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Hot Honey Garlic Chicken Sliders

This recipe for Hot Honey Garlic Chicken Sliders is a delicious blend of garlicky, sweet and subtly spicy perfection! 
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time40 minutes
Refrigeration Time1 hour
Servings: 6 Sliders

Ingredients

Chicken Marinade

  • 3 large chicken breasts, cut in half for (6) pieces (see notes)
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1/4 cup pickle juice
  • 1 large egg, whisked
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp smoked or regular paprika
  • 1/2 tsp salt, adjust to taste
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, optional

Dredging Mixture and Frying

  • 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt, adjust to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked or regular paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
  • 2 to 3 cups avocado or vegetable oil

Hot Honey Garlic Sauce

  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 1/2 cup hot sauce
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked or regular paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, adjust to taste

Assembly 

  • 6 slider buns, see notes
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
  • dill pickle slices
  • spicy mayo
  • fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • salt to taste

Instructions

Crispy Fried Chicken

  • In a large mixing bowl, add the chicken, buttermilk, pickle juice, egg, and seasonings. Mix to combine, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or overnight.
  • In a separate large mixing bowl, make dredging mixture by whisk together the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and seasonings.
  • Double coat the marinaded chicken pieces one at a time by first coating in flour mixture, then dipping the entire chicken into the marinade (wet batter) and lastly back into the flour mixture. You want to make sure that the chicken is entirely coated in the flour mixture. Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet and let rest for 10 minutes. Preheat oven to 200F.
  • Heat oil to 350F in a pan or skillet over medium high heat. In batches, fry the chicken pieces until crispy and golden brown, about 4-5 minutes per side. The internal temperature of the chicken should be at least 165F. Transfer fried chicken to a wire rack placed over a parchment lined sheet pan.
  • Once all chicken pieces are done frying, transfer sheet pan to the oven to keep chicken warm as the sauce is prepared.

Hot Honey Garlic Sauce

  • In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add and sauté the garlic until fragrant, 1-2 min. Pour in the hot sauce, honey and spices. Stir to combine and bring to a low boil. Cook sauce for 3-4 min while stirring to thicken up slightly. Remove from heat. Set aside.

Assembly

  • In a large skillet over medium high heat, melt (2) tablespoons of butter. In batches, toast the slider buns, remove from heat and set aside.
  • Remove chicken from oven. Using a pastry brush or spoon, coat both sides of the chicken in the hot honey garlic sauce.
  • On the bottom half of the buns, spread some spicy mayo, place coated chicken pieces on top, drizzle over some of the hot honey garlic sauce, top with pickle slices and close sliders with top half of buns.
  • In a small skillet, melt the remaining (1) tablespoon of butter, add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and mix in finely chopped parsley and salt to taste.
  • Using a pastry brush, top slider buns with a generous coating of the garlic butter. Serve sliders as is or with extra spicy mayo for dipping. Enjoy!

Notes

  • Cut chicken breast pieces should measure 3 to 3 1/2 inches long to fit in slider buns. If whole chicken breast measures longer than 7 inches, trim it so that when cut in half it measures between 3 to 3 1/2 inches long. 
  • For the best results, use a candy/deep fry thermometer to make sure that the temperature of the oil does not go over 350F. This will help prevent over browning before chicken pieces are fully cooked. For reference, the internal temperature of the chicken should be 165F when fully cooked. 
  • I used my homemade brioche slider buns recipe but any store-bought slider buns will work as well. 
  • I like to use my homemade spicy mayo to pair with these sliders.