Alabama White BBQ Chicken Slider Bake

This Alabama White BBQ Chicken Slider Bake takes everything you love about a classic pulled-chicken sandwich and turns it into a shareable, pull-apart dinner. Shredded chicken is tossed in a tangy white barbecue sauce, layered between soft slider rolls with provolone, and baked under a stream of garlic butter until the tops turn golden and the cheese melts into every crevice.

It’s a hands-on, messy, utterly satisfying dish that comes together in about 40 minutes. Whether it’s game day, a weeknight family dinner, or a potluck, these sliders disappear fast.

Alabama white barbecue sauce is a regional treasure: a mayonnaise-based sauce with vinegar, horseradish, and black pepper that’s traditionally used on smoked chicken. Here, it does double duty as both a flavoring and a moistening agent for shredded chicken. The chicken soaks up the tangy sauce, then gets blanketed with provolone and baked under garlic butter, creating a golden, pull-apart top.

The result is a slider that’s rich, savory, and bright with acidity. This recipe is perfect for feeding a crowd, and it’s endlessly adaptable—use leftover rotisserie chicken, your favorite store-bought white sauce, or a homemade version. The key is to not overbake, so the rolls stay soft and the cheese stays stretchy.

Ingredients

Why this recipe works

The white barbecue sauce is the star here. Unlike typical red BBQ sauce, it’s creamy, tangy, and a little sharp, which cuts through the richness of the cheese and butter.

It also clings beautifully to shredded chicken, ensuring every bite is flavorful without being overly sweet. The sauce’s acidity helps balance the fat from the provolone and butter, so the dish tastes bright rather than heavy.

Baking the assembled sliders as a whole slab is what makes them pull-apart perfect. The rolls stay connected, the filling stays contained, and the garlic butter soaks into the tops, creating a golden, slightly crisp crust while the interior stays soft and steamy. This method also makes serving effortless—just lift and pull.

Notes and substitutions

Use good-quality slider rolls—Hawaiian sweet rolls or brioche work especially well. They’re soft, slightly sweet, and sturdy enough to hold the filling. If you can’t find slider rolls, use dinner rolls and slice them in half as a single slab. The chicken should be cooked and shredded; rotisserie chicken is ideal, or you can poach chicken breasts and shred them yourself.

White barbecue sauce is available in many supermarkets, but you can also make your own with mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, prepared horseradish, Dijon mustard, and black pepper.

For the cheese, provolone melts beautifully and has a mild, nutty flavor, but mozzarella or Monterey Jack are great substitutes. The garlic butter can be as simple as melted butter mixed with minced garlic and a pinch of salt.

• White barbecue sauce: Use store-bought or homemade Alabama white sauce; if unavailable, mix 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 1 tsp prepared horseradish, and 1 tsp Dijon mustard.
• Provolone: Swap with mozzarella, Swiss, or Monterey Jack for a similar melt and mild flavor.
• Slider rolls: Use Hawaiian sweet rolls or brioche slider buns for a slightly sweeter, richer base.
• Shredded cooked chicken: Use rotisserie chicken or leftover roasted chicken; or poach chicken breasts and shred.

Equipment

• Large rectangular baking dish
• Small bowl
• Spatula
• Aluminum foil (optional)
• Cutting board
• Knife