Chicken Parmesan sliders are the best party food! And so easy to make, with juicy breaded chicken tenders layered between fluffy Hawaiian rolls with marinara sauce and melty mozzarella cheese. These crispy, cheesy sandwiches are ready to eat in 30 minutes and are perfect for feeding a crowd on game day.
If you love these chicken parmesan sliders, try my cheeseburger sliders and pulled pork sliders next.
Football season is right around the corner. This means game day food!! And for my chicken parmesan fans out there, I know you’re going to love today’s chicken parmesan sliders. Crispy, shallow-fried chicken smothered in tomato sauce and cheese, stuffed into a soft, sweet, buttery roll? Yes, please! I like to serve these baked chicken sliders with pizza rolls, feta dip, and pigs in a blanket at our annual football parties. Don’t be surprised when they become your most-requested appetizer at your parties, too.
Chicken Parmesan Sliders Are the Perfect Party Food
- Plates optional (napkins recommended!). Everyone can grab and eat their sliders by hand.
- Easy to assemble. Prepping the ingredients for these sliders takes about 20 minutes, and they bake quickly, just enough to heat through and melt the cheese.
- Homemade or semi-homemade. Make these chicken parmesan sliders from scratch with homemade Hawaiian rolls, marinara sauce, and freshly-breaded chicken. Or, take a shortcut with store-bought rolls and even frozen chicken nuggets. They turn out delicious either way!
Ingredients You’ll Need to Make This Recipe
Here are the ingredients needed to make these easy Italian-inspired chicken parmesan sliders. Scroll to the printable recipe card for the full amounts and recipe details.
- Chicken – Boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs are best, since we’ll cut them into chicken nugget-sized 2-3″ chunks.
- Egg – For an egg wash, to help the breading adhere.
- Breadcrumbs – I use Italian breadcrumbs. You can use plain breadcrumbs and mix in Italian seasoning to taste. Panko crumbs also work well.
- Vegetable Oil – Or another oil, like canola or peanut oil, with a high smoke point for frying.
- Slider Rolls – I always turn to King’s Hawaiian Rolls. Feel free to use your favorite brand. You can also make sliders with dinner rolls.
- Mozzarella Cheese – Freshly grated will have the meltiest results. Pre-grated works in a pinch. Other good cheese options include Provolone, Swiss, or white cheddar.
- Marinara Sauce – You can use homemade sauce OR jarred sauce. I always cheat a little here and use a pre-made sauce.
The Best Topping for Sliders
I like to finish my sliders by brushing the tops with herb butter before they go into the oven. Mix melted butter with grated parmesan, garlic powder, basil, and salt for extra flavor. I’ll use it on all my slider recipes, from these chicken parmesan sliders to Philly cheesesteak sliders.
How to Make Chicken Parmesan Sliders
Follow the steps below to crisp up the chicken and assemble and bake your chicken parmesan sliders. This recipe makes a huge tray of sliders, so you can absolutely cut the recipe in half to feed a smaller crowd.
Bread and Fry the Chicken
Take it from someone who fries chicken at home all the time: It’s easier than you think. Of course, you can certainly bake these as well (425ºF for 15-20 minutes), or cook your chicken following the directions for my air fryer chicken tenders. Or, crisp up a batch of frozen chicken nuggets, I won’t tell!
- Prepare the chicken. Slice the boneless chicken into 2-3″ pieces, about the same size as the rolls.
- Make a breading station. Next, whisk the eggs in one bowl, and add the seasoned breadcrumbs to another bowl.
- Bread the chicken. One at a time, dip the chicken pieces first into the egg wash, then into the breadcrumbs. You can even do this step in advance and refrigerate the breaded chicken until you’re ready to fry it.
- Fry. Heat about ¼” of oil in a skillet. Then, shallow-fry the chicken in batches until it’s crispy on all sides. Set the chicken aside while you prepare your sliders.
Assemble and Bake the Sliders
Take out a large roasting pan or baking dish, and let’s assemble these chicken parm sliders. If you’d like, line the pan with parchment paper for easier clean up.
- Prepare the rolls. Using a serrated knife, slice the sheet of Hawaiian rolls in half. Leave the bottoms of the rolls in the baking dish.
- Add cheese. Next, sprinkle shredded mozzarella on top of the rolls and place them in a 350ºF oven for a few minutes to melt the cheese. This makes the next step a little easier, which is spreading the marinara sauce on top.
- Spread the sauce. Spread the marinara sauce evenly over the melted cheese. The cheese acts as a barrier here, keeping the sauce from making the bottom rolls soggy.
- Add the chicken. Now, place a piece of crispy chicken on each roll.
- Finish assembling the sliders. Top the chicken with more sauce and more shredded cheese. Place the tops of the rolls on top to close the sliders.
- Brush with herb butter. Then, mix the parmesan and seasonings with melted butter. Drizzle or brush the herb butter over the rolls.
- Bake. Cover the pan with foil and bake these chicken parmesan sliders at 350ºF for 15 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for another 5 minutes to lightly brown the tops. Serve warm, and enjoy!
What to Serve With These Chicken Sliders
I like to serve a pan of steamy chicken sliders as the “main” with more party appetizers, like mini corn dogs, cheeseburger dip, air fryer mac and cheese balls, and cheesecake dip for something sweet.
Cheesy chicken parmesan sliders are also decidedly kid-approved! I’ll make these for a quick weeknight dinner with a side of sweet potato fries or air fryer green beans.
How to Store
- Refrigerate leftovers. Store these chicken parmesan sliders covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Reheat. Return the sliders to the oven to reheat at 350ºF until they’re warmed through. You can also warm them quickly in the microwave.
More Favorite Appetizer Recipes
Chicken Parmesan Sliders
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: serves 12 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
These chicken parmesan sliders are the best party food! A delicious game day appetizer or kid-friendly dinner that’s great for feeding a crowd.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breasts, sliced thin and cut into 2-3 inch squares (24 pieces)
- 2 eggs
- 1 1/2 cups Italian Bread Crumbs
- vegetable oil for frying
- 24 slider rolls (I used King’s Hawaiian)
- 4 cups grated mozzarella cheese
- 3 cups marinara sauce
Topping
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup butter, melted
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs. Set aside. Pour the breadcrumbs into another medium bowl. Dip each piece of chicken into the egg and allow excess to drip off, and then into the breadcrumbs to coat. Transfer to a clean plate and repeat the process with all the chicken pieces.
- Fill a large skillet about 1/4 inch deep with vegetable oil and heat on medium until the oil is 350°. I place the handle of a wooden spoon into the oil and if bubbles form immediately, the oil is ready. Fry the chicken in batches, about 3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Transfer to a paper towel lined plate.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Lightly coat an 11×15 baking dish with nonstick spray. Cut the slider rolls in half, if they are not cut. Place the bottom rolls in the pan. Top rolls with 2 cups of cheese and place in the oven for 3-5 minutes, just long enough to melt the cheese. Remove the pan from the oven and spread half of the marinara sauce on top of the cheese. Place a piece of chicken on each bun. Top with the rest of the marinara and then the rest of the cheese. Place on the top buns.
- In a medium bowl, combine the Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, basil, and salt. Stir in the melted butter. Pour this mixture evenly on top of all the buns.
- Cover the pan with aluminum foil. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 5 minutes, or until all the cheese is melted and the buns are lightly toasted.
- Serve warm.
Notes
This recipe is written to feed a large group. You can easily half the recipe for a family dinner.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 485
- Sugar: 10.6 g
- Sodium: 1224.1 mg
- Fat: 19.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 54 g
- Protein: 22.8 g
- Cholesterol: 63.5 mg
Was excited thinking this would be something grandchildren would like due to the “finger-food” appeal here and it sounded good. I would say that our family’s 1st reaction was that this had way too much bread and needed more sauce to avoid the cloying bread taste. I don’t think i’ll be trying this one again as food is so expensive these days and it’s hard to waste food.
What brand chicken nuggets do I use for this when I’m feeling lazy but wanna be awesome
I have used Tyson before 🙂
This sounds like a winner, but I think I would probably use a rotisserie.chicken, using that shredded chicken instead of the nugget style. Yes, I’d miss the lovely breading, but I think it is worth s try!
That would work great!
I made this on Saturday and my husband and our guests could not stop raving! In fact, it was so good that hubby begged me to make it again yesterday (2 days later)–so I did! It’s delish, thanks for sharing!
Hi! If I wanted to bake the chicken pieces, any idea approx how long that would take and at what temp? Thank you these look yummy!
Wooo!!! Football season!! Football sandwiches!!! Totally making these this weekend!!!
Can you make this ahead (eg, do it all up until step 5, and then finish it off the next day)?
Yes! You might need to bake them a little longer if coming from cold, but that should work!