Chicken Tender Sliders with Sweet and Sour Slaw
These Chicken Tender Sliders feature pita-chip-crusted chicken tenders topped with sweet and sour slaw served on mini sesame topped kaiser buns.
Equipment
- 1 Stand mixer
- 1 bread hook
- 2 Large Baking Sheets
- 1 kitchen scale
Ingredients
Mini Kaiser Rolls
- ¾ cup lukewarm water
- 1½ tsp dry active yeast
- 1½ tsp granulated sugar
- 1¼ tsp kosher salt
- 2 large eggs divided
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter softened, cut into cubes
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds for sprinkling
Pita Chip Chicken Tenders
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tbsp hot sauce
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 454g (1lb) chicken tenders
- 227g (8oz) pita chips
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Sweet and Sour Slaw
- 454g (1lb) bag coleslaw mix
- ⅔ cup pineapple juice
- ⅓ cup rice vinegar
- 3 tbsp ketchup
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp water
Additional Toppings
- 2 dill pickles sliced
- ¼ pineapple thinly sliced
Instructions
For the Buns
- Sprinkle the yeast over the surface of the water and let sit for 10 minutes or until foamy.¾ cup lukewarm water, 1½ tsp dry active yeast
- Pour the yeast mixture into the bowl of a stand mixer. Add the sugar, salt, and one of the eggs. Give everything a quick stir before adding 1 ½ cups of the flour.1½ tsp granulated sugar, 1¼ tsp kosher salt, 2 large eggs, 3 cups all-purpose flour
- Outfit the mixer with a dough hook and mix on low until a loose dough forms. Add the remaining flour in 1/2 cup increments, waiting for each addition to become fully integrated before adding more. Keep adding flour until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl and is slightly tacky to the touch. You might not need to use all the flour. **3 cups all-purpose flour
- Add the butter to the mixing bowl a couple of cubes at a time. Mix until the butter is fully integrated before adding more.2 tbsp unsalted butter
- Once all the butter is in, transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead it for 5-7 minutes or until the dough is smooth, elastic, and silky to the touch. Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl, cover, and let rise for 1 ½ hours or until the dough has doubled in size.
- Punch the dough down and form it into a series of small buns, weighing about 30g each. Transfer the buns to a large baking sheet lined with a silicone mat. Make sure there is 2" of space on all sides of each bun. You may need to use two baking sheets for this.
- Cover the buns with a tea towel and let rise for an hour. When there is about 30 minutes of rising time left start preheating the oven to 425°F.
- Crack the remaining egg into a bowl and beat it well with a fork. Brush the egg on top of each bun and sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Bake the buns for 20-25 minutes or until golden. Transfer the buns to a cooling rack and let cool completely.2 large eggs, 2 tbsp sesame seeds
For the Chicken Tenders
- In a large bowl, whisk to combine the yogurt, hot sauce, garlic, honey, mustard, and salt. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Cover and transfer to the fridge. Let marinate for a minimum of 2 hours.1 cup Greek yogurt, 1 clove garlic, 1 tbsp hot sauce, 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, 1 tbsp honey, 1 tsp kosher salt, 454g (1lb) chicken tenders
- Using a food processor or a ziplock bag and a rolling pin, reduce the pita chips to crumbs. Pour them into a wide shallow vessel, like a pie plate, and set them aside.227g (8oz) pita chips
- When the chicken has about 30 minutes remaining in its marinating time, preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Working a tender at a time, roll the chicken in the pita chips and place them on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle the olive oil evenly over the chicken and sprinkle them with salt. Transfer the chicken to the oven and bake for 25 minutes, rotating the pan once halfway through.2 tbsp olive oil
For the Slaw
- While the chicken is marinating and the buns are on their second rise, make the sweet and sour sauce. In a small saucepan, whisk to combine the pineapple juice, rice vinegar, ketchup, sugar, and soy sauce. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer.⅔ cup pineapple juice, ⅓ cup rice vinegar, 3 tbsp ketchup, 1 tbsp granulated sugar, 1 tbsp soy sauce
- In a small bowl, whisk to combine the water and the cornstarch. When the pineapple mixture reaches a rapid simmer, whisk in the cornstarch mixture. Continue to stir until the sauce thickens and becomes glossy. Transfer the sauce to a heatproof jar and set aside to cool completely.1 tbsp cornstarch, 1 tbsp water
- When you're nearly ready to serve, place the coleslaw mix into a large bowl and pour half of the sauce over top. Toss to coat.454g (1lb) bag coleslaw mix
To Assemble
- Split the kaiser buns and place two slices of pickle and pineapple on top of each bottom bun. Place the chicken tender on top and add roughly a tablespoon of the slaw. Place the top buns on top. Serve immediately with the remaining sweet and sour sauce on the side for dipping.2 dill pickles, ¼ pineapple
Notes
** The amount of flour you use will depend on the humidity in your kitchen. I would always err on the side of too little flour because you can always add more when you knead the bread manually. You're less likely to overdo it with the flour when your handling the dough.