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Cause tomorrow is Game Day!!

Kickin' Cajun Chicken Sliders with Beer Battered Onion Rings | halfbakedharvest.com @Hbharvest

Ok, so I really only like football for few reasons.

>>>One: The start of football means the start of fall and that greatly excites me.

>>>Two: Something about Sunday night football reminds me of fall nights as kid, sitting by the fire, eating chicken and rice…of course.

>>>Three: Football Food. Does anyone really tire of game day eats? I think not.

I’m sure someday, maybe when I finally get a guy in my life (one other than my brothers…and Blake), I might actually get into the game itself, but that has yet to happen. I try talking football with my dad, you know, asking about how the game works and all that while we do the daily scrubbing of the kitchen, but my mind starts to wander back to things like food and pretty plates.

I wonder if he notices I am not actually listening?? Hmm, I hope not. I think he likes that he has a daughter that is semi interested in sports…if only he knew what I was really thinking about in my head.

But really, you’d think with all the brothers I have that I would actually enjoy watching the game for reasons other than food and cozy Sunday night memories. Clearly those boys have taught me nothing in life.

UGH.

Kickin' Cajun Chicken Sliders with Beer Battered Onion Rings | halfbakedharvest.com @HbharvestKickin' Cajun Chicken Sliders with Beer Battered Onion Rings | halfbakedharvest.com @Hbharvest

Well, there is one thing that my oldest brother just recently taught me. Well, he didn’t really teach me this, more that he turned me onto something I always thought was bad.

Onion rings!

I know, who the heck thinks onion rings are bad?? Here’s the thing, my parents have always said onion rings are gross. My dad never used them when cooking and when we would, on the rare occasion, go out to eat, we always asked to hold the onions. I know, I know, what???

I’ve since learned that onions can be an extremely delicious food. Hello caramelized onions!! I am not a fan of raw onion unless they are green onions, but anything caramelized and extremely cooked down – I’m all game.

And obviously anything fried. But then, well it’s fried…what doesn’t taste better when it’s fried?

So Creighton (my oldest brother) has always been an onion eater…I mean, tacos, burgers, burritos? Those are all his favorites, so onions just go along with the territory. Point is, Creighton was recently talking onion rings, which got me thinking. Beer battered onions ring? On a slider maybe?

Yes, yes, YES.

Kickin' Cajun Chicken Sliders with Beer Battered Onion Rings | halfbakedharvest.com @Hbharvest

Kickin' Cajun Chicken Sliders with Beer Battered Onion Rings | halfbakedharvest.com @Hbharvest

Honestly, I could have just stopped at the beer battered onion rings and called it a day, BUT, you guys know me, I can just do that. I have to give you a meal.

SO… cajun? Yep, cajun chicken sliders with cheddar cheese and spicy black pepper rub sauce. I mean? How could I not go all the way there? I had to.

The sliders are actually breaded ground chicken sliders. I breaded them one, for delicious flavor and texture, and two, so the burger could really soak up that insanely amazing black pepper rub sauce. Oh my gosh. It’s the best you guys. The best.

I really could not think of a better dinner, a better kick-off snack or like…a better anything at the moment. These are a must make.

Kickin' Cajun Chicken Sliders with Beer Battered Onion Rings | halfbakedharvest.com @Hbharvest

Oh and the beer battered onion rings??? I did fool the entire onion hating family with these. Everyone fell hard for these guys, and understandably so.

Beer, onions plus fried? Well, pretty much one of the best combos out there! Then you add some heat, some cheese and a cajun chicken burger to the mix? Hello perfect game day food!

YAY!! 🙂

Kickin' Cajun Chicken Sliders with Beer Battered Onion Rings | halfbakedharvest.com @Hbharvest

Kickin' Cajun Chicken Sliders with Beer Battered Onion Rings.

Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 6 SLIDERS
Calories Per Serving: 861 kcal

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

Ingredients

Beer Battered Onion Rings

  • 1 cup flour
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 egg
  • 3/4 cup of your favorite beer shh...but I used hard cider!
  • 2 large white onions sliced into rings
  • canola oil for frying
  • salt for sprinkling

Sliders

  • 1 pound ground chicken or turkey
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 2 cups cornflakes crushed
  • 1/3 cup Panko bread crumbs
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • 2 teaspoons spicy cajun seasoning use your favorite homemade or store-bought mix
  • 6 slices sharp cheddar cheese
  • 6 slider size brioche buns
  • [greek yogurt ranch | https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/black-pepper-rub-chicken-fingers-greek-yogurt-ranch/] or blue cheese dressing for serving

Black Pepper Rub Sauce

Instructions

Beer Battered Onion Rings

  • In a bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, cayenne, egg and beer until just combined. Don't worry if there are clumps in the batter.
  • Preheat the oven to 200 degree F. Fill a large heavy bottomed pot with oil and heat to 350 degrees F. Set a large wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet and place near the stove.
  • Working in batches dip the onion rings through the beer batter and then carefully add to the hot oil. Deep fry the onions until golden brown and crisp, about 3-4 minutes. Using a wire skimmer, remove the onions from the oil and place on the prepared wire rack. Transfer the onion rings to the oven while you fry them remaining rings.
  • Sprinkle with salt before serving and serve warm atop the sliders!

Burgers

  • Divide the meat into 6 balls and pat into smaller slider size patties. Add the buttermilk to a shallow bowl. To another shallow bowl, add the cornflakes, Panko, flour and cajun seasoning.
  • Working in an assembly line, dip the patties, one at a time through the buttermilk and then dredge through the cornflakes, coating the patties completely. Place breaded patties on a plate and repeat with the remaining patties.
  • Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Once the oil is sizzling, add the burgers and cook until golden brown and cooked through, about 3-4 minutes per side. During the last few minutes of cooking, add the cheddar cheese to each burger.
  • To serve, place a burger on a warmed bun and drizzle with the black pepper rub sauce (recipe below). Top with onion rings and serve with ranch.

Black Pepper Rub Sauce

  • In a medium bowl combine the melted butter, hot sauce, cajun seasoning and black pepper. Whisk to combine.
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Kickin' Cajun Chicken Sliders with Beer Battered Onion Rings | halfbakedharvest.com @Hbharvest

Tomorrow we’ll be talking about the sides…until then…we feast on sliders! Liking this day more and more!

Kickin' Cajun Chicken Sliders with Beer Battered Onion Rings | halfbakedharvest.com @Hbharvest

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Comments

  1. Do you think it will be okay to assemble the sliders ahead of time or will it make the breading too soggy? Say assemble in the morning and cook in the evening?

  2. I used to be a French fry guy growing up… the thought of onion rings never really appealed to me. But as I’ve gotten older (and more mature :-)), I totally get it. Onion rings rock. Now I’ll take them over fries any day.