The Collegio Pittsburg's student voice since 1916
Ingredients
12 Hawaiian sweet rolls
5 bacon strips
8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
2 cups Monterey jack, shredded
2 chicken breasts
2 small jalapenos, chopped
2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp garlic powder
½ tsp onion powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook bacon for about 8 minutes or until crispy. When the bacon is done, transfer it to a paper towel covered plate to cool. Once it is cool enough to handle, chop into fine pieces.
While the bacon is cooling off, mix together ½ tsp of your garlic powder, the onion powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Once combined, cover all sides of the chicken breast with the dry mixture. Add the covered chicken to the bacon grease that is left in the skillet. Sear the breasts for about 6 minutes, flipping them halfway through. Make sure the internal temperature of your chicken reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. When the chicken is done, use two forks to shred the chicken into small pieces.
In a large mixing bowl, mix together the cream cheese and 1 cup of the Monterey jack cheese. Add chopped bacon, shredded chicken, and jalapenos. If you would like the sliders to be spicy, leave jalapeno seeds in. Mix everything together until it is well combined.
Leaving the rolls still attached to each other, cut the Hawaiian sweet rolls in half to create top and bottom sections of the rolls. Place the bottom half of the rolls on a baking sheet and spread chicken mixture over the rolls. Spread evenly. Take your remaining 1 cup of Monterey jack cheese and sprinkle over the top of the chicken mixture. Top with the top section of rolls.
In a small bowl, melt together butter and ½ tsp of garlic powder and stir well. Brush the garlic butter over the top of the rolls. Bake sliders for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Once they are done, break apart sliders with a knife or spatula and serve warm.
Commentary
I don’t know about you but I am a sucker for jalapeno poppers. This recipe takes a fun twist on this gameday classic finger food. These sliders are so easy to make and stuffed with bacon, cream cheese, cheese, and chicken. Between all of that and a spicy kick of jalapeno, this recipe may be hard to resist. This can make for a delicious party food or a weeknight dinner at home. Either way, they are so tasty and perfect for any occasion. It’s like a jalapeno popper on a bun, honestly, what could go wrong?
If you would like to save yourself some time, you can substitute the chicken breasts for a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken and shred the meat from that. You can also use canned jalapenos instead of fresh jalapeno. If you do this, I recommend a 4 oz can of pre-diced jalapenos.