Jalapeno Ranch Chicken Sliders Recipe
These Jalapeño Ranch Chicken Sliders are the ultimate hot, cheesy party appetizer that always disappears fast. Tender seasoned chicken is mixed with a creamy ranch filling, fresh sautéed jalapeños, and plenty of melty Monterey Jack cheese, then piled onto soft pretzel slider buns and baked until warm and golden.
Servings: 12
Calories: 224kcal
Ingredients
- 12 pretzel slider buns
- 1 lb chicken tenders
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2-1 tsp black pepper more of less to taste
- 1 tsp coarse kosher salt more of less to taste
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 8 oz Monterrey jack cheese block split in 2, half grated and half sliced
- 1/4 cup diced green onion
- 2 Tbsp minced parsley
- 3 jalapeno peppers seeded and diced
- 1 oz ranch seasoning mix
Topping:
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter melted
- 1-2 tsp coarse kosher salt to taste
- 1 Tbsp dried minced garlic
- 1 Tbsp dried minced jalapeno peppers optional
Instructions
Prepare chicken:
- Season the chicken tenders with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Preheat a cooking pan over medium to medium-low heat and add the seasoned tenders. Cook for 3-4 minutes per side, until just done. (Chicken internal temperature should be 165℉ when done.) Take the chicken out and set it aside to cool a little.
Jalapenos:
- Slice jalapeno peppers in half, lengthwise, and take the seeds and membrane out. (You can keep some seeds if you'd like spicier filling.)
- Dice the jalapeno pepper halves and cook them in the same pan as the chicken with a little oil. Cook until the jalapeno peppers are softened, and then take them out of the pan, into a mixing bowl.
Prepare Filling for Sliders:
- Dice chicken into small pieces and add it to the mixing bowl with jalapeno peppers.
- Slice half of the Monterrey Jack cheese into thin slices and grate the other half on the cheese grater.
- Add in cream cheese, grated half of the Monterrey Jack cheese, green onion, parsley, and ranch seasoning into the mixing bowl with diced chicken and jalapenos.
- Mix everything well together, until evenly combined.
To Make the Sliders:
- Preheat the oven to 350℉.
- Cut slider buns in half and pinch some of the soft inside of the bread out of the top and bottom halves. Be careful not to make any holes. Pro tip: save the inside pieces of the slider buns, spread them on a baking sheet, and let them dry out. Use it either as bread crumbs for meatballs or as crouton pieces in salads.
- Grease a 9x13 baking pan lightly and place all the bottom slider buns.
- Add even amounts of the jalapeno ranch chicken filling into each bottom of the bun.
- Top each off with a thin slice or two of Monterrey Jack cheese and top it off with the other half of the slider bun.
- Brush each top bun with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse salt, dried minced garlic, and dried minced jalapenos, if using.
- Bake at 350℉ for about 20 minutes.
Notes
- Make the Filling Ahead: you can easily make the filling ahead of time and store it in an air-tight food storage container, in the refrigerator.
- Make Sliders Ahead: You can also prep the sliders the day ahead but note the bottom bun may get a little soft. Arrange the filled sliders in the baking dish and cover the pan air-tight. Refrigerate for a day. When ready to bake, take the cover off and bake as instructed but add 5 more minutes to bake time.
- Storing: Store leftover sliders in the refrigerator, covered air-tight, for 3-4 days.
- Reheat: You can reheat in the microwave for a few seconds or in the oven for a few minutes at 350F. Or, enjoy them cold!
Nutrition
Calories: 224kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 804mg | Potassium: 236mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 939IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 167mg | Iron: 1mg