Description
These Nashville Hot Chicken Sliders feature spicy, crispy, juicy fried chicken tenders coated in a flavorful Nashville hot sauce, served on soft slider buns with cool coleslaw, tangy pickles, and a creamy slider sauce. Perfect for a spicy snack or a fun party appetizer.
Ingredients
Scale
Chicken Marinade / Dredge
- 6–8 chicken tenders
- 2 egg whites
- 1 cup buttermilk (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
- 2 inches vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok for frying
Nashville Hot Sauce
- 2–3 tablespoon cayenne pepper (adjust for spice preference)
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 ½ tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ cup hot vegetable oil (from the deep frying skillet)
Coleslaw
- 1 ½ 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
Instructions
- Marinate the chicken: Prepare the chicken tenders by removing tendons and fat. If using mini slider buns, cut each tender into two halves to fit the buns. Whisk together the buttermilk, egg whites, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Add the chicken tenders and coat thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or overnight for best flavor.
- Prepare other components: While chicken marinates, make the coleslaw by mixing shredded cabbage, mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a bowl until combined. In a separate bowl, mix mayonnaise, ketchup, salt, and pepper for the slider sauce. Thinly slice the pickles.
- Coat the chicken: Mix flour, cornstarch, baking powder, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish. Remove chicken tenders one at a time from the marinade, shaking off excess liquid. Coat each piece with the flour mixture thoroughly, then dip back into the marinade briefly. Coat again in the flour mix for a double layer. Place coated pieces on a wire rack and let rest for about 20 minutes while the oil heats.
- Fry the chicken – First fry: Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat until it reaches 350°F (hot). Add about one third to half of the chicken pieces carefully. Fry for 5-6 minutes, flipping halfway, until cooked internally but light-colored. Remove and drain on a wire rack. Repeat for remaining chicken.
- Rest and second fry: Let the fried chicken rest for 10-15 minutes. Reheat the oil to 350°F. Fry the chicken again for 2-3 minutes to achieve a deep golden color and crispiness. Remove and drain on wire rack.
- Make Nashville hot sauce: In a bowl, combine cayenne pepper, paprika, brown sugar, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Carefully remove ½ cup of hot oil from the frying skillet and pour it over the spice mixture. Whisk well to combine.
- Coat chicken with hot sauce: As you remove the chicken from the skillet during the second fry, quickly dunk each piece into the Nashville hot sauce using tongs, coating all sides. Place coated chicken on a wire rack with a baking sheet underneath to catch drips.
- Assemble sliders: Warm slider buns on stovetop or microwave. Spread a generous amount of slider sauce on the bottom half, add sliced pickles, then place a piece of Nashville hot chicken. Top with coleslaw and cover with the top half of the bun. Serve immediately while hot.
Notes
- The sliders are best eaten fresh for maximum crispiness and flavor.
- You can halve the recipe if making fewer sliders.
- Chicken can be coated with flour and frozen for later frying.
- To reheat cooked chicken, use an air fryer at 300°F until crispy to restore texture.
- Adjust cayenne pepper quantity in the hot sauce to vary the spice level.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 mini slider
- Calories: 320 kcal
- Sugar: 3 g
- Sodium: 650 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 22 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 15 g
- Cholesterol: 55 mg
