Irresistible Pull Apart Chicken Pesto Sliders
It’s like a Caprese salad come to life in slider form! These chicken pesto sliders feature an incredible pesto mayo sauce, thinly sliced chicken breast, juicy tomato and melty mozzarella. They do triple duty as a perfect appetizer for football season, a simple sandwich for a picnic lunch or paired with a veggie for an easy dinner!
- 1 Notes from Erica:
- 2 Simple Ingredients You’ll Need to Make Pesto Chicken Sliders:
- 3 How to Make This Slider Recipe:
- 4 Serving Ideas for Chicken Pesto Sliders:
- 5 Expert Tips and Variation Ideas:
- 6 FAQs
- 7 If you love these chicken pesto sliders and need more ideas for your next party, I got you! 👇🏼
- 8 Irresistible Pull Apart Chicken Pesto Sliders
Notes from Erica:
Although the weather is a bit chillier, we still have gorgeous sunshine here in the PNW which means grilling season is still going strong for me! The other week, I had a batch of this balsamic grilled chicken leftover and wanted to re-invent the leftover chicken into a new meal. Enter: chicken sliders.
It was Sunday, the air was crisp but the sun was shining, we went to the pumpkin patch in the morning and had friends over to watch football in the afternoon. A perfect fall day if you ask me. I told my husband I was making sliders for dinner/football food. When he came upstairs to snag some he was initially disappointed that I didn’t mean traditional cheeseburger sliders.
His mind was QUICKLY changed though. The soft bread, melty cheese, flavorful pesto, juicy tomatoes and balsamic grilled chicken come together to make mini sandwiches that are truly so, so good. I paired these with some Caesar green beans and sweet potato fries and DAYUMMMNNN. It might be slightly unconventional game day food, but it is MY kind of football food.
Our friends loved them. Hubs loved them. My littles loved them. I loved them. And now it’s your sign to make these chicken pesto sliders. 👊🏼
Simple Ingredients You’ll Need to Make Pesto Chicken Sliders:
Pesto: basil pesto is a simple sauce made with basil, pine nuts, garlic, lemon, Parmesan cheese and extra virgin olive oil. I love homemade pesto but you can also use store-bought pesto. I prefer the fresh pesto in the refrigerated deli section but jarred varieties are in the pasta aisle.
Mayo: any mayo will work here, I like a good-quality avocado oil mayo.
Dinner rolls: I recommend getting the type of slider rolls that you have to pull apart. I like the kind in the bakery section (vs the bread aisle).
Mozzarella: melty mozzarella cheese pairs perfectly with tomato, balsamic and pesto flavors. Other varieties that will work are provolone, fontina or Monterey jack. I like shredded cheese but you could also use slices of mozzarella cheese.
Chicken breast: I developed this recipe with a batch of leftover balsamic chicken which adds incredible flavor. However, the sliders are still incredible with basic cooked chicken breast. If you do use rotisserie chicken you could add a drizzle of balsamic glaze for that same tangy balsamic flavor.
Red onion: what’s a sandwich without red onion, amirite or amirite?? Slice it super thin so it doesn’t overpower!
Tomatoes: I like to use on the vine or roma tomatoes.
Seasoning: salt, pepper, butter and a good all-purpose seasoning are the only seasonings you’ll need. I use green goddess seasoning or 21 seasonings salute from good ole Trader Joe.
How to Make This Slider Recipe:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Whisk together pesto and mayo in a small bowl to make the pesto sauce.
Without pulling rolls apart, slice the entire block of dinner rolls in half lengthwise using a bread knife. Spread half of the pesto mayo on the bottom half of the slider buns and place on a baking sheet or large casserole dish. Sprinkle on half of the mozzarella, the thinly sliced chicken breast and red onion. Add the remaining mozzarella cheese. Spread the remaining pesto mayo on the top layer of rolls and place on top.
Use a pastry brush to brush the melted butter over the top of the sliders. Sprinkle with seasoning. Bake for 12-14 minutes until rolls are golden brown and cheese is melty. Season the tomato slices with pinches of salt and pepper.
Pull apart the chicken sliders and add a slice of tomato under the top bun. Serve hot and melty and ENJOYYY.
Serving Ideas for Chicken Pesto Sliders:
- As part of your party food spread– football, birthday or holiday party, any celebration, these are a crowd favorite!
- Pair with potato chips, sliced veggies and iced tea for a simple picnic.
- Serve with a green veggie of choice or side salad for an easy weeknight meal.
- Ditch the boring lunchtime sandwiches! Prep a pot of soup and you’ll be looking forward to your slider + soup lunches all week long.
Expert Tips and Variation Ideas:
- Use a serrated knife to get thin, even tomato slices and to slice the entire ‘loaf’ of rolls, without pulling them apart.
- Grate mozzarella from a block (vs pre-shredded) for the best meltiness and flavor.
- Use a block of dinner rolls that you have to pull-apart.
- If you like things a little spicy, add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the pesto mayo.
FAQs
The dinner roll probably will get a little soggy as leftovers. If you have one, an air fryer is SO CLUTCH for reheating these. I usually do 400 degrees for 5-8 minutes and it crisps up the outside and warms the insides perfectly. If you don’t have an air fryer you can reheat these in the oven at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or so to return them to their former glory. This has been my easy lunch for the past week and I’m so here for it.
You can use any cooked chicken breast! Rotisserie chicken or sliced deli chicken work great. You can even add a drizzle of balsamic glaze to the chicken for the same vibe.
I recommend getting the type of dinner rolls that you have to pull apart. You could use sweet Hawaiian rolls or potato rolls but I usually just go for a very basic dinner roll. I find that the ones in the bakery section are fresher, softer and have a simpler ingredient list than those found in the bread aisle.
I don’t think chicken thighs are quite as user-friendly or eater-friendly as chicken breast but yes, these will be just as delicious with chicken thighs.
Place leftover sandwiches in an airtight container or wrap them individually in plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to three days.
If you love these chicken pesto sliders and need more ideas for your next party, I got you! 👇🏼
If you try and like this recipe please don’t forget to leave a comment and star rating down below! If you love more lifestyle, behind the scenes and ‘eating in real life’ type of content come find me over on Instagram, @itsaflavorfullife, I love connecting with you all there!
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Irresistible Pull Apart Chicken Pesto Sliders
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 22 minutes
- Yield: 12 sliders 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
Simple and drool-worthy, you will be blown away by the flavor in these chicken pesto sliders! Grab a friend, whip up these sandwiches and settle in for a good time!
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup pesto
- 1/3 cup mayo
- 12 dinner rolls
- 6–8oz sliced chicken breast- I used leftover balsamic grilled chicken, you could use rotisserie chicken or sliced deli chicken
- 6oz mozzarella cheese, grated
- 1/4 red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tomatoes, thinly sliced
- salt and pepper
- 1 tablespoon butter, melted
- all-purpose seasoning blend (I like Green Goddess or 21 Seasoning Salute from Trader Joe’s)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together pesto and mayo to make the pesto aioli.
- Without pulling rolls apart, slice the entire block of dinner rolls in half lengthwise using a bread knife and place the bottom half on a sheet pan.
- Spread half of the pesto mayo on the bottom layer of rolls followed by half of the mozzarella, the thinly sliced chicken breast, red onion and then the rest of the mozzarella. Spread the remaining pesto mayo on the top layer of rolls and place on top.
- Use a pastry brush to brush melted butter all over the tops of the rolls. Sprinkle with seasoning. Bake for 12-14 minutes until rolls are golden brown and the cheese is melty.
- Season the tomato slices with pinches of salt and pepper. Pull apart the chicken sliders and add a slice of tomato to each. DEVOUR. I could eat four of these at LEAST.
Notes
Refer to above blog post for photo instructions, expert tips and answers to frequently asked questions!
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Nutrition
- Serving Size: Chicken Pesto Sliders
- Calories: 233
- Sugar: 5.5 g
- Sodium: 276.4 mg
- Fat: 12.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 17.6 g
- Fiber: 1.2 g
- Protein: 12.8 g
- Cholesterol: 47.3 mg
So good!! I made these on sourdough focaccia (it’s what I had on hand) and they were so easy yet felt like a fancy sandwich!
Toddler approved 👍🏼👍🏼
Yummm foccacia is SUCH a bomb idea!
These were absolutely insanely good! Another 100A% winner!!
These were so delicious! Will be making on repeat.
These were amazing! I added a little arugula too after baking. Perfect easy dinner and a great way to use leftover chicken
Yaaaay so happy you enjoyed! Excellend call on the arugula!