Why choose between creamy and crunchy when you can have both? These Avocado Ranch Chicken Sliders on Hawaiian Rolls are the ultimate midweek pick-me-up!
Packed with flavor and perfect for the whole family, these mini sandwiches are layered with a homemade avocado ranch and slices of refreshing cucumber.
My Dad makes these Grilled Chicken Sliders every summer and they bring back great memories of that grill all fired up and enjoying them on the back porch with my siblings. Serve them up with other easy summer recipes like Grilled Halloumi Salad or Smoked Queso Dip for the ultimate summer cookout.
Or how about game day? These sliders make the perfect thing to serve at your favorite tailgates or any game day hosting. Pair them with Air Fryer Jalapeno Poppers and Bloody Mary Deviled Eggs for a perfect party food spread.
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Why You'll Love It
These are actually incredibly simple! An easy marinade mixed with chicken thighs then just throw them on the grill and stack em up with cucumber slices, and avocado ranch dressing!Easy, right?
- Kid Friendly. These sliders are the perfect appetizer or meal and the little Hawaiian sweet rolls are great for kids because they are just the right size!
- Easy to prep. I love a meal that doesn't have me prepping tons of ingredients. Just a simple marinade and a pack of chicken thighs are really the only things you need!
- Budget friendly for a crowd. These are incredibly economical if you are hosting a crowd! Use family packs of chicken thighs and you could even debone chicken thighs yourself to save even more at the store!
🥂Make it A Rosy Moment
If you need any more of a reason to whip up a batch of these Hawaiian chicken sliders, here are some ways to make it a real rosy moment:
Tailgate Sliders - Host a game day get together and make it a full slider spread! Pair it with other mini sandwiches and it'll be the perfect combination of flavors and FUN!
Healthy Grilled Weeknight Meal - a light and refreshing lemon pepper slider can be served with other healthy grilled items for a wonderful complete meal for the family.
- Grilled Halloumi Salad - have you ever grilled up cheese before? Its the perfect addition to a summer salad!
- Watermelon Mojito Salad
- Avocado Ranch Chicken Sliders
Important Ingredients
My easy recipes may have simple ingredients, but that doesn't make them boring at all! Quality matters when it's simple, so here's what you'll need for these Hawaiian roll sliders
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs - I love chicken thighs because they are the perfect size, they cook quickly, and they are pretty hard to overcook. You can save some money by buying them in large family packs and making multiple meals from them. Like Balsamic Basil Chicken Thighs or Hot Honey Mustard Baked Chicken.
- King's Hawaiian Rolls - I love sweet Hawaiian rolls for all of my slider recipes. These little sandwiches are balanced out by the sweetness of the buns and most of the time they are even pre-sliced for you! Making these bite-sized sandwiches super easy to assemble.
- Italian Dressing - This is where most of our flavor is coming from in the marinade, so don't skimp on this! Olive Garden Italian Dressing is a popular choice and to me, it's the best part of this slider! It's also a secret ingredient in my Italian Turkey Burgers! So I always keep a bottle on hand.
- Avocados - Use fresh avocados and mash them yourself or I've even used pre-mashed avocados.
- Ranch Dressing - Mixing ranch dressing with fresh avocado is the best way to make our homemade, creamy sauce for the chicken sliders. But you could also just use ranch seasoning for this as well!
- Spices - Lemon pepper and garlic powder are the other seasonings used in the recipe. It just really helps highlight the bright flavors of the Italian seasoning in the marinade!
Go ahead and add this sandwich to the list of Best Sliders For A Party so you can have all your favorite sandwich recipes in one place!
Swaps and Substitutions
Different variations of this slider recipe can be made with these little tweaks. Swap in and substitute these items for a nice twist on my grilled chicken slider recipe.
- Use boneless skinless chicken breasts, shredded chicken, or any leftover chicken instead of chicken thighs. In my opinion, thighs are the perfect size for this slider recipe and you'll almost always end up with tender chicken. Other cuts will work just fine too! But if you are short on time, a store-bought rotisserie chicken would work quite well for this recipe.
- Use Italian seasoning and olive oil instead of Italian dressing. If you don't have a bottle of it on hand, make your own!
- Add cheese! Mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese, or even Swiss cheese would be a great addition to the slider buns.
- Skip the buns and serve the grilled chicken over a simple green salad.
- Add a little sliced red onion for extra crunch and fresh flavor.
Full Recipe Below
Find the full list of ingredients & measurements below!
Step by Step Instructions
- Step 1: Start by combining the spices and Italian dressing in a ziplock bag or shallow baking dish then add the chicken thighs. Cover with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and marinate this in the refrigerator for 30 minutes up to overnight.
- Step 2: When you are ready to cook, preheat your grill pan over medium high heat (or heat your grill to 400 degrees) Cook for 6-7 minutes on the first side then flip. Cook for an additional 5-6 minutes on the other side, or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
- Step 3: In a small bowl mash the avocado and combine with ranch dressing.
- Step 4: Spread thinly on your bun, top with sliced cucumber, the chicken thigh and the top of of the rolls. Enjoy!
Top Tip
Using a meat thermometer is the most efficient way to check for doneness. You want chicken to reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees before eating it.
Expert Tips
I've made these Chicken Sliders on Hawaiian Rolls dozens of times, for lots of occasions. Here are my expert tips and tricks to make your easy dinner recipe tray flawless!
- If your slider buns are not already cut, use a serrated knife to cleanly slice the buns in half. A serrated bread knife cuts through the bread nicely without tearing them apart!
- Brush melted butter and ranch seasoning over the top of the rolls before grilling them for some extra flavor. It only takes a couple of extra minutes and is so worth it!
- Marinate the chicken overnight for maximum flavor. It's a great thing to prep the day before, then just grill them up the next day for easy dinners!
Sliders are one of my favorite things to serve at parties because you can easily make tons of flavor variations and be able to please the whole crowd. Serve them with potato salad or buffalo chicken dip for a great party spread.
💡Recipe FAQ
For this specific grilled chicken slider recipe, mix all of your spices and Italian dressing in a ziplock and mix the chicken in there until it is fully coated. You could actually immediately grill these, however for the BEST flavor I like to marinate for at least 30 minutes up to 4 hours.
My best tip for this is just to assemble right before you are going to eat them. The small buns get soggy pretty quickly but as long as you assemble and eat right away, you should be good to go!
These pair so well with any of my tailgate recipes! Pair them with chips & dip, green salads, or even serve a spread of different slider recipes for a great party.
Related Recipes
If you tried this Avocado Ranch Chicken Sliders on Hawaiian Rolls, or any other of the delicious recipes on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
📖 Recipe
Avocado Ranch Chicken Sliders on Hawaiian Rolls
Equipment
- grill pan or grill
- 1 mixing bowls
- 1 shallow baking dish
Ingredients
- 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons lemon pepper
- 1.5 cup Olive Garden Italian Dressing
- 2 avocados, diced
- ¼ cup ranch dressing
- 8 Hawaiian rolls
- 1 English cucumber, sliced
Instructions
- Start by combining the spices and Italian dressing in a ziplock bag or shallow baking dish then add the chicken thighs. Marinate this for 30 minutes up to overnight.
- When you are ready to cook, preheat your grill pan over medium high heat (or grill to 400 degrees)
- Lightly oil your grill pan or grates and place chicken thighs on the grill. Cook for 6-7 minutes on the first side then flip.
- Cook for an additional 5-6 minutes on the other side, or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.
- Remove the chicken and let rest. Put your hawaiin buns on the grill for a few seconds to get them toasty!
- In a small bowl mash the avocado and combine with ranch dressing. Spread thinly on your bun, top with sliced cucumber and the chicken thigh. Enjoy!
Notes
- If your slider buns are not already cut, use a serrated knife to cleanly slice the buns in half. A serrated bread knife cuts through the bread nicely without tearing them apart!
- Brush melted butter and ranch seasoning over the top of the rolls before grilling them for some extra flavor. It only takes a couple of extra minutes and is so worth it!
- Marinate the chicken overnight for maximum flavor. It's a great thing to prep the day before, then just grill them up the next day for easy dinners!
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