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These Cheesy Pesto Chicken Sliders are the perfect party appetizer! This shredded chicken recipe makes for a great quick dinner or easy lunch.
These Chicken Pesto Sliders are fun, delicious, and great for a party! Melty mozzarella covers the delicious creamy, herby chicken for a tender, extremely flavorful sandwich. These are super filling, warm, and comforting. They’re kid-friendly and can be made quickly with leftover or rotisserie chicken, so it’s a great option for beginner cooks and busy families.
These work especially well as a leftover lunch. The filling doesn’t have an excessive amount of moisture, so the rolls or slider buns you use won’t become too soggy for a couple of days. You could easily prepare the sliders ahead of time, then bake them up fresh for dinner or a fun get-together! These tasty little sandwiches are versatile, simple, and so tasty!
Ingredients
Here’s a quick overview of what you’ll need for this recipe. For exact measurements, keep scrolling down to the printable recipe card.
- Cooked, shredded chicken – I used rotisserie chicken for this recipe, but you can use any chopped or shredded chicken.
- Cream cheese, Garlic powder, Basil pesto – These get mixed together to create a perfectly creamy, flavorful sauce to cover the chicken. You can use full-fat or low-fat cream cheese without any difference in texture. You can use store-bought pesto, but we love this homemade pesto recipe.
- Slider rolls – I used Sara Lee Artesano Bread rolls for this recipe, and they work perfectly! You can use other dinner rolls or slider buns. You can use Hawaiian rolls, but they add a sweet flavor that doesn’t complement the pesto very well.
- Shredded mozzarella cheese – Cheese that you shred from a block will melt better than the pre-shredded bagged version, but both work fine in this recipe.
- Unsalted butter, Dried basil – These are the finishing touches added for fantastic flavor! You could use Italian seasoning if you prefer.
How to make Chicken Pesto Sliders
These little sliders come together so easily! Here’s a step-by-step tutorial for making these tasty party bites. Start by preheating the oven to 375 degrees F and greasing a 9″x13″ baking dish.
Make pesto cream cheese mixture
In a large bowl, combine the melted cream cheese, garlic powder, and a 1/4 cup of the pesto sauce. Once well combined, toss in the shredded chicken. Stir mixture until chicken is evenly coated and set aside.
Slice rolls
Slice your package of rolls in half like you would for hamburgers or a sandwich. Set the tops of the buns aside. Separate the bottoms of the buns into 12 equal pieces and place them next to one another in the bottom of the baking dish.
Note: You don’t have to separate the bottoms of the rolls, but it makes it much easier to separate and serve the sliders after baking.
Fill the rolls
Spread the remaining pesto sauce over the bottom buns. Add the pesto chicken mixture evenly over the buns, then add your shredded mozzarella cheese, covering all 12 buns evenly. Place the 12 bun tops back on, closing the chicken mixture inside.
Brush & Bake
Brush the melted butter over the tops of the rolls, then sprinkle the basil over. Cover the dish with foil, then bake for 25 minutes. Remove the cover and continue baking an additional 5 minutes to brown the tops of the rolls.
Serve
These sliders are best served fresh from the oven, preferably with your favorite potato chips or zucchini fries and some Jalapeno Ranch. These would also be great with some air fryer carrots or these bacon wrapped jalapeno poppers! This Cranberry Apple Kale Salad is an easy, festive side dish you’ll love as well.
Storage and Reheating Instructions
Leftovers can be stored for about 2 days in the refrigerator. The buns are crispier in this recipe than the buffalo chicken sliders because they don’t have the same amount of moisture, so they hold up longer in the fridge! Store in an airtight container with a paper towel to soak up any excess moisture that could make the rolls become too soggy.
You can microwave leftovers in 30-second increments until warmed throughout, but this will soften your rolls. Alternatively, you could warm leftovers in a baking dish (covered) on 350 for 5-15 minutes depending on how many you’re heating up at once.
Chicken Slider FAQ’s
These can definitely be made to fit a gluten free restriction or keto diet! Simply replace the rolls with a gluten free and/or keto bread. You could use a store-bought brand, or you could try Keto Dinner Rolls or make large Keto Three Cheese Biscuits to use instead.
Yes, these can be made up to 2 days in advance, perfect for when you’re preparing for a hectic couple of days. This is especially great when you’re planning for a party but don’t want to do all of the cooking right at the last minute!
More party favorites with chicken
Cheesy Pesto Chicken Sliders
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked chicken , shredded
- 4 oz cream cheese , melted
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- ½ cup basil pesto , divided
- 12 slider rolls
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter , melted
- 2 tsp basil dry
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9×13 baking dish and set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the melted cream cheese, garlic powder, and ¼ cup of the pesto.
- Toss the shredded chicken in the pesto mixture, coating evenly. Set aside.
- Slice your package of rolls in half horizontally (hamburger style) and set the tops of the buns aside. Separate the bottoms of the buns into 12 equal pieces (this makes it much easier to serve the sliders when they’re done cooking) and set them in the bottom of the baking dish. Spread the remaining ¼ cup pesto sauce over the bottom buns.
- Spread the pesto chicken mixture over the buns evenly.
- Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella cheese over the pesto chicken, then set the 12 bun tops on top.
- Brush with the melted butter, then sprinkle with the dry basil.
- Cover and bake for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, uncover and bake an additional 5 minutes to brown the tops of the buns.
- Slice and serve!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
