GrillinFools
Buffalo chicken dip is such a guilty pleasure. So rich, creamy and a little spicy, but I felt like there could be something better. I wanted something beyond using a tortilla chip as a spoon to get that dip to my belly. I mentioned this to a member of my production team, Brad, and we kicked it around until we came up with this: Grilled Buffalo Chicken Dip Sliders. I mean to tell you, this is an absolute home run, and perfect for that Super Bowl party despite me mixing sports analogies.
I must warn you, these are a bit of a mess. But in a good way. A glorious, delicious mess.
Grilled Buffalo Chicken Dip Sliders Ingredients
- 10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1/4 cup of hot sauce (optional)
- 1 resealable plastic bag (optional)
- 1 lb bacon
- 2 cups cooked chicken
- 1/2 cup ranch dressing
- 1/2 cup wing sauce
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
- 1 block cream cheese, softened
- Your favorite BBQ rub
- 12 slider buns
- 2 disposable aluminum pans
- 6 slices havarti cheese
- 4 ounces of blue cheese crumbles (optional)
- 1/2 stick of salted butter
Place the chicken in a resealable plastic bag and pour in the hot sauce:
We used the Heartbeat sauce from my friend Mel of Dark Side of the Grill but use what you like:
Truth be told, I love this sauce. I eat it almost every morning on eggs.
Push the air out of the bag and seal it, working the hot sauce throughout to coat the chicken. Place the bag in the fridge for 2-24 hours.
Prepare the grill for medium to medium high heat and get that pound of bacon into a pan (cast iron or otherwise). In this case we have our Primo ceramic cooker, which is the only oval kamado on the market (and made in the USA) which allows for doing two zone grilling or indirect grilling (we will be doing indirect in a little while). I have the Primo set up with coals on the left side that we will be cooking that bacon and chicken on:
Meanwhile, we can go ahead and make our buffalo chicken dip:
Combine the cooked chicken, ranch, wing sauce, mozzarella and softened cream cheese and mix together thoroughly:
How to Make Grilled Buffalo Chicken Dip Sliders
We will season the chicken thighs and grill them to 160F-165F. While the chicken rests, we will slice the top of the slider buns off (keeping them all together) and set the bottoms of the buns in a disposable aluminum tray. Now lay down the six slices of cheese onto the bun bottoms. Slice the cooked thighs and layer the chicken down and top with the buffalo chicken dip. Then the pound of bacon and optional blue cheese followed by the bun tops and brush with melted butter. Put the aluminum pan on the smoker and drop a chunk of mild fruit wood into the coals. Smoke at 300F-ish for about 30 minutes to melt the cheese and get everything all hot and ooey-gooey.
Afterward, let’s grill that chicken. Season the chicken thighs with the BBQ rub:
And place the chicken right over the hot coals:
***Pro Tip ~ See that pan full of bacon? That grease is liquid flavor. Drizzle some of the fat over the chicken***
Keep flipping and searing until the chicken hits 160F-165F then remove from the grill and slice into strips:
Also, pull the bacon when it gets nice and brown:
Assemble the Grilled Buffalo Chicken Dip Sliders
With a bread knife, slice the tops off the slider buns (leaving them all attached together) and place the bottoms in the doubled up disposable aluminum pans and top with the cheese:
Layer over the havarti the with the sliced chicken, spoon the buffalo dip on top of the chicken and then add the bacon:
We did blue cheese crumbles on one half of these, but feel free to omit or do on all of them or do a batch with and a batch without:
Add the bun tops and brush with melted butter:
Drop a chunk of light fruit wood into the coals (apple, pear, peach, apricot) and place the pan on the side of the cooker with no hot coals:
If you need a list of smoke woods and what they pair with, this is the most extensive on the innerwebs.
Target temp inside the grill is 300F (+/- 25F). Leave the lid closed for about 30 minutes until the cheese is melted:
Did someone say melted cheese?
And steamy:
And wow!
Buffalo Chicken Dip Sliders Summary
I have to say this is one of the greatest finger foods I’ve ever had. The grilled chicken and cheese turns this into a legit sandwich on it’s own. Bring in the buffalo chicken dip and bacon as toppings and this is beyond stellar. Get creative with the buns. We used brioche here but Hawaiian buns would be great too.
If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below or send me an email.
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Scroll down below the recipe card for even more pics
Grilled Buffalo Chicken Dip Sliders
Equipment
Ingredients
- 10 Boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- ¼ cup Hot sauce
- 1 pound bacon
- 2 cups Cooked chicken
- ½ cup Ranch dressing
- ½ cup Wing sauce
- ½ cup Mozzarella cheese
- 1 block Cream cheese softened
- Your favorite BBQ rub
- 12 Slider buns
- 6 slices Havarti cheese
- 4 ounces Blue cheese crumbles
- ½ stick Salted butter melted
Instructions
- Place the chicken thighs and hot sauce in the plastic bag
- Work the hot sauce around the to coat all the chicken thighs
- Refrigerate the bag of chicken thighs for 2-24 hours
- Light the grill and use two zone or indirect grilling with coals on one side and nothing on the other
- Place an oven safe skillet (preferably a cast iron skillet) over the coals and put the bacon into the pan to cook
- While the bacon is cooking combine the ranch, mozzarella, wing sauce, cream cheese in a bowl and mix thoroughly
- Grill the chicken, also while the bacon is cooking, until the chicken is 160F-165F
- Remove the chicken and browned back from the grill, slicing the chicken into strips
- With a bread knife, slice the tops of the slider buns off (keeping them all together rather than separate them)
- Place the bottoms of the buns into the disposable aluminum pans
- Layer down the cheese and top with the sliced chicken
- Spoon the buffalo chicken dip over the grilled chicken
- Add the bacon and optional blue cheese
- Set the bun tops on the sandwiches and brush with tops with melted butter
- Put a chunk of light fruit wood on the coals and the pan of sliders on the side with no coals and close the lid
- Target temp inside the grill is 300F (+/- 25F)
- Leave the sliders in the grill for about 30 minutes or until the cheese is melted
- Remove from the heat and serve, pulling sliders away from the rest of the bunch
Scott Thomas
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