Description
A deliciously spicy and sweet chicken sandwich featuring crispy chicken tenders coated in a honey butter sauce, served on soft slider buns with melted cheese and dill pickles.
Ingredients
Scale
- 12 chicken tenders (about 1.5 lbs)
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 1.5 cups panko breadcrumbs
- 0.5 cup all-purpose flour
- Spices (smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, salt, black pepper)
- Cooking spray or 3 tablespoons neutral oil
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 0.25 cup honey
- 1.5 tablespoons hot sauce (optional)
- 0.5 teaspoon chili flakes (optional)
- 12 slider buns or Hawaiian rolls
- 8 slices cheddar or pepper jack cheese
- 0.5 cup sliced dill pickles
- 2 tablespoons melted butter for brushing buns
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and grease it lightly.
- In a bowl, combine buttermilk and egg, whisking until blended. Immerse the chicken tenders in this mixture and marinate for 10 minutes.
- Prepare the breading by mixing panko breadcrumbs, flour, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, salt, and black pepper in a shallow dish.
- Remove chicken tenders from the buttermilk, coat in the breadcrumb mix, and arrange on the baking sheet.
- Spray with cooking spray or drizzle with oil. Bake for 20-22 minutes, flipping halfway, until golden brown and cooked through.
- Meanwhile, whisk together melted butter, honey, hot sauce, chili flakes, and salt until smooth.
- Toss cooked chicken tenders in the honey butter sauce until well coated.
- Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Slice slider buns horizontally and place in a baking dish.
- Layer cheese slices, then sauced chicken tenders, followed by sliced pickles. Cap with bun tops.
- Brush with remaining melted butter and sprinkle sesame seeds. Bake uncovered for 7-10 minutes until cheese melts and tops are golden.
- Serve warm, allowing guests to pull apart their sliders.
Notes
For extra flavor, marinate chicken overnight and consider using different cheeses or adding jalapeños for a spicy twist.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slider
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 12g
- Sodium: 700mg
- Fat: 25g
- Saturated Fat: 10g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 38g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 30g
- Cholesterol: 90mg