A classic Italian favorite is taking a new form! Chicken Parmesan Sliders combine tender, juicy shredded chicken cooked in a delicious tomato sauce with two cheeses on a garlic butter toasted bun. The recipe uses both the Instant Pot (chicken) and the oven to toast the buns and melt the gooey cheese!
Classic ‘Chicken Parm’ is a breaded chicken breast, smothered in tasty tomato sauce, melted Parmesan, mozzarella or provolone cheese.
The fabulous Italian flavor combination makes it a favorite.
We’ve deconstructed it to create a lightened up Chicken Parmesan in slider form.
An Easy Instant Pot Recipe
The chicken is cooked quickly in the Instant Pot with tomatoes and sauce, along with bold Italian seasoning.
Afterwards it’s shredded and added to garlic butter toasted slider buns with Parmesan and provolone cheeses.
This hybrid recipe uses the oven to toast the buns and finally to melt the cheese.
These delicious sliders are a perfect appetizer size or served a few with a salad for dinner.
Definitely a family favorite recipe.
Recipe Ingredients
- Diced Canned Tomatoes and Tomato Sauce – combined with the spices this makes up the delicious sauce. In a pinch prepared Marinara sauce can also be substituted.
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts – these chicken breasts cook long enough to be full of flavor, easy to shred and still moist. Once shredded it soaks up more of the sauce too.
- Spices: Italian Seasoning, garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper
- Slider Buns – regular or Hawaiian slider buns. Gluten-free suggestions below.
- Garlic Cloves and Unsalted Butter – these make up the easy homemade garlic butter to brush on the slider buns. Its the perfect texture to the buns.
- Cheese: fresh shredded Parmesan cheese and provolone slices – both a melted in the oven on the assembled sliders.
- fresh Italian Parsley for garnish
How to Make Gluten-Free Sliders
Other than the buns, all the ingredients are naturally gluten-free.
Unfortunately gluten-free slider buns are not mass produced but I’ve used some substitutions I’d recommend.
Picking something around the size of a small dinner roll works well.
NOTE: I linked either to Amazon.com or the brand website to show the products. These products are available at grocery stores too.
These sizes are comparable either on their own or when cut into smaller sizes:
- BFree Soft White Rolls
- Udi’s Classic French Rolls
- Schar Ciabatta Rolls (cut in half) or Sandwich Rolls (cut in thirds)
OR if you like baking, these recipes from reliable gluten-free sources sound delicious (I have not baked them myself):
How to Make it – Step-by-Step
STEP 1: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 13-inch by 9-inch baking pan with non-stick spray.
Making the Chicken in the Instant Pot
STEP 2: Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce and the spices to the Instant Pot (photo 1); stir to combine.
STEP 3: Add the chicken (photo 2); turn to coat in the sauce.
STEP 4: Lock the Instant Pot lid and move the vent to closed. Cook on MANUAL High Pressure for 15 minutes.
When the cooking is done allow a 5 minute Natural Release followed by a Manual Release to release the remaining steam.
STEP 5:Remove the chicken (photo 3) and use two forks to shred the chicken. While shredding, turn on the Saute function and allow the cooking liquids to reduce for 2-4 minutes. Then turn the Instant Pot to WARM.
Place the shredded chicken back into the Instant Pot (photo 4) and stir to fully absorb the reduced cooking liquids.
Making the Sliders
STEP 1: Melt the butter with the garlic (photo 5). Place the bottom half of the slider buns in the prepared baking dish. Brush lightly with the garlic butter (photo 6).
The remainder of the garlic butter will be used for the top of the sliders too later.
STEP 2: Place in the heated oven for 4 minutes and remove (leave oven on).
STEP 3: Remove the chicken from the Instant Pot with a slotted spoon, allowing any excess liquid to drain back into the insert.
Evenly distribute the chicken across all the toasted lower slider buns (photo 7).
STEP 4: Reserve 1/4 cup of the grated Parmesan cheese. Distribute the rest evenly on top of the chicken (photo 8) followed by the pieces of Provolone cheese (photo 9).
STEP 5: Place the top of the slider buns on, brush with the rest of the garlic butter (photo 10) and sprinkle on the remaining Parmesan cheese.
Bake for 4-5 minutes until the cheese has melted and the slider bun tops are lightly toasted.
Sprinkle with chopped Italian Parsley and serve warm.
Pro Tip
Do not skip the step of brushing the bottom bun with garlic butter and toasting it before assembling the sliders.
Otherwise the sliders will become soggy especially if making them with gluten-free bread.
Methods to Shred the Chicken
There are three ways to shred the chicken:
- Using two forks and pulling the meat apart – I like this method for the slider recipe as it gives more control over the size of the shredded meat to keep it from being overly fine in size.
- Standing Mixer – this is a favorite method for shredded chicken although requires monitoring or the chicken will be very fine in size which is not recommended for this recipe.
- Handheld Mixer – though this is possibly I find it can sometimes almost grind the meat when it’s hot.
More Instant Pot Recipes You’ll Love!
- Instant Pot Turkey Breast
- Homestyle Meatloaf in an Instant Pot
- Instant Pot Artichokes
- Vegetable Beef Soup (Instant Pot + Stove Top)
- BBQ Pulled Pork
- Buffalo Chicken
Try these Recipes too!
- Grilled Skirt Steak Sliders
- Grilled Potatoes in Foil
- Shrimp Salad Recipe
- Mushroom Soup recipe
- Tuscan Chicken
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 14.5-ounce can Diced tomatoes
- 1 cup Tomato sauce
- 1 1/2 pounds Boneless chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Oregano
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon Black pepper
- 20 Slider buns or Hawaiian roll sliders see notes for gluten-free suggestions
- 4 tablespoons Unsalted butter melted
- 3 Garlic cloves minced or grated
- 3/4 cup fresh shredded Parmesan cheese
- 5-6 slices Provolone cheese quartered
- ¼ cup fresh Italian Parsley chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray, set aside.
- Add the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce into the bottom of the Instant Pot. Add the Italian seasoning, garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
- Add the chicken and turn to coat in the sauce.
- Close and lock the Instant Pot lid, and place the steam valve onto sealed. Cook on manual high pressure for 15 minutes.
- Once the Instant Pot has finished cooking, allow to naturally release for 5 minutes and then quick release any remaining steam.
- Remove the chicken, set the Instant Pot to the Saute function, and cook for 2-4 minutes to reduce the cooking liquid.While the liquid is reducing, shred the chicken using 2 forks.
- Keep the Instant Pot on WARM and return the shredded chicken to the sauce, stirring to full coat the chicken. Allow to sit in the sauce while preparing the slider buns in the oven.
- Mix together melted butter and minced garlic. Place the bottoms of the slider rolls into the baking dish and lightly brush the tops with the melted butter mixture. NOTE: do not skip this step or the slider may become soggy. Place in the oven for 4 minutes, until slightly toasted, and remove. (Leave oven on).
- Remove the chicken from the Instant Pot with a slotted spoon allowing excess sauce to drain into the Instant Pot.
- Evenly distribute the chicken on the rolls (about 2 tablespoons each).
- Reserve 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese and sprinkle the rest evenly on the chicken. Add a slice of the quartered provolone cheese on top of each slider.
- Place the slider bun tops back on and brush again with the remaining melted butter mixture. Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan cheese across the bun tops.
- Put the sliders back into the oven for 4-5 minutes, to melt the cheese and slightly toast the slider tops. Remove, sprinkle with the chopped fresh parsley and serve warm!
Sandra | A Dash of Sanity says
Everyone at my house loved this! It was so good!
Janeane Davis says
Theae look so good. The rexipe is easy to follow. This would be great for our family