After-Practice Recipe

After-Practice Teriyaki Chicken Sliders

After-practice teriyaki chicken sliders bake as one uncut slab of eight Hawaiian rolls, which means eight minutes at 350F and a single dish to wash.

IngredientsTimingStorageshredded chicken
Comic-book style illustration of hungry kids coming home from practice to a fast hot dinner for After-Practice Teriyaki Chicken Sliders.

Do not pull the rolls apart. That is the trick.

Slice the whole slab in half sideways and leave it in one piece. Bottom half into the dish, teriyaki chicken across it, pineapple rings, cheese, top half back on, then melted butter and sesame seeds brushed over.

Eight minutes at 350F and you cut them apart at the table. Warming three cups of shredded chicken with half a cup of teriyaki takes four minutes and can happen at five o'clock.

Ingredients

The batch makes 8 sliders. Plan on 12 minutes to finish (chicken precooked).

  • 3 cups cooked shredded chicken
  • 1/2 cup teriyaki sauce
  • 8 Hawaiian slider rolls
  • 8 canned pineapple rings, drained
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella or provolone
  • 1/4 cup sliced green onions
  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon sesame seeds

How to Make It

  • Warm the shredded chicken in a skillet with the teriyaki sauce for 4 minutes until heated through and glossy.
  • Slice the slab of rolls in half and set the bottom half in a baking dish.
  • Layer on the teriyaki chicken, pineapple rings, and cheese, then add the top half of the rolls.
  • Brush the tops with the melted butter, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and bake at 350F for 8 minutes until the cheese melts; scatter with green onions.

Do the Slow Part Early

Cook the chicken ahead so the after-practice job is just saucing, stacking, and a short bake. A rotisserie chicken makes the prep nearly instant.

  • Shred the chicken in the morning or use a rotisserie chicken
  • Drain the pineapple and slice the rolls ahead
  • Mix the chicken with teriyaki sauce so it is ready to warm

Store and Reheat

Store the teriyaki chicken separate from the rolls so the bread stays fresh. Build new sliders when you reheat for the best texture.

  • Microwave the teriyaki chicken 2 minutes, then build on fresh rolls and warm
  • Reheat assembled sliders in foil at 350F for 8 minutes
  • The sauced chicken keeps 3 days in the fridge
  • Serve with: steamed rice, cucumber slices

Make it fit tonight

Small changes that make this one fit your night

Press the pineapple dry

Wet rings soak the bottom rolls, so blot them on a paper towel first.

Provolone beats mozzarella here

Slices lie flat across the slab instead of clumping toward the middle.

Foil for the first five minutes

Cover it so the tops do not brown before the cheese under them melts.

Cucumber and leftover rice

Both fill out the plate without asking you to use another pan.

New rolls next time

The sauced chicken holds three days, but reheated bread turns tough.

Plan the next step

Plan your slider nights

Use the planner to keep cooked chicken on hand for fast, crowd-pleasing dinners.

Plan your slider nights