Chicken Parmesan Sliders, or Chicken Parm Sliders, features crispy, parmesan breaded chicken combined with marinara sauce and melted mozzarella cheese, sandwiched between soft dinner rolls, smothered with garlic herb butter, then baked to perfection.
Chicken Parmesan is a popular Italian classic well loved all over the world, and now we have a yummy finger foods version of it! It’s perfect for game day, dinners, parties and more.
If you are looking for more delicious game day eats, also check out Chili Cheese Dip, Bacon Cheeseburger Sliders and Baked BBQ Chicken Wings. They are some of my favorites too!
Chicken Parm Sliders
Chicken Parmesan, or Chicken Parmigiana, is one of my favorite Italian dishes. Just when I think we cannot get any better, now we are turning it into bite-sized sandwiches that make it perfect for appetizer, lunch, or a snack.
Just like Bacon Cheeseburger Sliders, Pizza Sliders, Italian Sliders and Hawaiian Roll Breakfast Sliders, they are just so darn good.
I made these chicken parmesan sliders the other day for a get-together at my house, and everyone was oo-ing and ah-ing over its deliciousness.
This chicken parmesan slider recipe is basically taking the chicken parmesan recipe everyone know and love and incorporating it into a slider.
Same crispy breaded chicken tossed in a parmesan breading; same gooey melted mozzarella cheese, same tangy sweet marinara sauce to bring it all together.
The difference is we are sandwiching them between two pieces of Hawaiian rolls and incorporating a decadent garlic herb butter mixture on it to make sure the bread stays moist and to bring even more incredible flavors to it.
These Chicken Parmesan Sliders are simple and easy to make, reheat well, feed a crowd and is just down right delicious! In addition, it requires minimal cleanup – what’s not to love?
If you love good Italian flavors such as our Baked Ziti with Ricotta, Penne Alla Vodka, and Spaghetti Aglio e Olio, you will love this too!
Short-cut method: If you are short on time, use breaded chicken tenders and simply reheat them in the air fryer or oven, instead of making chicken parm from scratch. If you do have time, chicken parm from scratch is definitely superior and does elevate the sliders.
Ingredients
There are two parts to Chicken Parmesan Sliders: the chicken patty filling, and the slider rolls.
Chicken Parm filling
For this chicken patty, you will need:
- Chicken breasts – I recommend slicing it in half lengthwise so that they are no more than 1/2 inch thick and easy to place in the rolls. To make it even thinner and for an even thickness, flatten chicken breast using a meat tenderizer. Dark meat is great with this recipe as well.
- Eggs – this is the glue to hold the breadcrumbs in place.
- Bread crumbs – for coating the chicken parm. You can get plain or seasoned ones.
- Parmesan cheese – a nutty Italian cheese that is incorporated into the breading – a must! It is ‘chicken parm sliders’ after all 😉
- Marinara sauce – use your favorite store bought brands or make your own!
- Mozzarella cheese – that melty cheese we love so much! Highly encourage that you get a block of cheese and shred it yourself. Pre-shredded cheese contains a coating that prevents it from melting as well. If you want you can use fresh mozzarella as well, just be sure to slice it thinly and pat dry to remove the extra moisture.
Garlic Herb butter slider rolls
- Slider rolls – use any of your favorite slider rolls or dinner rolls. I recently discover savory Hawaiian rolls and I’ve been loving using that for this recipe. Hawaiian sweet rolls work great too.
- Butter – I like to use salted butter for this to get a touch of salt to really increase the flavor profile of the spread (without having to add extra salt!)
- Garlic powder – feel free to used fresh minced garlic if you prefer!
- Dried oregano – Italian seasoning is a good substitute for this if you prefer.
How to make it
These Chicken Parmesan Sliders are delicious and flavorful, but also straight up easy to put together!
Step 1: Prepare the chicken breast
First, let’s prepare two bowl of mixture to bread the chicken breat:
- egg mixture – whisk two eggs along with garlic powder, salt and black pepper.
- breadcrumb mixture – a combination of parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs.
Then prepare the chicken breast:
- Slice chicken breast in half length wise (so you have two thin pieces from one piece)
- Flatten chicken breast using the flat side of a meat tenderizer
- Dip chicken into egg garlic mixture, then into the bread crumbs and Parmesan mixture. Make sure both sides are well coated in the mixtures.
Step 2: Pan fry chicken breasts
Add cooking oil to a skillet, and heat on medium high heat until oil is hot.
Pan fry those well coated chicken breast until they are golden brown and crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside.
This should take only approximately 2-3 minutes on each side on medium high heat, or until the chicken is no longer pink on the inside and temperature has reach 165℉ using a meat thermometer.
Remove chicken from skillet and set aside on a plate. Cover with aluminum foil and let it rest.
Step 3: Assemble Chicken Parmesan Sliders
Grab a baking sheet and work your fingers meticulously to
Slice those soft, fluffy slider rolls into half lengthwise.
Do not break apart dinner rolls prior to slicing. We want to slice it in half, fill it, and only break it apart before serving.
Then layer the fillings to the rolls.
Start by placing one layer of chicken onto the bottom of the sliders. I like to cut the chicken into smaller slices to fill up the entire surface until you can’t see any bread.
Top chicken with marinara sauce, followed by mozzarella cheese.
Cover with the top half of the slider buns.
With a brush, brush the garlic herby butter generously on the tops of the rolls, let it drizzle down and caress every fold and crevices. Yum…
Lastly, bake your Chicken Parmesan Sliders at 400ºF for 8-10 minutes. Feel free to take it out early if the tops are burned before the 8 minute mark.
The truth is we are simply warming up the sliders so that the tops are golden brown, the cheese melts, and the all the components meld together.
Then dig in and enjoy these delicious chicken parm sliders! Which I assure you, is the easiest part of this whole process. 😉
What to serve with Chicken Parm Sliders
Besides being a game day snack, I love making these sliders for dinner and serving it with a salad or other veggie sides. Some of my favorites are:
- Winter Fruit Salad
- Caprese Salad with Avocado
- Garlic Honey Carrots
- Roasted Broccolini
- Strawberry Bacon Spinach Salad
Storage and Reheating
Storage: store slider buns in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Reheat in microwave: To reheat, place Chicken Parmesan Sliders on a plate and cover with a damp paper towel. Microwave on high for about 1-2 minutes or until heated through. The damp paper towel helps prevent the buns from drying out.
Reheat in oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F. Place the sliders on a baking sheet and cover loosely with aluminum foil (to prevent the tops from over-browning). Bake for about 10-15 minutes or until hot throughout. Remove foil for the last 5 minutes if you want the tops crispier. Brush with melted butter before reheating for extra moistness and flavor—especially if they’ve been stored for a couple of days.
Tips and Tricks
- Uniform Sizing Chicken Pieces: Cut and flatten chicken consistently so it cooks evenly and fits perfectly inside the slider rolls.
- Moisture Control: Pat chicken pieces dry with paper towels before breading to help the coating adhere better.
- Alternatives to Frying Chicken Breast: If you prefer not to fry the chicken, you can opt for baking or air frying. Bake at 400°F for 14-15 minutes (flip half way through), or air fry at 400°F for 10-11 minutes (flip half way through), or until internal temperature of chicken reaches 165℉.
- Proper Filling Within Sliders: Avoid over-filling the sliders with marinara sauce and cheese as it may spill over.
- Avoid Soggy Buns: Prepare the sliders close to serving time if possible so the buns don’t sit in the sauce for too long before serving.
- To prevent sticking: lightly grease the baking sheet before assembling the sliders.
- Serving Sauce On the Side: Serve extra sauce on the side for dipping instead of filling more sauce inside the slider. I’m a big sauce fan so this is a must for me!
Frequently Asked Questions
Chicken tenders or chicken thighs work really well for this too. Ideally, thin slices of chicken works best for this. Any boneless, skinless chicken work works great!
When making ahead, I prepare chicken and sliders ahead of time but only assemble and bake them when ready to eat.
Yes, you can! By doing this, you will skip the preparation and searing of the chicken parmesan. Simply air fry or bake the chicken nuggets or chicken strips based on package instructions. This is a great low-effort option.
Lightly toast the buns first and don’t overdo the marinara sauce—just enough for flavor without soaking the bread. If you like a lot of marinara sauce, you can always serve with some of it as a dipping sauce on the side
It’s best to freeze the cooked chicken separately. Assemble and bake the sliders fresh for the best texture.
ENJOYED THIS RECIPE? Tell us what you think by leaving a rating and review below! 🤍
More Italian Dishes
Chicken Parmesan Sliders
Equipment
- meat tenderizer
Ingredients
Sliders
- 1 lb chicken breast
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- ½ cup parmesan cheese grated
- 1 pkg savory Hawaiian rolls 12 count
- ½ cup marinara sauce plus more for serving if desire
- 1½ cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- cooking oil
Compound Butter
- ¼ cup salted butter at room temperature
- ½ tsp basil
- ½ tsp oregano
- 1 tsp garlic powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400℉.
- Slice chicken breasts in have length wise. Cover with plastic wrap and use the flat side of the meat tenderizer to flatten chicken breast to about ¼ and inch thick.
- In a shallow dish, add eggs, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Whisk to combine.
- In a separate shallow dish, combine breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese.
- Working with one chicken breast piece at a time, coat the chicken breast in the egg mixture. Then coat in the breadcrumb mixture. Set aside. Repeat until all chicken pieces are coated with both mixtures.
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. Once hot, drizzle with cooking oil. Add the breaded chicken breast. Cook until internal temperature reaches 165℉. Make sure to flip half way through cooking. Remove from heat once fully cooked.
- While keeping all of the rolls intact, slice rolls open length wise.
- Lightly grease a sheet pan. Place the bottom of the rolls onto the sheet pan.
- Layer the rolls with a layer of breaded chicken (may have to cut chicken in order to fully cover the rolls), marinara sauce, and mozzarella cheese. Top with the top layer of the rolls.
- In a small bowl, combine softened butter, basil, oregano, and garlic powder. Mix to fully combine.
- Using a pastry brush, generously brush the compound butter over the top of the rolls.
- Place rolls in the preheated oven and cook for 6 minutes.
- Remove from oven. Let cool slightly. Cut sliders into individual servings. Optional: Serve with more marinara sauce on the side.
- Enjoy!
I made these for supper tonight and we loved them! The parm coated chicken was so good , it stayed nice and juicy. Your recipes never disappoint.
Thanks, Sandra! Thrilled to hear that! <3