Description

These Nashville Hot Chicken Sliders feature spicy, crispy, juicy fried chicken nestled inside soft slider buns along with tangy coleslaw, sliced pickles, and a flavorful homemade sauce. Perfect for serving as a crowd-pleasing appetizer or main course, these sliders capture authentic Nashville hot chicken flavor with a double-fry technique and a vibrant cayenne-spiced oil sauce.

Ingredients

Scale

Chicken Marinade / Dredge

6-8 chicken tenders
2 egg whites
1 cup buttermilk (240g) (can be made with 1 cup milk + 1 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice)
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

Approximately 2 inches vegetable oil (for frying)

Nashville Hot Sauce

2-3 tbsp cayenne pepper (adjust to taste)
1 tbsp paprika
1½ tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
½ cup hot vegetable oil (fresh from frying skillet)

Coleslaw

1½ cups shredded cabbage (mix of purple and green)
⅓ cup mayonnaise
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp vinegar
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper

Slider Sauce

¼ cup mayonnaise
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

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Instructions

Marinate the Chicken: Remove tendons and excess fat from the chicken tenders. If making mini sliders, cut each tender in half to fit buns. Mix buttermilk, egg whites, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Add chicken tenders and coat well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight for best flavor.
Prepare Other Components: While chicken marinates, mix shredded cabbage with mayo, sugar, vinegar, salt, and pepper to make coleslaw. Mix mayo, ketchup, salt, and pepper in a separate bowl to create slider sauce. Thinly slice pickles for assembling later.
Coat the Chicken: Combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish. Remove chicken tender from marinade and shake off excess liquid. Dip into flour mixture completely, shake off excess. Dip back into marinade briefly, then coat again in flour mixture for a double coating. Place coated tenders on a wire rack. Allow to rest for 20 minutes while heating oil.
Fry the Chicken - First Fry: Heat vegetable oil in a deep skillet or wok to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Fry 1/3 to 1/2 of the chicken tenders for 5-6 minutes, flipping halfway, until cooked through but still pale. Remove and drain on wire rack. Repeat with remaining chicken.
Rest Between Fries: Let the chicken rest for 10-15 minutes after the first fry to develop texture and prepare for crispiness.
Fry the Chicken - Second Fry: Reheat oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Fry chicken tenders again for 2-3 minutes until they turn deep golden brown and achieve a crispy crust. Remove and drain on wire rack.
Make Nashville Hot Sauce: In a bowl, mix cayenne pepper, paprika, brown sugar, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Carefully ladle ½ cup of hot frying oil into the spices and whisk quickly to emulsify the sauce.
Coat Chicken with Sauce: Using tongs, dunk each fried chicken piece into the hot Nashville sauce, coating all sides evenly. Place coated chicken back onto the wire rack to drain excess sauce, with a baking sheet underneath to catch drips.
Assemble Sliders: Warm slider buns briefly on stovetop or microwave. Spread generous amounts of slider sauce on the bottom half of each bun. Top with sliced pickles, Nashville hot chicken, and a generous spoonful of coleslaw. Cover with the top bun half.
Serve: Serve sliders immediately while hot and enjoy the spicy, crispy, juicy flavors.

Notes

Nashville hot chicken sliders are best enjoyed fresh for optimal crispiness and flavor.
You can make a half batch of chicken if fewer servings are desired.
For convenience, the coated chicken can be frozen before frying for later use.
To reheat cooked sliders, use an air fryer at 300 degrees Fahrenheit until crispy.
Adjust cayenne pepper amount in the sauce to suit your preferred spice heat level.
Use mini slider buns for appetizer-size portions or full-sized buns for large sandwiches.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 mini slider
Calories: 320 kcal
Sugar: 4 g
Sodium: 600 mg
Fat: 18 g
Saturated Fat: 4 g
Unsaturated Fat: 14 g
Trans Fat: 0 g
Carbohydrates: 22 g
Fiber: 1 g
Protein: 18 g
Cholesterol: 70 mg