How to Make Slow Cooker Sriracha Chicken Sliders

A lot of times we reserve slow cooker meals for the cold weather months, but I’m here to tell you that your slow cooker can make easy work of summertime meals as well! Sure, these slow cooker chicken sliders are perfect for game day eats, but they’re also awesome for any random weeknight where you want to kick up your dinner!

They take just a few minutes of prep time, and then the slow cooker does all the work for you while you go about your life. Come back in the evening to flavorful, spicy chicken just begging to be slathered onto a bun! Let’s get cooking.

What is in these chicken sliders?

There are four parts to these mini sandwiches: the pulled chicken which is cooked in a sriracha butter sauce (!), the creamy, sweet slaw, the cool ranch sauce on top, and the sweet Hawaiian rolls as the bread. You don’t have to make the slaw or the ranch dressing, but I highly recommend it. The four flavors together are such an amazing combo.

And, trust me, you won’t be sorry to have the leftovers in your fridge. I’ve even been eating them on top of a bed of romaine—it’s a really delicious way to get all the flavor of the sliders in a lighter lunch.

Teach me how to cook shredded chicken sliders!

For the easiest chicken sliders, you’re going to want to break out your old friend, the slow cooker. Combine the chicken breasts with some butter, apple cider vinegar, garlic, and sriracha, and let them all cook together for a few hours while you prep the slaw and ranch sauce and go about your day.

By that point, all you’ll need to do is take two forks to that tender chicken, and it will shred like a dream!

How big of a slow cooker do I need?

I only have one large slow cooker (this six quart Hamilton Beach beauty that I’ve been lovingly using since we were married a decade ago), but this is a great recipe if you have a smaller slow cooker, too. So many of the slow cooker recipes out there (most of mine, included) would overwhelm a smaller slow cooker, but not this one!

I sometimes borrow my Mama’s three quart Crock Pot (this one) for smaller dishes, and these sliders would be a great option if that’s all you have in your kitchen.

I need how much sriracha?

You’re going to look at the recipe and see it calls for a 1/3 cup of sriracha and either (a) think it’s a typo (those of you with a low heat tolerance) or (b) think that sounds awesome (those of you with stainless steel tongues).

The truth is, while a third of a cup of hot sauce sounds like a lot, it isn’t unbearably spicy. In fact, I think some folks would even consider it to be mild. Something about the slow cooker seems to mild down sriracha nicely (which isn’t super spicy anyway). It also helps that you’re only eating the chicken in little bursts thanks to the size of the sliders.

Don’t worry heat fans, it’s still the have-to-blow-your-nose-after-dinner kind of spicy. But those of you that really want to scorch your mouth might want to drizzle on some more sriracha before biting in.

How do I serve these sriracha chicken sliders?

We recommend setting them up buffet-style and letting folks build their own perfect slider—that way everyone can customize how much of each element they have on their sandwich. Some topping options to add to the slider bar, along with the ranch sauce and slaw:

• Cheddar cheese
• Red onion
• Bacon crumbles
• BBQ sauce
• Garlic butter
• More sriracha
• Other hot sauces to test out!

What goes with chicken sliders?

We love serving these sliders with either Grilled Potato Wedges or Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries. To double the spice, serve them with our Buffalo Potato Salad! For something sweet on the side, our Melon Salad is a perfect summer picnic treat.

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Slow Cooker Sriracha Chicken Sliders

Yield: 8 servings

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours

Total Time: 4 hours 20 minutes

These Sriracha chicken sliders are wildly delicious! They are a snap to put together and perfect for parties, potlucks, and game night.

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Ingredients

For the Chicken:

• 1 pound chicken breasts (frozen is fine)
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/3 cup Sriracha hot chile sauce

For the Slaw:

• 2 cups shredded cabbage (about 1/2 small head)
• 2 carrots, peeled and shredded
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• Pinch salt

For the Ranch Sauce:

• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 1 teaspoon dried dill
• Salt and pepper, to taste

For Serving:

• 1 12-pack Slider buns (we prefer sweet Hawaiian rolls, but any slider buns will do)
• Additional Sriracha sauce

Instructions

1. In the slow cooker, combine the chicken breasts, butter, apple cider vinegar, garlic, and Sriracha. Cook on low for 4-6 hours or high 2-4, until the chicken is fall apart tender. Shred using two forks.
2. While the chicken is cooking, assemble the slaw. Mix the cabbage and carrots together in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayo, apple cider vinegar, sugar, and salt. Pour over cabbage mixture and toss to combine. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving.
4. To make the ranch sauce, whisk together all ingredients (or blend in a blender or food processor).
5. To assemble the sliders, place a small amount of slaw on the bottom of a slider bun. Top with chicken, and then drizzle with ranch sauce. Drizzle with additional sriracha, if desired. Top with the other half of the buns.

Notes

Use gluten-free buns to keep these sliders completely grain-free!

To take your sliders to the next level, after assembly, brush the top of the buns with melted butter. Pop in a 400ºF oven for about 5 minutes, until the buns are golden brown and delicious.

You can also add bacon, red onion, or slices of cheddar cheese to these sliders—make them your own!

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1 serving
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 212Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 53mgSodium: 542mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 2gSugar: 6gProtein: 22g

At Wholefully, we believe that good nutrition is about much more than just the numbers on the nutrition facts panel. Please use the above information as only a small part of what helps you decide what foods are nourishing for you.