BBQ Baby Shower Chicken Sliders (Print Version)

Tender pulled chicken in tangy barbecue sauce on soft slider buns, perfect for parties and celebrations.

# Components:

→ Chicken

01 - 1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
02 - 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

→ BBQ Sauce

03 - 1 cup barbecue sauce
04 - 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
05 - 1 tbsp brown sugar
06 - 1 tsp smoked paprika
07 - 1/2 tsp garlic powder
08 - 1/2 tsp onion powder
09 - Salt and black pepper to taste

→ Slider Assembly

10 - 12 slider buns
11 - 1 cup coleslaw mix, optional
12 - 2 tbsp mayonnaise, optional
13 - 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar, optional
14 - 12 pickle slices, optional

# Directions:

01 - Place chicken breasts or thighs in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Add chicken broth and a pinch of salt. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, cover, and cook for 20-25 minutes until fully cooked and tender.
02 - Remove cooked chicken from pot and shred using two forks. Discard excess liquid from the pot.
03 - In a clean saucepan, combine barbecue sauce, apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper. Stir and heat over medium-low until warmed through.
04 - Add shredded chicken to the BBQ sauce. Mix well and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until chicken is hot and fully coated.
05 - In a small bowl, toss coleslaw mix with mayonnaise and apple cider vinegar. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
06 - Spoon pulled chicken onto the bottom half of each slider bun. Top with a spoonful of slaw and a pickle slice if desired. Place the top bun on each slider.
07 - Serve sliders immediately while warm.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • These sliders are so forgiving that even if you slightly overcook the chicken, the sauce and shredding technique mask it completely.
  • You can prep the pulled chicken hours ahead and reheat it, which means you're actually relaxed when guests arrive instead of frantically cooking.
  • The flavor tastes like you've been tending a slow cooker all day, but the whole thing takes under an hour.
02 -
  • If you use low-sodium broth, taste the final sauce before serving—most bottled barbecue sauces are already salted, and you don't want to over-correct and end up with something inedible.
  • Shredding chicken while it's still warm is genuinely easier and takes half the time compared to shredding cold chicken, which is something nobody tells you but changes everything once you try it.
03 -
  • Use a combination of chicken breasts and thighs if your grocery store sells them that way—thighs add richness while breasts keep the fat content reasonable, and you get the best texture from both.
  • If your barbecue sauce is already thick and intensely sweet, thin it slightly with extra apple cider vinegar instead of additional sauce, which deepens the flavor without making it cloyingly sweet.
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