Spicy Chicken Tikka Sliders - BAKE WITH ZOHA (2024)

Welcome to the BEST chicken slider recipe you will ever try! These sliders are a burst of flavor in every bite: authentic tasting juicy, spicy chicken tikka (grilled chicken), a spicy garlic mayo, and lots of cheese. It truly does not get better than them, and the added bonus is that they are really easy to make!

The inspiration for this recipe came from how much you guys loved my Tandoori Chicken Naan Buns (seriously - they have 5 stars with >30 reviews and over 4M views!). I never expected a fusion recipe incorporating my Pakistani roots to be so popular, and the response was truly heart-warming.

So I started thinking.. what other recipe can I share that also stars Pakistani flavors, is absolutely delightful, and even easier to make than the Tandoori Chicken Naan Buns? Inspiration struck at midnight (literally) and I got cooking.

WHY YOU NEED TO TRY THIS RECIPE

I am not kidding when I say you need, NEED, to try this recipe, especially if you enjoyed my Tandoori Chicken Naan Buns, because, dare I say, these sliders are even better! Here are a few reasons why:

• This recipe is EASY. The chicken tikka is made using the broiler setting in the oven, making it extremely hands-off. The naan buns are replaced with Hawaiian Sweet Rolls, which, we all know, are soft and fluffy and delicious. And the sauce takes no time. This makes them the perfect recipe to try, whether you want to enjoy it yourself, or increase the quantity for a dinner or party you're hosting
• The chicken tikka is INCREDIBLE. Seriously! You just marinate the chicken in all the spices, and then grill it using the broiler in your oven. It creates a very similar result as actually grilling chicken, with a lovely char and smoky flavor. This chicken tikka recipe can be used in many ways
• The sliders have the perfect combination of flavors and textures. They are spicy, smoky, sweet, cheesy, and tangy all in one. The chicken is juicy, the onions add a lovely crisp, and the buns are soft. It's like a beautiful melody in your mouth.

A question I get asked often is who eats all the food I make. Well, I will tell you that my husband and I ate all 12 of these sliders in one and a half days. I ate three of them while still filming. They are THAT good.

INGREDIENTS

Here's what you will need for this recipe (exact quantities are listed in the recipe card below):

Chicken Tikka (grilled chicken)

• Chicken tenders - or use any boneless chicken of choice
• Yogurt - this adds richness and fresh flavor to the chicken while making it tender and juicy
• Ginger & garlic paste
• Salt
• Cumin
• Coriander
• Red chili powder - you can also use cayenne
• Kashmiri red chili powder - you can add more cayenne if you don't have this
• Chaat masala
• Garam masala
• Turmeric powder
• Lemon juice
• Olive oil

Optionally, I like to add a small drop of yellow or orange food color to give the chicken a yummy red color!

Spicy Garlic Mayo

• Mayonnaise
• Mustard
• Garlic powder
• Cayenne or red chili powder
• Paprika to add a lovely sweet and smoky flavor
• Chili garlic sauce - this is optional but I love the flavor it adds!

Assembly

• King's Hawaiian Original Hawaiian Sweet Rolls - these are my personal favorite as they're widely available and reliably sweet and fluffy. But you can use any kind of rolls or buns that you want!
• Thinly sliced onion
• Tamarind chutney - this is optional, but it adds a lovely sweet and tangy flavor so I strongly recommend it!
• Cheese - I used sliced cheddar cheese, but you can use any cheese you like
• Garlic butter made using butter, garlic powder, and freshly chopped cilantro or parsley. I like to use salted butter for this!

HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN TIKKA SLIDERS

As I promised, this recipe is quite simple, with only 30 minutes of active work required. This quick video is for the visual learners:

Here's what you need to do:

1. Marinate the chicken

Simply mix all the ingredients for the chicken tikka in one bowl, mix to ensure the chicken is properly coated, cover and rest for at least one hour to ensure the chicken is properly marinated.

Tip: Marinating for 4-12 hours will allow the chicken to really soak up all the flavors and give you the best result!

2. Grill the chicken

If you have an actual grill and skewers, you can grill the marinated chicken on it. But if you don't, we are going to put your oven's broiler / grill function to good use! This is the little fire grill on the top of your oven.

Place your oven rack in the top most shelf, turn on the broil setting and pre-heat for at least 10 minutes.

First, thread the chicken onto skewers. If you have wooden skewers, you can use them too. Just wet them in water first so they don't burn. Place the skewers on a baking dish such that the chicken is suspended in the air and not touching the bottom of the pan. Now place the pan in the top rack of the oven, and broil the chicken for 7-8 minutes per side, flipping over midway.

The fire from the broiler will grill and char the chicken very similarly to an actual grill! I was inspired by Mehreen Karim from Reenie's to use this technique and it works like a charm.

Tip: If you don't have a broiler in your oven, you can also just cook the chicken in a cast iron skillet on high heat!

3. Make the spicy mayo

Simple - just mix all the ingredients. Done.

4. Assemble the sliders

Turn your oven to 350F on the baking setting (conventional, bottom heating only).

First, take the Hawaiian Sweet Rolls out of the packaging in one piece, and then slice them into half horizontally. Keeping them as one piece makes assembly a breeze.

Then remove your chicken from the skewers and chop into small chunks on a cutting board. Make sure to toss the chicken on the cutting board to soak up all the juices.

Place the sliders onto a tray and coat them generously with the garlic mayo on both halves. Then on the bottom half, layer on the chicken tikka generously, and press gently to make it stick together. Add finely sliced onions, a drizzle of tamarind chutney, and, finally, cheese. Cover with the top half of the sliders.

Make a quick garlic butter by melting butter and adding in garlic powder and freshly chopped parsley. Brush the butter onto the rolls generously.

5. Bake the sliders

and then whack them into the oven for just 5-7 minutes. We want the buns to become toasty and the cheese to melt.

6. Serve and enjoy!

And enjoy you will, because these are SCRUMPTIOUS. Promise they are not going to last.

VARIATIONS

The beauty of this recipe is that you can make many different variations with it! Here are a few ideas:

• Replace the slider buns with parathas or naans and turn these into chicken tikka paratha rolls or chicken tikka wraps
• Substitute the garlic mayo with a more Pakistani chutney such as green chutney for a more Pakistani flavor
• Use the chicken tikka as a filling for my naan buns recipe in place of the tandoori chicken (at least I prefer this!)
• Use the chicken tikka recipe to make tikka with bone-in chicken and enjoy it as a standalone dish with chutney
• Replace the chicken with paneer for a delicious vegetarian paneer tikka version!

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Now, without further ado, let's get into this recipe! If you make this recipe, be sure to leave a rating below and tag me in your recreations on Instagram!

Also, if you found me through this recipe, definitely check out my ultra popular Tandoori Chicken Naan Buns and Chicken Alfredo Lasagna!

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