Grilled Chicken Thigh Sliders
With a five-star rating, these chicken lime sliders are always a hit at summer cookouts and family gatherings! Their shareable size and customizable toppings make them a crowd-pleasing option for both casual cookouts and outdoor parties.
Jump to:
- What you’ll Need for Grilled Chicken Thigh Sliders
- How to Make Grilled Chicken Sliders
- Tips to Keep Sliders from Getting Soggy
- Grilled Chicken Slider Variations
- Serving this Chicken Sliders Recipe
- How to Store Chicken Slider Leftovers
- FAQs for this Grilled Chicken Sliders Recipe
- You May Also Like…
- Grilled Chicken Sliders Recipe
The chicken is similar to our grilled chicken tenders and grilled chicken drumsticks but offers unique, savory, refreshing flavors thanks to the cilantro lime marinade.
Served on buns and topped with guacamole, every bite leaves guests coming back for more. They love the bold flavors, and I love that the recipe comes together and cooks quickly! Plus, one batch makes twelve sliders and can easily be doubled to serve even more.
The only problem is that I never have any leftovers for myself! Try this recipe out for yourself, and it’s guaranteed to be a staple at all your cookouts.
What you’ll Need for Grilled Chicken Thigh Sliders
- cilantro
- fresh lime juice
- olive oil
- garlic
- salt
- chicken thighs
- tomatoes
- avocado
- white onion
- slider buns, for serving
To assemble: place grilled chicken on the bottom bun, top with a good heaping of guacamole, and close with the top bun. Serve immediately.
Tips to Keep Sliders from Getting Soggy
- When you remove the chicken from the grill, allow them to rest on a plate for five minutes before putting them on the buns.
- Grill the buns before placing the chicken on top. The grilling creates a protective layer so that the buns don’t get mushy.
- Be sure your guacamole isn’t liquidy but rather thick before putting it on top of the chicken. This will prevent the top bun from absorbing moisture.
- Add a layer of cheese between the chicken or guacamole and the bun.
Grilled Chicken Slider Variations
Try these other grilled chicken slider variations:
- Teriyaki: Pour some teriyaki sauce over the chicken after grilling for that sweet and savory flavor.
- Cajun: Spicy cajun chicken rub is a delicious substitute for guacamole.
- Buffalo: Buffalo sauce is spicy, tangy, and perfect for these little chicken sliders.
- Barbecue: Add some barbecue sauce after grilling or in with the chicken in a pressure cooker or crockpot.
- Pesto: Slather some homemade basil pesto over the chicken and top with a freshly grilled bun.
- Hawaiian: Lay fresh pineapple slices on the chicken to make a Hawaiian version of this recipe.
Can I Use Chicken Breasts?
Yes, you can use chicken breasts instead of chicken thighs in this recipe. To get the best result, slice the breast in half horizontally and pound it between two sheets of plastic wrap to make the chicken the same thickness all the way across.
Other Ways to Cook the Chicken for Sliders
Besides grilling, you can also fry, saute, or bake the chicken thighs for these sandwiches.
Use an instant pot or slow cooker to make the chicken shreddable. Add some liquid or sauce to give the chicken flavor, and top it with guacamole or coleslaw on the slider buns.
You can also make these sliders with ground chicken, rotisserie chicken, or pulled chicken and pile tender meat between two buns.
Make a crispy sandwich by frying the chicken before adding bacon or ranch dressing to the top.
Serving this Chicken Sliders Recipe
These chicken sliders are perfect as a main dish and go well with many different side dishes:
How to Store Chicken Slider Leftovers
You can store assembled sliders in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 day. However, for the best results, I recommend storing all the components separately to prevent the sliders from becoming soggy. The grilled chicken will keep fresh for up to 3 days, and the guacamole will keep for up to 1 day before it begins to brown.
You can also freeze the chicken for up to 6 months! Thaw it in the fridge overnight, and warm it in the microwave or in a skillet over medium heat on the stove. Or, simply eat it cold.
FAQs for this Grilled Chicken Sliders Recipe
You can add cheese to these sliders. Some great options are crumbled feta cheese, fresh mozzarella, or a slice of cheddar cheese.
You can make your own buns, use sweet Hawaiian rolls, or some soft slider buns from the grocery store. Any of these would work perfectly.
This recipe calls for the chicken to be marinated before cooking it, and this is so that all those good flavors soak into the chicken. Marinate for at least 15 minutes but no more than 30 minutes.
You May Also Like…
If you try our grilled chicken sliders, please leave a star rating and a comment letting us know how you liked the recipe.
PrintGrilled Chicken Sliders Recipe
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 10 min
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: Grilled
- Cuisine: American
Description
These grilled chicken sliders are made with chicken thighs that are quickly marinated in cilantro, lime, and garlic. Then grilled until juicy tender and served topped with delicious guacamole.
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 6 chicken thighs, skinless, boneless, sliced in half, about 2 lbs. total
- Black pepper, to taste
Guacamole
- 2 plum tomatoes, chopped
- 2 large ripe avocados
- 1 Tbsp. finely chopped white onion
- 2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh cilantro
- 2–3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- Kosher salt, to taste
To Serve
- 12 slider buns
Instructions
- Prepare the chicken marinade by whisking together cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, garlic, and salt. Add black pepper to taste.
- Add chicken thighs to the marinade and toss to coat all over. Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator for no more than 30 minutes.
- While the chicken is marinating, prepare the guacamole by adding all of the ingredients into a bowl and with a fork, mash everything together until chunky consistency. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Preheat the grill on medium-high and grill the chicken for about 3 minutes on each side or until cooked through. Transfer to a plate and loosely cover with aluminum foil until ready to serve.
- To assemble: place grilled chicken on the bottom bun, top with a good heaping of guacamole, and close with top bun. Serve immediately. Makes 12 sliders.
Notes
- Leftovers: Store grilled chicken in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Leftover guacamole can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for no more than 1 day before it begins to brown.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slider
- Calories: 298
- Sugar: 4.1 g
- Sodium: 550 mg
- Fat: 13 g
- Carbohydrates: 25.9 g
- Protein: 19.7 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg
Recipe originally published June 2015.
Wow… It looks good! But sadly I don’t like avocado, not that much anyway, can there be a substitute for avocadoes?
If not, I’ll just use ’em… Love ur cookin’! ????????
I have made this so many times, ive lost count. These are SO good!!!!
Can we make this in advance and freeze it?
I haven’t tried freezing them so unfortunately I can not answer with certainty.
Made this for a casual dinner gathering and everyone loved it! Super easy, and I marinated in a ziplock bag that morning so I could throw on he grill for dinner. Definitely making this again, and again!
Thank you so much Helen! So happy you and the guests loved the sliders. It’s definitely an easy summer meal.
These were so good! I made them tonight using breast instead and still turned out delicious 🙂 thanks so much for the recipe, great for summer!
So happy you loved the sliders Carly! It’s one of our favorite summer recipes as well.
Silly question, perhaps… Which way do you cut the thighs in half? Long ways, like you butterfly a chicken breast, to make if half as thick? Or just straight down the middle from top to bottom?
Hi Leigh, you would cut it straight down the middle from top to bottom, so you’ll end up with two small chunks. Hope that helps 🙂
There’s an ad on this page that keeps redirecting to junk with a pop up. Please remove it or I’m reporting this pin as junk to Pinterest.
Hi Lin, I’m sorry you’re getting pop ups but my blog actually does not have any pop up ads. I would clear history/cookies on your device and see if that helps. Thanks!
I made these last night, except I used Chicken Breasts and cut them into strips, then rolled them along with the guac into a wheat wrap to cut down on calories. And oh my goodness! LOVE this recipe, this is definitely a new favorite! One wrap filled me up! So yummy!
Oh wow! That sounds so delicious Mandy. Love your twist on this recipe!
oh its good..look delicious
thanks for sharing
Hi Katya!
I recently stumbled upon your blog and I have been loving your recipes for the past two weeks!
This one was very tasty and adorable! I used mini brioche buns and that made the whole dinner that much more fun 🙂
I’m trying to post a photo of my finished product below, but not sure how much html this comment section supports. Crossing my fingers it works!
Thank you!
Sammie
Hi Sammie! So glad you stumbled on my blog and found some recipes to try. I love brioche buns too and I bet they tasted absolutely delish as sliders. BTW great choice for recipe…this one is one of my family favorites 🙂