BBQ Chicken Sliders

BBQ Chicken Sliders: Make tender, saucy shredded chicken sliders with crispy bacon and sweet rolls for a crowd-pleasing meal.

Ingredients

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 18 ounces barbeque sauce
• 12 strips bacon
• 1 large onion (thinly sliced)
• ½ cup water
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 18 rolls (such as Hawaiian Honey Wheat rolls)

Instructions

Step 1: Crisp the bacon and caramelize the onions

Cook the bacon in a frying pan over medium-high heat until deeply browned and crisp, then drain the strips on paper towels so they stay crunchy. Reserve two tablespoons of the rendered bacon grease in the pan, then add the thinly sliced onion and a pinch of salt and gently cook until the onions are soft, translucent, and slightly golden at the edges. When the pan cools a bit, pour a splash of water into the pan and use a spoon to gently lift the browned bacon-and-onion fond from the bottom; scrape that flavorful liquid back into the slow cooker to capture all the caramelized flavor.

Step 2: Slow-cook the chicken in glossy barbecue sauce

Nestle the boneless skinless chicken breasts into the slow cooker on top of the caramelized onions and browned bits, pour the barbecue sauce over the breasts so each piece is well coated, and stir briefly so the sauce reaches every surface. Cover and cook gently—either low for 7–8 hours for fall-apart tenderness or high for 4–5 hours if you’re short on time—until the chicken is tender and yields easily when probed. The long, slow braise will render the meat silky and infused with sticky, glossy sauce.

Step 3: Shred, fold in bacon, and reveal the saucy filling

Remove the cooked breasts to a shallow bowl and shred them with two forks until fibrous ribbons form, then return the shredded meat to the saucy cooker juices and stir in half of the crumbled crispy bacon so crunchy morsels are distributed through the glossy strands. Taste and adjust—there should be a balance of smoky bacon crunch, sticky sweet-tangy sauce, and tender, pull-apart chicken.

Step 4: Build the sliders and finish with crunchy bacon

Split the soft rolls and spoon generous mounds of the warm, shredded BBQ chicken onto the pillowy buns, pressing a few shreds into the roll so the sauce clings. Top each slider with the reserved crispy bacon pieces for bright crunch and a sprinkle of fresh parsley if you like a fresh pop of color. Arrange the finished sliders on a piece of parchment right on the painted white pine surface for a cozy, inviting presentation.

Notes

• Reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon grease to caramelize the onions for extra flavor.
• Keep extra barbecue sauce on the side to prevent rolls from getting soggy.
• Re-crisp bacon in a hot pan just before serving for maximum crunch.
• For juicier meat, substitute chicken thighs and reduce high-heat cook time slightly.