We Made Chicken Parm Sliders Over-The-Top With Gooey Mozzarella Sticks Inside

Chicken Parmesan may not be a true Italian dish, but it's an extremely popular Italian-American dish. You know what makes it even better, though? Taking it over the top by combining it with two bar food classics: sliders and mozzarella sticks. Recipe developer Patterson Watkins tells us, "For a while there, in my early 20s college days, I sort of lived off chicken Parms and mozzarella sticks." While she has cut down her consumption to some extent in recent years, she still says it's a favorite combo of hers, and one which gave her the inspiration to combine the two in this over-the-top chicken Parmesan sliders recipe.

Full-size chicken Parmesan sandwiches are pretty hefty, so the addition of mozzarella sticks might make for something that Watkins says she "would've had to unhinge my jaw to successfully nosh." With smaller-sized buns, however, the sliders become much more manageable. As Watkins describes her recipe, "Chicken Parm and mozz sticks become one ooey-gooey, cheesy, crispy, melty, saucy mass of absolute yum." We can't guarantee that you won't still make a big old mess when you bite into one of these sliders, but we can (almost) guarantee that it will be well worth the sauciness. 

To make the chicken Parmesan, you'll need boneless, skinless chicken breasts, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, Italian breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, flour, eggs, and olive oil. Other ingredients for the sliders include frozen mozzarella sticks, slider rolls, pizza sauce, provolone, basil, and butter.

For the mozzarella sticks, Patterson Watkins' brand of choice is TGI Fridays. The reason, she explains, is that these sticks are wide and flat, making the sandwich more stable. If you do find yourself using a rounder stick, she advises using two for better balance. Sure, that will make your sandwich even cheesier, but why would that be a problem?

Slice the chicken breasts into quarters.

Working in batches if necessary, sandwich the sliced chicken breast pieces between sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap.

Pound the chicken pieces into thinner cutlets.

Thoroughly season the cutlets with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and Italian seasoning.

Place the breadcrumbs in a shallow dish, add ¾ cup of Parmesan to the bowl, and stir to combine.

Set up the breading station by placing flour in a shallow dish and the beaten eggs in another shallow dish.

Preheat the oven to 425 F.

Coat the seasoned cutlets in the flour, shaking off any excess.

Dip the floured cutlets in the egg, letting any excess egg drip off.

Coat the cutlets in the breadcrumbs, gently pressing with your hands to adhere.

Transfer the breaded cutlets to a wire rack-lined baking sheet.

Brush the breaded cutlets with olive oil and place in the oven. Bake for 10 minutes.

Place mozzarella sticks on a separate parchment-lined baking sheet.

After the initial 10 minute chicken bake has finished, increase the oven temperature to 450 F. Keep the chicken in the oven.

Place the mozzarella sticks in the oven with the chicken and bake for another 10 minutes or until both items (chicken and mozzarella sticks) are golden brown and crisp. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Place the bottom buns on another baking sheet (lined with parchment).

Dollop each bottom bun with approximately 1 tablespoon of pizza sauce.

Top the buns with the cooked breaded cutlets.

Sprinkle the cutlets with grated provolone cheese.

Top with the cooked mozzarella sticks (1 per slider).

Top the mozzarella sticks with 2 tablespoons of pizza sauce.

Sprinkle with chopped basil.

Cap the sliders with the top buns and brush each with melted butter.

Sprinkle the buttered top buns with the remaining grated Parmesan (2 tablespoons) and place in the oven.

Bake for 5 to 8 minutes, or until the buns are lightly toasted and the provolone cheese has melted. Remove the sliders from the oven and serve right away.

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Baking the chicken cutlets and mozzarella sticks in the oven allows you to prepare a big batch in the shortest amount of time, but if you'll be making a smaller number of sandwiches, you could also deep-fry them or cook them in an air fryer. For the frozen mozzarella sticks, the package should have instructions for both deep-frying and air-frying, so you can go ahead and follow those.

To deep-fry the breaded cutlets, heat a pot of oil to anywhere between 350 and 375 F. (Be sure to choose an oil with a high smoke point, like avocado, vegetable, or peanut oil.) Cook the chicken for about 10 minutes until the outside is golden brown and crispy and the inside is no longer pink and raw-looking. If you'll be using an air fryer instead, preheat it to 400 F. Bake the chicken cutlets for anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes, turning them over halfway through the cooking time. From there, you can proceed with the recipe as written in terms of assembling and baking the sliders.

To save some time in making these sliders, there are a few prep steps you can take in advance. You can grate both the Parmesan and provolone cheeses, and you can also pre-mix the breadcrumbs and cheese as well as the seasoning mix for the chicken. If you're planning to make homemade pizza sauce instead of using the stuff from a jar, this can also be done days in advance.

Perhaps the biggest time saver involves preparing and breading the chicken. You can bread the chicken and then freeze it raw, or you could also go ahead and cook it, then stick it in the freezer. Freezing is advisable since it'll prevent the crumb coating from getting soggy. If you'll be cooking the chicken later in the day, you can refrigerate the breaded raw cutlets, but don't let them sit for longer than 24 hours. The longer the crumb coating sits, the mushier it will be.

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