Crispy Chicken Sliders with Apple Coleslaw

This shop/post has been compensated by Collective Bias, INC. and The Coca-Cola Company, all opinions are mine alone. #ServeWithACoke #BowlGames #CollectiveBias

I’m pretty proud of these little guys. They turned out just as delicious as I dreamed them to be, and washed down so nicely with my Coca-Cola™ Zero Sugar. Now that the Christmas frenzy is over, I’m so happy to have a smaller to-do list and more time to kick back with good food and drink and the game on. Football season is upon us, so today I’m sharing my first game day recipe!

My fam bam came into town a few days before Christmas, and to give my mama a break from cooking I volunteered to fill everyone’s bellies. While they all had a game playing, I was in the kitchen frying up these crispy chicken sandwiches, and set them out along with bottles of Coca-Cola Zero Sugar. I felt like I had reached umami with this meal. The salty chicken on the sweet rolls, offset by the refreshing apple coleslaw and a Coca-Cola to wash it all down made me quite proud of myself. Today my pops went searching for and finished off the last leftover slider, so I know I did good.

What are your must-haves for game day get-together’s? For us it’s literally two things: meat and Coca-Cola. Those are the two things my hubby can’t live without, and two things that go together quite well, so they are necessities for us. Bit sad that hubs couldn’t partake of this meal, but I sent him photos and he made me promise to recreate it all for him when he returns from deployment. He should be home just in time for the big game!

What are your guys’ favorite Coke pairings? Do you have your own must-haves for tailgating parties? You can find some pretty mouth-watering inspo HERE, and share your own with #ServeWithACoke.

Crispy Chicken Sliders with Apple Coleslaw
Makes around 24 sliders

3 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut to about 2.5-inch pieces
24 sweet rolls
apple coleslaw (recipe below)

Chicken Brine:

4 quarts cold water
1/2 cup kosher salt
3 Tbsp honey
6 bay leaves
5-6 cloves garlic, unpeeled
1 Tbsp black peppercorns
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried parsley
finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

Chicken Coating:

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp onion powder
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp kosher salt
1-2 cups buttermilk
canola oil, for frying

Directions:

Pour 1/2 quart of the water into a large pot. Add all the other ingredients and bring to a simmer on your stove, stirring until the salt is dissolved. Remove from heat, then add the rest of the cold water and give it another quick stir. Place your chicken into the brine and let sit in the fridge for 2-3 hours.

Remove the chicken from the brine, rinse off the pieces so that there are no stray peppercorns or large herbs sticking to them, and pat dry. Let them warm to room temperature while you prep the coating and oil.

For the coating, whisk together the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper and kosher salt. Divide into two shallow bowls or containers. Pour your buttermilk into another shallow bowl. Prep a heavy-bottomed pot to fry in by fitting it with a thermometer and filling with about 2 inches of canola oil. Place over medium heat and bring to 320F. Prep a baking sheet with paper towels, then place a cooling rack over the baking sheet. This will keep your chicken crisp, while letting the oil drip off to the paper towels below.

When your oil is ready, fry the chicken by first dipping it in the coating, then dipping in the buttermilk, then dip in the coating again, and gently lower into the oil. Don’t overcrowd the pot, and try to keep the temperature as consistent as possible. Fry for about 8 minutes until the outside is very brown and crispy, using tongs to flip if needed. When done, remove to your cooling rack. Let the oil return to 320F before frying your next batch of chicken. You can check to make sure your chicken is done by testing with a meat thermometer to see that the inside is 165F. Repeat until done.

To assemble the sliders: use a serrated knife to slice your rolls in half, then spoon a generous amount of coleslaw onto the bottom, top with a piece of fried chicken and your roll top, and secure with a pick. Enjoy!

Apple Coleslaw

1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 package coleslaw mix
1 Fuji apple, cored and julienned

Directions:

Combine the yogurt, mayonnaise, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl. In a large serving bowl, add the coleslaw mix and mix well with the sauce. Gently add in the apple, and refrigerate until ready to use.

Chicken recipe adapted from my favorite Thomas Keller’s recipe. Coleslaw sauce adapted from HERE.