Shortcut Chicken Parm Sliders Recipe

If there's one way to instantly elevate a game day spread or potluck table, it's by adding some sort of slider to the mix. Sliders really are the ultimate party food, offering handheld convenience and a savory quality that complements any other apps or sides in play. If there's one downside to sliders, it's that they can sometimes be more labor-intensive to make than your average sandwich since you're making so many at once (and it would be silly to make one slider at a time). That's precisely why it's a good idea to have go-to shortcuts when making sliders, and with this shortcut chicken Parm sliders recipe, you can whip up a batch of the beloved handhelds without (quite as much) hassle.

The key to making these "shortcut" chicken Parm sliders is the fact that they rely on frozen, breaded chicken strips — meaning you don't need to go through the tedious process of coating and frying 12 chicken tenderloins. Those crispy breaded chicken strips are then topped with mozzarella and Parmesan, along with your favorite marinara sauce, and everything fits snugly onto soft, slightly sweet slider buns. These sliders come together with minimal effort, but they still end up being savory, delicious, and perfectly suited for a good game day gathering.

As we've already touched on, you'll need frozen breaded chicken strips to make up the bulk of these sliders. The strips I used were on the thinner side, so I found that halving them and then pairing them made for an ideal chicken-to-bun ratio. You can use any size of chicken tenders here, but just use your best judgment to determine how to best fit them onto the buns. Other than the chicken strips, you'll also need butter, garlic, Italian seasoning, minced parsley, marinara sauce, grated mozzarella cheese, grated Parmesan, and small buns (like King's Hawaiian rolls) to complete the sliders.

Preheat the oven to 450 F.

Place the chicken strips on a parchment-lined baking sheet and cook them according to the package directions.

Melt the butter with the garlic in a saucepan, and cook for 1 minute.

Add the Italian seasoning and parsley and stir. Keep the butter warm.

Remove the strips from the oven and cut them in half.

Pair the halves together on the tray, then top each portion with 1 ½ tablespoons of marinara.

Divide the mozzarella evenly among the chicken strip portions.

Divide the Parmesan among the chicken strip portions.

Set the oven to broil.

Broil for 3–5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and lightly browned.

Slice the slider buns in half.

Lightly brush half the buns with the garlic butter.

Place the chicken on the buttered buns.

Add the top buns.

Brush the tops with the garlic butter and serve.

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Although this recipe offers a welcome level of convenience thanks to its use of breaded chicken strips, it still requires the use of an oven. If you'd prefer to forgo the oven entirely and make the recipe even simpler, then using an air fryer is your best bet. To start, you'll need to heat up those frozen chicken strips, so follow the package's instructions for air fryer cooking. 

Next, you'll need to prepare the slider bases themselves, which can also be cooked in the air fryer. At this point, you may need to get creative since a baking sheet won't fit into the air fryer. But you can still prepare the chicken bases the same way, topping them with marinara sauce and the cheeses, and then carefully transfer to the air fryer and cook at 325 F for about 3 to 5 minutes. Since the chicken is already fully cooked and heated through, you're just looking for adequate cheese meltage at this point. Keep in mind that you may have to work in batches depending on the size of your air fryer. This method is particularly ideal for making a smaller batch of these sliders.

There are plenty of ways to change up these chicken Parmesan sliders depending on your preferences and what you have on hand. To start, you could of course make your own breaded chicken tenders to use on the sliders, or you can use just about any type of chicken that you'd like. You can even skip the fried tenders and opt for grilled chicken, or use up any leftovers you may have.

Another easy way to switch things up is by using a different type of cheese. Parmesan is pretty essential here (it is in the name, after all), and I paired the Parm with mozzarella to keep things melty and classic. That said, provolone would work well in place of the mozzarella. You could also upgrade the other topping that goes onto the sliders, the marinara sauce, by way of heat. Opt for a spicy marinara or stir dried chiles into the mix for an added kick. Alternatively, top the sliders with jalapeño slices for even more of a spicy enhancement. Other potential topping ideas include fresh basil, roasted red peppers, or even caramelized onions for a rich decadent twist.

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