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Blackened chicken is pan grilled to tender juicy perfection then piled high with crisp, smoky bacon, lettuce, tomato and red onion all drizzled in ranch dressing and sandwiched between sweet King’s Hawaiian slider buns smothered in garlic parmesan butter. These chicken bacon ranch sliders are a must for your next game day gathering!
Football season is officially here and from now until February it’s like one long Christmas season for me. I adore the excuse every Sunday to make some fun food, gather with family or friends and enjoy the camaraderie that football brings.
Some of my favorite football foods (aside from these incredible Blackened Chicken Bacon Ranch Sliders) I’ve made this year have been my Honey Mustard BLT Sliders, Beef Birria Sliders, Alabama White BBQ Sliders, and Popeye’s Spicy Sandwich Sliders. But not just sliders, I also have made some incredible dips that are absolute crowd favorites – Jalapeño Popper Hot Corn Dip, Caramelized Onion & Bacon Dip, and my Spicy Italian Sausage Dip.
Key Ingredients in Chicken Bacon Ranch Sliders:
Addictively delicious chicken sliders start with incredibly flavorful ingredients that shine. All these flavors come together in perfect harmony to pack a punch in every bite.
Blackened Seasoning – the flavor of this chicken lives in the seasoning! I don’t recommend skipping this homemade seasoning, but if time and ingredients are limited, you can substitute for store-bought blackened seasoning.
Chicken – we use chicken breasts or tenders for this recipe. If using chicken breasts, it’s important to cut them in half horizontally and pound to an even 1/4 inch thickness. This is imperative in them cooking evenly and resulting in juicy chicken.
Bacon – cooked until crispy perfection. I use a full, standard sized pack for this recipe. It yield about 1 1/2 strips of bacon per slider (plus a little extra for snacking while you cook).
Ranch – be sure to use your favorite delicious ranch on these sliders. If it’s not one you enjoy on salad, then it won’t be great on these sliders. Marie’s, Marzetti, and Litehouse are my top choices.
King’s Hawaiian Rolls – sweet and tender Hawaiian slider buns are the way to go. It’s the perfect sweetness to pair with the smoky bacon and the flavorful blackened seasonings.
Cheese – cheddar or colby jack is the way to go on these sliders. But use you favorite cheese, just avoid anything over powering or too smoky like gouda. It will be too much with the already smoky bacon.
Fresh Toppings – crunchy fresh lettuce, red onions, and tomato slices.
Buttery Garlic Parm topping – A combination of melted butter, fresh garlic and chopped parsley are smothered over the tops of the sweet slider buns. Then a sprinkle of parmesan is added and these are broiled in the oven.
How to Make these Chicken Sliders:
This is a 30-minute chicken bacon ranch slider recipe is rather simple to make. Here are the easy steps (the printable recipe card is toward the bottom of this post):
Step 1: Prep Ingredients
I prefer to cook my bacon in the oven. While it’s cooking, get your chicken pounded thin, rubbing it with a little olive oil and seasoning it well on all sides. Then let it sit while you prep all other ingredients. Chop your veggies and make the garlic butter.
Step 2: Cook Chicken
Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom, then add in the chicken, cooking for about 3 minutes or until it has a dark brown (“blackened”) sear on the under side. Flip only once. Reduce the heat to low and add a pat of butter. Allow to cook for another 5-7 minutes or until the internal temp reaches 165 degrees.
Step 3: Assemble Sliders
Broil the sliders in the oven. Add cheese to the bottom buns and spread the tops with the garlic butter mixture, add parm. Then broil until the cheese melts. Add the chicken to the bottom buns, top with bacon. Flip the top buns upside down and add additional cheese to the top buns. Broil again to melt the cheese on the top buns and warm the bacon and chicken.
Add a drizzle of ranch, then the tomato slices, red onions, and lettuce. I like to hit it with another pass of ranch dressing, just a little drizzle. Slice and serve! You may want to use sandwich sized toothpicks for easier handling.
What is Blackened Seasonings? Is it Spicy?
Blackened seasoning is actually a cajun/creole seasoning that is commonly applied to chicken, fish, shrimp, etc. Blackening actually refers to the cooking process. You cook the meat until it gets a gorgeous dark char – not to be confused with a burnt char. You don’t burn your meat here, otherwise it would be very bitter, unpleasant tasting and likely overcooked and dry.
Blackened seasoning is a BOLD mixture of herbs and chili powders. I would consider it powerful and robust rather than spicy. It has spice and warmth, but it’s not a spicy seasoning (unless you are sensitive to heat). You can adjust the heat to your liking.
Tools I Love:
Lodge Cast Iron Skillet
Disposable Cutting Boards
Kings Hawaiian Sweet Slider Buns
Black Chef Gloves
Looking for More Football Food?
Alabama White Chicken Sliders
Popeye’s Spicy Chicken Sandwich Sliders
Cowboy Butter Steak Sliders
Jalapeño Popper Hot Corn Dip
I hope you enjoyed this Blackened Chicken Bacon Ranch recipe! I look forward to your questions and feedback below. Please be sure to tag me @BadBatchBaking using hashtag #badbatchbaking if you made this recipe and I will feature you on my story! Plus, I LOVE to see your baking accomplishments.
Blackened Chicken Bacon Ranch Sliders
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. chicken breast tenders or boneless thighs can work too
- 1 pack Kings Hawaiian slider buns, dinner rolls or hamburger buns sliced in half horizontally if not already pre-sliced
- ranch dressing a quality brand for best taste
- 8 strips bacon, cooked crisp
- 10 deli slices colby jack cheese
- 1/2 head lettuce, shredded iceberg or romaine
- 1/2 small red onion, sliced thin
- 2 Roma tomatoes, sliced thin
- 2-3 tablespoons oil
My Blackened Seasoning
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika or regular
- 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
Butter Topping
- 5 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 2 tablespoons parmesan, grated or shredded
Instructions
Prep the Ingredients
- Cut breasts in half horizontally, pound evenly to 1/4 inch thick. Cut each piece in half vertically to create slider sized pieces. Place into a large zip-top bag or bowl.
- Add several tablespoons of blackened seasoning and a few tablespoons of olive oil. Mix to coat them evenly, making sure they are well seasoned on all sides. Allow to marinate while prepping other ingredients.
- Mix together the butter garlic and parsley in a bowl. Heat together for 20 seconds in the microwave or until partially melted. Set aside.
Cook the Chicken
- Cook chicken in an oiled skillet over medium-high for about 3 minutes or until they are perfectly charred on the underside (not burnt). Flip once and reduce heat to low. Add one tablespoon of garlic butter mixture into the pan and allow it to melt with the chicken as it cooks, about 5-6 minutes or until internal temp reaches 165 degrees.
Assemble Sliders
- Place sliders cut-side up onto a baking sheet and toast under a broiler until golden brown, just a few minutes.
- Flip the top buns so the domed tops are facing up and leave them beside the bottom buns on the pan. Spread the tops with garlic butter, sprinkle on parmesan. To the bottom buns, add an even layer of cheese. Broil until cheese softens, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the chicken evenly among the bottom buns and top them with bacon. Flip the top buns and add an even layer of cheese. Return the pan to the broiler to melt the cheese and warm the chicken and bacon, another minute or two.
- Drizzle on ranch, then add tomato slices, red onions and lettuce. Another drizzle of ranch over the lettuce. Add top buns on, slice and serve. Use sandwich-sized toothpicks for easier handling.
