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Could my recipe names be any longer?

Sweet Tea Oven-Fried Chicken Sliders w- Jalapeño Cheddar Corn Slaw + Crispy Onions | halfbakedharvest.com

Actually, there is also a little chipotle honey drizzle, but somehow I stopped myself from throwing that in there too.

I have issues. Issues with trying to stuff way too much good stuff in one itty bitty slider bun. I had all these flavors going through my head, and then I just couldn’t stop with just one. The slaw is must, the crispy onions are the perfect topper and while the chipotle honey drizzle is not a must, it is pretty darn good.

It’s a little sweet, a little spicy and all things good, spring/summer and barbecue cookin. Although, I will never understand why fried chicken is consider a barbecue summertime food. I mean, it’s fried (or in this case oven-fried) and has nothing to do with the grill? Who knows and who cares, it’s a southern classic and I don’t see many people complaining about it.

Sweet Tea Oven-Fried Chicken Sliders w- Jalapeño Cheddar Corn Slaw + Crispy Onions | halfbakedharvest.com

Ok, but sweet tea? How do we feel about it?

Personally tea of any kind of makes me gag. I know that is horrible and a little weird, but no matter how many times I try to force myself to drink it, and try to like it, I just can’t.

Same with coffee. Well, coffee does not make me gag, I just do not like it. It’s probably because I have only ever tried it black, very BLACK. It’s the way my dad drinks it, so that’s just what I went for.

I am thinking of trying ice coffee this summer though. I think I could really benefit from some caffeine these days.

Sweet Tea Oven-Fried Chicken Sliders w- Jalapeño Cheddar Corn Slaw + Crispy Onions | halfbakedharvest.com

Anyway, using sweet tea for brining chicken, that is one way I can handle tea.

And kind of fun too. I just like telling people, “oh, it’s Sweet Tea Oven-Fried Chicken”. It just sounds good… or at least I think it does.

Sweet Tea Oven-Fried Chicken Sliders w- Jalapeño Cheddar Corn Slaw + Crispy Onions | halfbakedharvest.com

Sooo, these sliders kind of have a lot going on, and yeah, they are a tad high maintenance for a slider.

BUT they are worth it. You can make things easier on yourself by prepping pretty much everything in advance if you wish. Perfect for Memorial Day which is somehow only a week from today.

Sweet Tea Oven-Fried Chicken Sliders w- Jalapeño Cheddar Corn Slaw + Crispy Onions | halfbakedharvest.com

Memorial Day already? How is that even possible? Asher only has nine days left of school and then it is summer vacay for her. I have to say, I am pretty jealous of all the kids in school that are now heading into summer. That whole mindset of summer – no school, no homework, no set plans and nothing but time, swimming and warm summer nights sounds pretty incredible.

Sometimes I feel like I skipped a little too fast into adulthood, but then not really because I am so happy with where I am at. I wouldn’t  do anything differently.

Sweet Tea Oven-Fried Chicken Sliders w- Jalapeño Cheddar Corn Slaw + Crispy Onions | halfbakedharvest.com

Well, that and I can’t actually sit without doing something for more than like fifteen minutes.

After fifteen minutes I start to get bored and have to come up with something productive to do. So while the thought of being bored and without a care in the world sounds kind of nice, in reality I could never actually do it.

Sweet Tea Oven-Fried Chicken Sliders w- Jalapeño Cheddar Corn Slaw + Crispy Onions | halfbakedharvest.com

What I can do is pile a lot of things on a slider.

Actually, I did have slider size buns, but by the time I piled on all the topping these things were kind of huge. In a good way, of course.

Sweet Tea Oven-Fried Chicken Sliders w- Jalapeño Cheddar Corn Slaw + Crispy Onions | halfbakedharvest.com

Really though, you have to make these sometime this late spring/summer. They are just the perfect warm weather, feel good kind of food.

Sweet Tea Oven-Fried Chicken Sliders w- Jalapeño Cheddar Corn Slaw + Crispy Onions | halfbakedharvest.com

Sweet Tea Oven-Fried Chicken Sliders w/ Jalapeno Cheddar Corn Slaw + Crispy Onions.

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Rest/Refrigerate 9 hours
Total Time 10 hours 10 minutes
Servings: 12 Sliders
Calories Per Serving: 409 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Ingredients

Sliders

  • 1 1/2 pounds chicken breast cut into slider size pieces
  • 3/4 cups buttermilk
  • 1 1/2 cups sweet tea
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 3 cups corn flake crumbs
  • 3 tablespoons whole wheat flour
  • 2 teaspoons seasoned salt
  • 1/4 -1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • a good pinch of pepper
  • 8-12 [cornbread brioche slider buns | https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/salted-honey-butter-cornbread-brioche-burger-buns/] or your favorite slider buns buttered + toasted

Crispy Onions

  • 2 large white onions halved and then sliced very thin
  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • pinch of pepper + cayenne pepper
  • oil for frying

Jalapeno Cheddar Corn Slaw

Chipotle Honey

  • 1/3 cup honey warmed
  • 1 chipotle chili minced

Instructions

Sliders

  • Add the chicken to a large bowl and pour the buttermilk, sweet tea and salt over the chicken. Toss well, cover and refrigerate overnight.
  • The next day preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with a silpat, foil or parchment paper and spray or brush with olive oil.
  • Add the corn flakes crumbs, flour, seasoned salt, cayenne and pepper to medium sized bowl. Stir to combine.
  • Remove each piece of chicken from the buttermilk, and dredge through the crumbs, pressing gently to adhere. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat until all the chicken has been used. Make sure not to crowd your pan, if necessary use two baking sheets. Lightly spray the chicken with cooking spray or a mist of olive oil. Drizzle the 4 tablespoons melted butter over the chicken.
  • Bake for 10-12 minutes, then reduce the heat to 400 degrees F. Bake for 10-12 minutes more, then flip the chicken over and gently spray with olive oil. Place back in oven for another 15-20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the juices run clean. Serve with the slaw, crispy onions and chipotle cheddar (all below).

Crispy Onions

  • Add the sliced onions to a large bowl and pour the buttermilk over top. Use your hand to submerge the onions in the buttermilk. Allow the onions to sit in the buttermilk 30 minutes to 1 hour.
  • Meanwhile add the flour, salt, pinch of cayenne and pinch of pepper to a bowl and give it a good toss.
  • When ready to fry the onions heat a large pot of oil until it reaches 375 degrees F. or until a pinch of flour sizzles when sprinkled over the pot.
  • Remove a handful of onions from the buttermilk and place them into the flour mixture. Coat the onions in the flour mixture, and then tap them on the inside of the bowl to shake off the excess.
  • Carefully drop the onions into the hot oil. With a spoon, fiddle with them a bit just to break them up. Watch the onions closely as they cook quick! After about 1 or 2 minutes, they should be golden brown, remove from the oil and place on a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat with the remaining onion slices. Onions are best served right away, but can be reheated in a 300 degree oven for 5 minutes, watching them closely and making sure they do not burn.

Jalapeño Cheddar Corn Slaw

  • In a bowl toss together the grilled corn, shredded cabbage, jalapeños, chopped parsley or cilantro, lemon juice, rice vinegar, salt and pepper. Cover and place in the fridge until ready to serve. Just before serving stir in the cheddar cheese.

Chipotle Honey

  • In a bowl mix together honey and chipotle pepper. Serve drizzled over the chicken.

To assemble

  • Place a piece of warm chicken on the bottom of each slider bun, drizzle with the chipotle honey. Top with slaw and crispy onions. SERVE!

Notes

*Everything for the sliders can be prepped in advance. You can bake the chicken right before serving or re-heat the already baked chicken in a 300 degree oven for 15-20 minutes. If possible, try to serve everything as fresh as possible. *Crispy Onions adapted from [Food Network | http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/onion-strings-recipe.html].
View Recipe Comments

Sweet Tea Oven-Fried Chicken Sliders w- Jalapeño Cheddar Corn Slaw + Crispy Onions | halfbakedharvest.com

Told you, a little big for sliders, but SO GOOD!

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Comments

  1. Most folks in my family cannot deal with heat-meaning spicy food(s). And I cannot eat/digest garlic well. Can you offer a few other options for each?

    1. Hey Nick,
      Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled that it worked out for you! Happy Holidays! xTieghan

  2. Someone from Southamerica here! I just would like to know if the sweet tea could be made by hand with only with black tea and sugar (Is there a kind that is sold there that I can find here?). Would that work? Thank you so much for your amazing recipes. I’m trying as many as I can. Ka

    1. Hey Karla,
      Yes, that would work! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan

  3. I’d love to add some cheese to this, what would you recommend?
    Also, what do you think about possibly using a bit of the sweet tea to caramelize the onions instead of frying them? That way it’d be a bit healthier.

    1. I think the sweet tea in the onions would be amazing! I would go for a good cheddar or smoked gouda. Hope you love this!

  4. I cant wait to try these and sneak one by my fiance lol he dont like tea or coffee either! they look so good.