the shredded cabbage and carrots to a large mixing bowl. In another small mixing bowl whisk together the mayonnaise, sugar, apple cider vinegar, mustard, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Refrigerate the coleslaw until you are ready to assemble the sliders.
- Once the chicken has cooled enough to handle, shred the chicken with your fingers or two forks.
- Separate the Hawaiian rolls and cut them in half lengthwise so that there is a top and bottom for the sliders. I recommend only assembling the number of sliders you will be serving at a time so they do not get soggy.
- Using silicone-tipped tongs, pile barbecue pulled chicken onto the bottom half of the slider bun. About ¼ cup of chicken should be a good amount, but pile on as much as you like! Top the chicken with 2-3 tablespoons of coleslaw and place the top half of the Hawaiian roll on top of the coleslaw. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can also use light molasses but I do not recommend using blackstrap molasses, which is extremely intense and bitter.
- Leftover pulled chicken and coleslaw can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
- For added flavor, brush the tops of the Hawaiian rolls with garlic butter and toast them in the oven for a few minutes before assembling the sliders!
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