Each slider holds one thick piece of fried chicken. The chicken breast is cut into eight pieces, soaked briefly in buttermilk, pressed into a flour and panko coating and deep-fried until craggy and golden.
The sauce is a quick mix of mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce and sriracha, and a tangle of red and green cabbage tossed with rice vinegar and sugar keeps each bite crisp and fresh.
Ingredient Notes
- Chicken breast
- A pound and a half cut into 8 pieces sized to fit the rolls.
- Mayonnaise
- Half a cup of commercial mayonnaise, so the sauce contains no raw egg.
- Green and red cabbage
- Two cups finely shredded; the mix of colours is part of the look of the slider.
How to Make It
Chicken in buttermilk, oil heating
Marinate the chicken in the buttermilk for 15 minutes while the frying oil heats to 350°F.
Pressed into the coating
Combine the flour, panko, salt, paprika and garlic powder. Drain each piece of chicken and press it firmly into the coating.
Fried to 165°F
Fry in batches at 350°F until crisp, deep golden and 165°F in the center, about 4 to 6 minutes depending on thickness. Drain on a rack.
Sauce and slaw mixed
Whisk the mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce and sriracha for the sauce. Toss the cabbage with the rice vinegar and sugar.
Sliders assembled
Split the slider rolls and fill each with a piece of fried chicken, cabbage slaw, sauce and sliced green onion.
Building One Slider
Every roll gets the same four components.
What goes into one slider
Split slider roll
The base and lid.
Fried chicken piece
One thick, crisp piece straight from the rack.
Cabbage slaw
A small tangle of the vinegar-dressed red and green cabbage.
Sauce and green onion
A drizzle of the sweet chili mayo and a pinch of sliced green onion.
Close with the top of the roll and serve while the chicken is still crisp.
Success Tips
- Fry no more than three or four slider pieces at a time so the oil stays close to 350°F.
- Let excess buttermilk drip off each piece before coating; too much makes the panko crust slide off.
- Toss the cabbage slaw while the chicken fries so it has a few minutes to soften slightly in the vinegar.
Why This Recipe Works
- Fifteen minutes in buttermilk helps the coating stick and keeps the chicken moist through frying.
- Mixing panko into the flour gives a rough, crunchy crust with plenty of ridges.
- The sharp vinegar slaw cuts through the rich fried chicken and creamy sauce.
Serving Ideas
Line the sliders up on a board with extra sauce on the side for dipping.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate
Keep leftover fried chicken, slaw and sauce separately in the refrigerator and re-crisp the chicken in a hot oven before assembling.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is in the sauce?
Mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce and sriracha whisked together.
What oil temperature should I use?
Keep the oil near 350°F and fry in batches until the chicken reads 165°F in the center.
