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These Monterey Chicken Sliders pile smoky grilled BBQ chicken, crispy bacon, melty Colby Jack, and sweet grilled onions onto soft Hawaiian rolls, turning the steakhouse classic into the easiest handheld dinner, and my crew inhales them every cookout. They taste just like the restaurant favorite but come together in about 20 minutes. If you love a baked or grilled slider, our easy pizza sliders are another crowd favorite.
Grilled BBQ chicken, bacon, and melted cheese on toasty buns make these the ultimate easy cookout sliders.
Monterey Chicken Sliders Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 12 minutes
- ⏳ Total Time: 22 minutes
- 🍽️ Serving: 8 sliders
- ⚡ Calories: 835kcal
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Smoky BBQ chicken with bacon, melty cheese, and grilled onions
- ✋ Difficulty: Easy, on par with our ham and Swiss sliders
Quick Answer
To make monterey chicken sliders, slice chicken breasts thin and season them with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Grill the chicken and oil-brushed red onion slices over medium-high heat, basting the chicken with BBQ sauce as it cooks. When the chicken reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit, top it with crumbled bacon and shredded Colby Jack and let the cheese melt. Toast the rolls on the grill, then assemble each slider with chicken, grilled onion, and a little extra BBQ sauce.
Jump to:
- Monterey Chicken Sliders Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Recipe Works
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Key Ingredients
- Variations and Substitutions
- How to Make Monterey Chicken Sliders
- Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Serving Ideas and Suggestions
- Monterey Chicken Sliders FAQs
- Other Recommended Slider and Chicken Recipes
- Monterey Chicken Sliders
Why This Recipe Works
Click to see the technique science
- All the monterey chicken flavor, handheld. BBQ chicken, bacon, and melted cheese give you the steakhouse classic in an easy slider form.
- Grilling adds smoky char. Cooking the chicken and onions on the grill brings a smoky, caramelized flavor you cannot fake.
- BBQ basting keeps it juicy. Basting the chicken with BBQ sauce as it grills locks in moisture and builds sticky, savory flavor.
- Bacon and Colby Jack are irresistible. Crispy bacon and gooey melted Colby Jack make every bite rich and satisfying.
- Hawaiian rolls are soft and sweet. Their pillowy, slightly sweet texture is the perfect bun for the smoky, savory filling.
- Ready in about 20 minutes. Quick prep and a fast grill time make these perfect for cookouts and busy weeknights alike.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- They taste just like the steakhouse classic in an easy handheld slider.
- Smoky grilled BBQ chicken, bacon, and melty cheese are irresistible.
- They are perfect for cookouts right alongside our easy pizza sliders.
Key Ingredients
Here is everything you need to make these smoky monterey chicken sliders. Simple cookout staples come together fast.
- Chicken Breasts: Boneless skinless breasts sliced thin so they grill quickly and fit the slider buns.
- BBQ Sauce: Used to baste the chicken and to drizzle on at the end. Use your favorite sweet or smoky sauce.
- Bacon: Thick-cut bacon, cooked and crumbled, adds crispy, salty crunch.
- Colby Jack Cheese: Shredded and melted over the chicken for gooey, mild, melty flavor.
- Red Onion: Sliced into thick rounds, brushed with oil, and grilled for a sweet, charred topping.
- Hawaiian Rolls: Soft, slightly sweet slider rolls that get a light toast on the grill.
- Seasonings: Garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper season the chicken simply and well.
See recipe card for exact quantities.
Variations and Substitutions
These monterey chicken sliders are easy to customize. Here are a few favorite ways to switch them up.
- Add toppings: Pile on lettuce, tomato, pickles, or jalapenos to dress them up.
- Switch the cheese: Use cheddar, pepper jack, or Monterey Jack in place of Colby Jack.
- Make it spicy: Use a spicy BBQ sauce or add a few dashes of hot sauce.
- Use a different protein: Swap in grilled chicken thighs, or make it like our Alice Springs chicken with mushrooms.
- Bake instead of grill: Cook the chicken and onions on a sheet pan under the broiler if you do not have a grill.
- Make full sandwiches: Use the same fillings on regular buns for full-size monterey chicken sandwiches.
How to Make Monterey Chicken Sliders
- Slice the chicken breasts thin to make 8 pieces and season both sides with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Brush the red onion rounds with olive oil.
- Grill the chicken and onions over medium-high heat. When the chicken is halfway done, flip and baste with BBQ sauce, flipping the onions as needed.
- When the chicken is almost done, baste the other side with BBQ sauce, then top each piece with crumbled bacon. Toast the buns cut side down on the grill.
- Once the chicken reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit, top with shredded Colby Jack, close the grill to melt the cheese, then assemble the sliders with chicken, grilled onion, and extra BBQ sauce.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Slice the chicken thin so it cooks fast and fits neatly on the slider rolls.
- Baste with BBQ sauce only in the second half of grilling so the sugars do not burn.
- Use a thermometer; the chicken is done and safe at 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Grill the onions alongside the chicken for sweet, charred flavor.
- Toast the buns cut side down for a minute so they hold up to the saucy filling.
- Let the cheese melt by closing the grill lid for a minute after adding it.
- Set out extra BBQ sauce so everyone can add as much as they like.
Serving Ideas and Suggestions
These monterey chicken sliders are made for cookouts and game day, so pile them on a platter and let everyone grab their own. Set out extra BBQ sauce and a few toppings like lettuce, tomato, and pickles so guests can customize.
Serve them with classic cookout sides like coleslaw, baked beans, or chips. They are also great next to our pizza sliders and ham and Swiss sliders for a fun slider bar everyone loves.
For a bigger spread, add some crispy air fryer buffalo chicken tenders or a slice of buffalo chicken pizza so there is plenty of chicken to go around.
These are best assembled and served fresh off the grill, but you can grill the chicken ahead and reheat it, then assemble the sliders when ready to serve.
Monterey Chicken Sliders FAQs
A monterey chicken slider is a mini sandwich layered with grilled BBQ-basted chicken, crispy crumbled bacon, melted Colby Jack cheese, and sweet grilled red onion on a soft Hawaiian roll. It is inspired by the steakhouse monterey chicken dish, which features the same smoky, cheesy, bacon-topped BBQ chicken flavors. A drizzle of extra BBQ sauce ties it all together.
Yes, you can make these without a grill. Cook the seasoned chicken in a grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat, basting with BBQ sauce, or roast it on a sheet pan and finish under the broiler. Grill or saute the onions the same way. Add the bacon and cheese at the end and let the cheese melt before assembling.
Colby Jack is the classic choice because it melts smoothly and has a mild, buttery flavor that pairs well with BBQ chicken and bacon. Monterey Jack, cheddar, or pepper jack all work well too. Use whatever melty cheese you love, and shred it yourself for the best melt.
You can prep ahead by slicing and seasoning the chicken, cooking and crumbling the bacon, and slicing the onions in advance. The sliders are best assembled and eaten fresh so the buns do not get soggy. If needed, grill the chicken ahead, refrigerate it, and reheat before topping with cheese and assembling the sliders.
Use your favorite BBQ sauce, whether that is a sweet and smoky, honey, or tangy style. A thicker sauce clings to the chicken best while grilling. Use about half a cup to a full cup depending on how saucy you like your sliders, and set out extra for drizzling on at the end.
Store leftover grilled chicken separately from the buns in an airtight container in the fridge for three to four days. Reheat the chicken in a skillet or microwave until warm, then assemble fresh sliders on toasted buns. Keeping the components separate keeps the rolls from getting soggy and the sliders tasting fresh.
Love an easy slider? Try our cheesy pizza sliders next.
Monterey Chicken Sliders
Ingredients
- 2 Chicken Breasts boneless skinless
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 red onion sliced in large rounds about 1/4th inch thick
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 – 1 cup bbq sauce depending on personal taste
- 4 slices thick-cut bacon cooked and crumbled
- 8 small dinner rolls sliced in half I used Hawaiian Bread rolls
- 1 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese
Instructions
- lice the chicken breasts in half lengthwise. Cut the 4 pieces into half so you have 8 pieces. Season on both sides with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Place on a plate until ready to grill. Brush the onion slices with olive oil on both sides, set them aside on a plate.
- Cook the chicken over medium-high heat on the grill. Cook onions on the grill as well, get a nice sear on both sides. When the chicken is halfway done, about 5 minutes, flip over and baste with the bbq sauce. Flipping onions as necessary.
- When the chicken is almost done cooking, flip again and baste the other side with sauce. Place buns cut side down onto grill to get a light toast, take off when they are toasted, and set aside about 2 minutes.
- When the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees, about 10-12 minutes, top with crumbled bacon and cheese. Take off the onions, close the grill and let the cheese melt, about 1 minute.
- Assemble the sliders by taking a bottom bun, add a piece of the chicken and the onions. Top with more bbq sauce if desired, and your favorite sandwich toppings, serve and enjoy!
Notes
- We like to use thick cut bacon for this as it produces larger and thicker pieces so you can really taste it, but you can use regular cut if you like.
- Use your favorite BBQ Sauce for this recipe, we love using Brown Sugar Honey for a little bit of sweetness.
- Any dinner roll or slider bun will work, we are keen on using Kings Hawaiian for these.
- Top with your favorite toppings to really make this sandwich yours.
- Easily double this recipe to serve at any gathering or cookout.
Nutrition
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My husband would LOVE these!!! Can’t wait to try!