Buffalo Ranch Chicken Tempura Sliders
The Best Chicken Sandwich Debate Is Officially Over
The best chicken sandwich isn't at the drive-thru. It's right here at home. It has crispy tempura chicken, a crunchy onion ring, melted mozzarella, pickles, buffalo sauce, and jalapeño ranch packed into a sweet Hawaiian roll. It's cheesy, crunchy, tangy, and messy in exactly the right way.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 pound chicken breasts, cut into slider-size pieces
- 9 Hawaiian slider rolls, split
- 4 slices mozzarella cheese
- 1 sweet onion, sliced into rings
- Dill pickle chips, as desired
- Jalapeño ranch, for drizzling
BUFFALO SAUCE
- 4 tablespoons butter
- ¼ cup Frank's RedHot
TEMPURA BATTER
- 2 bags Ms. Wong's Tempura Mix, divided
- 1 cup ice-cold water, divided
- Vegetable oil, enough for 2 to 3 inches in the pot
Directions
STEP 1: Heat the Oil
Fill a pot with 2 to 3 inches of oil, making sure the pot is no more than halfway full. Heat the oil to 380°F.
STEP 2: Prep
Cut the chicken breasts into slider-size pieces and slice the sweet onion into rings. To make the buffalo sauce, melt 4 tablespoons butter with ¼ cup Frank's RedHot and stir until combined. Set aside while you fry.
STEP 3: Batter Up
Gently mix 1 bag Ms. Wong's Tempura Mix with ½ cup ice-cold water until just combined. Use this batch for the chicken.
STEP 4: Fry the Chicken
Dip each piece of chicken into the tempura batter and carefully lower it into the 380°F oil. Fry for 5 to 5½ minutes, until golden and the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Fry in batches if needed, letting the oil return to 380°F before adding the next round.
⭐ Pro tip: Move the fried chicken to a wire rack and hold it in a 180°F oven so it stays warm and crispy while you fry the onion rings.
STEP 5: Fry the Onion Rings
Gently mix the second bag of Ms. Wong's Tempura Mix with the remaining ½ cup ice-cold water until just combined. Let the oil return to 380°F. Dip the onion rings into the fresh tempura batter and fry for about 90 seconds, until golden and crispy. If any rings stick together, gently separate them with a skimmer.
STEP 6: Toast the Buns
Split the 9 Hawaiian slider rolls and arrange 4 mozzarella slices over the bottom halves. Broil on high just until the cheese melts.
STEP 7: Build the Sliders
Layer each cheesy bottom bun with tempura chicken, an onion ring, pickle chips, buffalo sauce, and jalapeño ranch. Add the toasted top bun.
STEP 8: Serve & Enjoy
Pile the sliders onto a platter and serve them hot. The sweet rolls, buffalo heat, cool ranch, crispy chicken, and crunchy onion rings all hit at once.
