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Pesto Chicken Sliders are a quick and easy weeknight meal that takes less than 30 minutes to make. Shredded chicken gets sandwiched between rolls along with pesto and melted mozzarella. Save even more time by using a store-bought rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken!

Longing for more slider recipes? Try my Philly Cheesesteak Sliders next!

Chicken sliders, with pesto and melted mozzarella .

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Table of Contents

Why I Love This Recipe
Ingredients You’ll Need
How To Make Pesto Chicken Sliders
Serving Suggestions and Variations
Storage
Expert Tips
More Slider Recipes
Pesto Chicken Sliders Recipe

Why I Love This Recipe

Sliders are a super fun way to serve sandwiches at your party, for game day or just for a simple dinner.

Pull Apart Sliders – Making chicken sliders with sheets of rolls gives them an extra fun presentation while helping to keep everything together as they bake.
Cooked Chicken – I love that this recipe uses shredded chicken so you can use leftovers or just pick up a rotisserie chicken – one less thing to cook!
Pesto and Melted Cheese – The combination of nutty pesto and melty cheese is a favorite for good reason!

Ingredients You’ll Need

This is a great recipe to use up leftover chicken along with some other easy-to-find ingredients.

Slider Buns – Such as King’s Hawaiian Buttery Rolls (see note below). You’ll want to leave the buns attached in the sheet and slice the sheet horizontally to form two pieces.
Cooked and Shredded Chicken – This is a great use for leftover chicken or use rotisserie chicken and just shred it up.
Pesto Sauce – You can buy pesto at the store to keep it simple, but if you want a nut-free version then you can make your own nut-free pesto.
Sliced Mozzarella Cheese – You can swap in another sliced cheese like provolone.
Mayonnaise – Light or full fat mayo can be used!
Salted Butter – The butter will be melted and brushed on top of the sliders before baking to give them that golden brown top. If you’re watching your sodium, feel free to use unsalted butter.
Spices – Dried Basil and Garlic Powder are mixed with the melted butter, then brushed on top of the rolls for extra flavor.

Slider Buns – You can use any kind of mini buns that you like. For this recipe, I like the King’s Hawaiian Butter Rolls. They have that same fluffy texture, but aren’t as sweet. You could also use regular slider buns if your store carries them, or the sweet Hawaiian rolls.

How To Make Pesto Chicken Sliders

See recipe card below for ingredient quantities and full instructions.

These mini sandwiches don’t get much easier to make and are ready in under 30 minutes!

Prep – Preheat the oven and slice the sliders into two sheets. I like to use a serrated knife to do this.

Bottom half of slider rolls with pesto spread on it.

Shredded chicken breast on slider buns in a baking dish.

Mozzarella cheese slices on slider buns in a baking dish.

Assemble Sliders – Place the bottom half of the slider buns in a baking dish and spread with the pesto on the bottom and top with an even layer of shredded chicken, and mozzarella. Spread mayo on the top half of the buns and place the top buns over the bottom half.

Melted butter brushed on top of slider rolls in a baking dish.

Brush with Butter – Melt the butter in a bowl and mix in the spices. Brush over the top of the sliders. You could also sprinkle on some sesame seeds or poppy seeds if you want.

Bake – Cover the sliders with foil and bake for about 10 minutes then remove the foil and bake until the tops are browned and cheese is melted.

Slice and Serve!

Serving Suggestions and Variations

Other Slider Ideas – You can use this same technique to make so many other fun slider recipes! Some other favorites that we love are these Ham and Cheese Sliders, Pizza Sliders, and BBQ Chicken Sliders.
Serving Ideas – These are such a versatile recipe so you can serve them with your favorite sides! We love to pair them with Baked Potato Wedges or a veggie like roasted broccoli.
Toppings – Try melted garlic butter, or sprinkle with poppy seeds or Parmesan cheese.

Storage

While the sliders are best eaten fresh, you can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Microwave individual cold portions for 15-20 seconds until warmed through. You can also reheat in the oven in a baking dish, covered with foil, until warmed through.

Freezing is not recommended due to the mayonnaise.

Expert Tips

Chicken – Besides using a rotisserie chicken or leftovers, there are a variety of methods to cook chicken breasts for the filling: Poached Chicken, Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken, Instant Pot Shredded Chicken. You can also use chicken thighs if you prefer.
Cover with Foil – Covering the sliders with foil for the first half of baking helps prevent the tops from getting too brown and burnt.
To Double this Recipe – Place two packages of rolls side by side in a 9×13” baking dish. Increase butter amount to 6 tablespoons, and add an additional pinch of the herbs and seasoning to the butter.
Make Ahead – You can assemble the sliders a day ahead of time, just don’t brush with the melted butter until right before baking. Cover and store in the fridge for up to 24 hours and let sit out at room temperature while the oven preheats.
Shredded vs Sliced Cheese – I like to use sliced cheese because it melts well and is easy to just lay over the chicken. If you use pre-shredded cheese from the bag, be aware that it doesn’t melt quite as well as slices due to the anti-caking agent that is added to shredded cheese.