Description
These Nashville Hot Chicken Sliders deliver crispy, juicy fried chicken coated in a spicy, flavorful hot sauce, nestled inside soft slider buns with crisp coleslaw, tangy pickles, and a creamy slider sauce. Perfect for a flavorful snack or party appetizer.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken Marinade / Dredge
- 6-8 chicken tenders
- 2 egg whites
- 1 cup buttermilk (240g) (1 cup milk + 1 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice as substitute)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
Flour Coating / Breading
- 1 cup all purpose flour (130g)
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
Deep Frying
- 2 inches vegetable oil for frying
Nashville Hot Sauce
- 2-3 tbsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 ½ tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ cup hot vegetable oil (from frying skillet)
Coleslaw
- 1 ½ cups shredded cabbage (mix of purple and green)
- ⅓ cup mayo
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp vinegar
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
Slider Sauce
- ¼ cup mayo
- ¼ cup ketchup
- Pinch of salt
- Pinch of pepper
Assembly
- 12 mini slider buns or 6-8 full sized buns
- 2-4 pickles, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Marinade: Prep the chicken tenders by removing any tendons or fat. If using mini slider buns, cut each tender in half so they fit the buns. In a bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg whites, salt, and pepper until well combined. Add the chicken tenders, mix thoroughly, cover, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight for best flavor.
- Prep Other Components: While the chicken marinates, prepare coleslaw by mixing shredded cabbage, mayo, sugar, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Separately mix slider sauce ingredients: mayo, ketchup, salt, and pepper. Thinly slice the pickles for assembly.
- Coating / Breading: In a shallow bowl or plate, mix flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Remove chicken from marinade one piece at a time, shaking off excess liquid. Dip into flour mix, coating both sides thoroughly. Shake off excess flour, then return to marinade briefly. Shake off excess again, then coat with flour mixture a second time. Place coated tenders on a wire rack. Repeat for all pieces. Let rest for about 20 minutes while heating oil.
- First Fry: Heat vegetable oil in a deep skillet or wok to 350 degrees Fahrenheit over medium-high heat. Carefully add one-third to one-half of the chicken tenders to the oil and fry for 5-6 minutes, flipping halfway through, until cooked inside but light in color. Remove and drain on wire rack while frying remaining tenders.
- Rest Between Fries: Allow the chicken to rest for 10-15 minutes after the first fry to help develop crispiness during the second fry.
- Second Fry: Maintain oil temperature around 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Fry chicken for an additional 2-3 minutes to achieve a deep golden brown color and crispy texture. Remove and drain on wire rack.
- Prepare Nashville Hot Sauce: In a bowl, combine cayenne pepper, paprika, brown sugar, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. When chicken is nearly done with second fry, carefully transfer ½ cup of hot oil from skillet into bowl with spices. Whisk thoroughly to create the hot sauce.
- Coat Chicken with Sauce: Using tongs, quickly dunk each fried chicken piece into the hot sauce, coating evenly on all sides. Place back on wire rack set over baking sheet to catch drippings.
- Assembly: Warm slider buns in microwave or on stovetop. Spread generous amount of slider sauce on bottom half of each bun, layer with sliced pickles, place the Nashville hot chicken on top, add a generous helping of coleslaw, then finish with bun tops. Serve immediately while hot.
Notes
- For best flavor and texture, eat sliders fresh after assembly.
- You can halve the recipe if making fewer sliders.
- Chicken can be coated and frozen before frying; fry from frozen when ready.
- To reheat fried chicken and restore crispiness, use an air fryer at 300 degrees Fahrenheit until crispy.
- Adjust cayenne pepper quantity in hot sauce to control spiciness.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slider
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 650 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 1.5 g
- Protein: 15 g
- Cholesterol: 55 mg
