With a homemade basil pesto spread, easy shredded chicken, and melty dairy-free mozzarella cheese, these sliders are hand-held bites of heaven! They make the ultimate crowd-pleaser and are perfect for those laid back days.
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Hot summer days are upon us and that means all the finger foods! Homemade sliders are sure to be a hit with all parties. I mean who doesn't love tender juicy chicken, bold basil pesto, and melted cheese sandwiched in between a miniature bun? These get bonus points because they are super simple to whip up!
Homemade Vegan Basil Pesto
Now let's chat pesto...my favorite part. I may be biased but this pesto is absolutely incredible. It's not packed with olive oil and uses just a touch of dairy-free parmesan cheese making it a "lightened up pesto". Don't be fooled though, it's fresh, robust, and packed with flavor. Plus it takes no time at all to make and only requires a few simple ingredients.
Trust me when I say you NEED this in your life.
Vegan Basil Pesto Ingredients
- Fresh basil
- Lemon juice
- Pine nuts
- Garlic
- Olive oil
- Sea salt
- Vegan parmesan
How to Assemble Chicken Sliders
Here are a few tips and tricks to ensure beautiful and delicious sliders every time!
- Keep the slider buns intact. Simply cut the block of buns in half horizontally so that you remove the top half of each bun. After you've filled them with your ingredients, just place the tops back on and bake! This will give the sliders a "pull-apart" vibe when served.
- Use fresh ingredients. This should be obvious but fresh is best! I will prepare the chicken and shred it the same day as I make these sliders. If you have some shredded chicken on hand, that will work as well but make sure it isn't more than 3 days old to maintain freshness.
- Leave a little room around the edges when spreading on the pesto. This makes sure you don't waste any of the precious pesto when you add in your remaining ingredients.
- Brush additional pesto on top. The more pesto the better right? Not only does the pesto on top look pretty, it also allows for pesto in every bite! It's definitely a step I wound never miss.
For more appetizer recipes, check out:
Recipe
Pesto Chicken Sliders
Ingredients
For the pesto
- 2 cups basil - lightly packed
- 2 Tbs lemon juice
- ⅓ cup pine nuts
- 1 clove garlic
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- pinch of salt
For the sliders
- 9 slider buns
- 2 chicken breasts - baked and shredded
- 1 cup mozzarella - shredded
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes - sautéed in a skillet with olive oil for about 5 minutes to soften
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 F. Place pesto ingredients in a food processor and pulse until desired consistency.2 cups basil, 2 Tbs lemon juice, ⅓ cup pine nuts, 1 clove garlic, ¼ cup olive oil, ¼ cup parmesan cheese, pinch of salt
- Keeping the slider buns attached, cut the slider buns in half so that you only remove the tops. Spread pesto over the bottom half of the buns (save a little to brush on top).9 slider buns
- Sprinkle the shredded chicken on top of the pesto followed by the mozzarella cheese and roasted tomatoes. Place the other half of the buns on top and brush on the remaining pesto.2 chicken breasts, 1 cup mozzarella, 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- Bake for 22 - 25 minutes until the cheese is melted and buns are toasted.
When do you use the cherry tomatoes? Didn’t see it included in the method.
Hi Cindy! Thanks for pointing that out. You add the tomatoes on top of the pulled chicken and mozzarella (step 3).
Hope you love them!