Buffalo Chicken Sliders

Burgers are a popular choice to prepare and serve on Labor Day... and ours was no exception! We had a few friends and their children over to enjoy the day but rather than serving up the usual burgers, I wanted to do something a little different. Why not do sliders instead?! I love variety and creating menus that highlight that. By doing a few kinds of sliders, both kids and adults had a chance to enjoy different flavors and who doesn't like things in mini size? These Buffalo Chicken Sliders are one of the kinds I prepared and I especially liked them. It's all the flavor of buffalo chicken wings sandwiched inside a mini bun...

For my slider menu, we had cheddar & bacon sliders, Italian sausage with onions & peppers sliders, vegetarian black bean sliders and these buffalo chicken sliders. They were presented in a tiered stand which was commonly used to serve cupcakes and made quite a presentation at the table! Served with slider toppings on the side and with other salads, the slider menu was a hit and a meal both kids and adults enjoyed.

For these chicken sliders, it's important that you allow the meat mixture to chill so that they hold their shape when cooked. I adapted a recipe from Rachel Ray where all the flavors and common ingredients are combined with the ground chicken. For ground chicken, I used slightly frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts which I pulsed down in a food processor to a medium grind consistency. You can also use ground turkey if you wanted as well.

Buffalo Chicken Sliders

recipe adapted from Rachel Ray

2 pounds ground chicken
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
1 tablespoon grill seasoning, such as McCormick's Montreal Steak Seasoning
2 garlic cloves, chopped
4 scallions, finely chopped
1 celery rib from the heart, with greens, finely chopped
1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/4 cup hot sauce, such as Frank's Red Hot
slider buns
preferred slider toppings

Combine all the ingredients except the buns in a large bowl. Form 10-12 large meatballs and transfer them to a plate. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours.

Heat up a grill or large skillet with oil. Place a few meatballs on the grill/skillet and flatten down to 3/4 inch thick. Cook for 5-7 minutes on each side.

Place on bun bottoms, top with preferred toppings and top with other bun half.