This version of the popular chicken slider—made with spicy smoked chicken, pickled red onion, and topped with a spiced up white barbecue sauce—will take your taste buds on a journey that they won't forget soon.
Keep reading for Malcom Reed's step-by-step instructions on how to smoke a whole chicken and create these tasty chicken sliders.
For this cook, Malcom seasons the chicken with his Killer Hogs Hot Barbecue Rub and monitors the temperature with a BlueDOT thermometer from Thermoworks.
The BlueDOT is a practical and compact thermometer that you can monitor from your phone via bluetooth. We have both the BlueDot and Hot Barbecue Rub available for purchase in our store.
For more information on both of these product you can visit our website using the links below.
Step-by-Step Instructions for Spicy Chicken Sliders
Malcom uses a homemade white sauce and pickled red onions. Prepare these condiments in advance so you have them handy when it's time to assemble the sliders.
Don't like the heat? You can easily adapt the white sauce to make it mild and switch to your favorite chicken seasoning.
Recipe: Spicy White Sauce
Ingredients:
- 2 cups mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1-1/2 tablespoons white sugar
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1/2 tablespoon granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Juice of 1 lemon
Combine the ingredients in a large bowl and mix them with a whisk. Refrigerate the sauce for 2 hours before serving. It will keep for at least a week in the refrigerator.
Recipe: Pickled Red Onions
- 1 red onion peeled and sliced into rings
- 1-1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon Kosher salt
- Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
Bring the vinegar to a boil in a small pot over medium heat. Add the sugar, salt, and red pepper flakes, and stir the mixture to dissolve the sugar. Remove it from the heat and add the red onion slices.
Stir the mixture, then transfer it to a heat safe container to pickle. Refrigerator them for 3-4 hours, then serve. Pickled onions will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator.
Step 1: Prep the Chickens
Start with two average size, 4-5 pound whole fryers. Pat the chickens dry with a paper towel. You want as little moisture on the skin as possible.
Lay your chickens on a tray, breast side down, and spray with a light, even coat of cooking spray. This will act as a binder to hold the rub on during smoking.
HowtoBBQright.com
Step 2: Season the Chickens
In this recipe Malcom uses Killer Hogs Hot Barbecue Rub to give the chicken the desired spiciness. Cover the backs of the birds with a generous coat of rub. Don't be shy—you will be counting on that surface seasoning to flavor everything at the end!
Once the backs are seasoned, flip the chickens over and season the breast side. Be sure to cover all sides well.
Don't like the heat? Use Killer Hogs The BBQ Rub or your favorite seasoning for smoked chicken.
HowtoBBQright.com
Step 3: Start Your Smoker
Set your smoker to 350 degrees F and let it come to temperature. Malcom is using a pellet smoker, but you can use any smoker as long as you can maintain a consistent temperature.
In this cook, Malcom uses pecan pellets for smoker fuel. These and many other varieties are available on our website and in our store.
HowtoBBQright.com
Step 4: Smoke the Chickens
Once the temperature reaches 350, place the chickens in the smoker, breast side up, and smoke them for 30–40 minutes. At this point you can insert your thermometer and begin monitoring the internal temperature.
HowtoBBQright.com
Let the chickens cook on the smoker until they reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Double check the temperature in a few different spots with an instant-read thermometer to make sure they are done, then remove them from the smoker.
Let the meat rest for about 20 minutes.
HowtoBBQright.com
Step 5: Pull the Chicken
Once the chicken has rested for about 20 minutes you can go ahead and de-bone it. Use nitrile disposable gloves with insulating liners to protect your hands from the hot chicken. Pull the meat from the bones, tear it into smaller pieces, then mix it together so the flavor from the skin is distributed throughout the meat.
HowtoBBQright.com
Step 6: Build Your Sandwiches
Split the buns and add a layer of pickle slices, followed by a generous pile of chicken. Slather on some of the spicy white sauce and top it with a few pickled onions (recipe below).
HowtoBBQright.com
HowtoBBQright.com
HowtoBBQright.com
Step 7: Pin the Top With a Toothpick and Enjoy!
HowtoBBQright.com
Are you looking for an easy-to-use and affordable pellet smoker?
Don't have the supplies you need?
Shop some of our barbecue supplies and equipment here in our online store or visit our store in person for a full line of barbecue equipment and supplies.
- Get a Green Mountain Pellet Grill
- Buy a BlueDOT Thermometer
- Buy Pecan Smoking Pellets
- Purchase Killer Hogs Hot Barbecue Rub
- Get Heavy Aluminum Foil
- Browse Sauces
- Browse Seasonings
Can't find what you need online? Visit our specialty barbecue store at 140 W Main Street in New Holland, Pennsylvania to immerse yourself in many of the best products available for anyone wanting to make delicious food outdoors. Our store hours are listed at the bottom of this page.
