Does it make a difference if I separate the bread rolls or don’t before slicing them in half?

No, not for this recipe. You can separate them if you wish. But I left some of them attached to each other. (Mine came in packs of 4 rolls that were attached to each other.) If using King Hawaiian rolls, it may be easier to slice the whole 12-count dinner rolls through the middle so that you have a bottom half and top half. But it doesn’t make much of a difference whether if you leave them intact or separate them for this recipe as long as the buns fit snugly in your baking dish.

Can I make this ahead?

You can assemble these sliders 2-3 hours in advance. Then cover with foil and refrigerate until ready to bake. Then bake for 17 minutes with the foil on, and 5 minutes more without the foil to brown the tops of the rolls.

How long will these sliders keep?

3-4 days in sealed airtight containers in the refrigerator. This makes them perfect for meal prep too.

What’s the best way to reheat sliders?

The best way to reheat these sliders is in the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C. Place the sliders in an ovenproof dish and cover with aluminum foil. Place the dish in the oven for 12-15 minutes, or until the sliders have heated through. While you can also heat them on high in the microwave for 25 seconds, the buns will soften and become slightly soggy. Also, the filling in the center may not heat all the way through in the microwave. Hence, the oven method is best for reheating these Turkey and Chicken Cranberry Sliders.

Can I make these gluten-free?

Sure! Just use gluten free dinner rolls or slider buns.

Turkey and Chicken Cranberry Sliders

Name: Turkey and Chicken Cranberry Sliders
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 12
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: ½ TBLS Olive Oil (or other cooking oil of your choice, or cooking spray); 400 grams (14 ounces/ about 2.5 cups) cooked leftover Shredded Chicken (or turkey – see notes); ½ cup Mayonnaise (full-fat, low-fat if you prefer); ¾ TSP Cajun Seasoning; ¼ TSP Ground Cayenne; ½-1 TSP Kosher Salt (if needed); ½ TSP freshly cracked Black Pepper (if needed); 12 Dinner Rolls or Slider Buns – halved across the middle; ¼ cup Honey Dijon Mustard; ½ cup Baby Spinach Leaves; 1/3 cup Cranberry Sauce (whole berry cranberry sauce or bottled); 12 Oven Roasted Turkey Slices (see notes); 12 thin Swiss Cheese Slices (or provolone, gouda, or Havarti cheese slices); 1 TBLS Unsalted Butter – melted; 1.5-2 TSP Sesame Seeds

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These Turkey and Chicken Cranberry Sliders are a great way to use up leftovers after Thanksgiving. They’re easy to make, fantastic for feeding a crowd, and the savory-sweet flavor combo is guaranteed to delight your tastebuds with each bite!

Author: Lavina
Prep Time: 5
Cook Time: 20
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 12 1x
Category: Lunch
Method: Bake
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

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½ TBLS Olive Oil (or other cooking oil of your choice, or cooking spray)
400 grams (14 ounces/ about 2.5 cups) cooked leftover Shredded Chicken (or turkey – see notes)
½ cup Mayonnaise (full-fat, low-fat if you prefer)
¾ TSP Cajun Seasoning
¼ TSP Ground Cayenne
½–1 TSP Kosher Salt (if needed)
½ TSP freshly cracked Black Pepper (if needed)
12 Dinner Rolls or Slider Buns – halved across the middle
¼ cup Honey Dijon Mustard
½ cup Baby Spinach Leaves
1/3 cup Cranberry Sauce (whole berry cranberry sauce or bottled)
12 Oven Roasted Turkey Slices (see notes)
12 thin Swiss Cheese Slices (or provolone, gouda, or Havarti cheese slices)
1 TBLS Unsalted Butter – melted
1.5–2 TSP Sesame Seeds

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Instructions

Prep: Preheat oven to 365°F/185°C. Lightly brush a 9×13-inch baking dish with oil (or spray with cooking spray).
Make the chicken/turkey salad: In a large bowl, toss the leftover shredded chicken or turkey with mayonnaise, Cajun seasoning, ground cayenne, and kosher salt and freshly black pepper if needed until combined well.
Assemble: Separate (if you wish, or leave them attached to each other) and slice the bread rolls in half, then place the bottom parts in the prepared pan. Spread honey Dijon mustard on all of the bottom roll parts. Then top with the baby spinach leaves, chicken (or turkey) salad, cranberry sauce, turkey slices, Swiss cheese slices, and the top part of the dinner rolls.
Brush: Melt the unsalted butter in a small microwave safe bowl for 20-30 seconds, or until melted. Brush on top of the tops of the dinner rolls and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Bake: Cover the dish loosely with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake for another 5 minutes, or until the tops of the dinner rolls have browned.
Serve: Transfer the baking dish to a cooling rack and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Then slice and plate individual sliders and serve immediately!

9×13-inch baking dish

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Notes

Ingredient Notes, Cook’s Tips, and FAQs

Chicken/turkey options: I used some leftover baked salt and pepper seasoned chicken breasts that I made using the method for this Juicy Baked Chicken Breasts recipe. However, you can use shredded rotisserie or roasted chicken for a shortcut, or leftover shredded turkey from Thanksgiving dinner. If using leftover shredded turkey, you may want to use ham slices (deli honey ham or leftover ham slices would taste fabulous) instead of turkey slices. Or you could skip the turkey slices and just use shredded turkey.
To make gluten-free sliders: Use gluten-free dinner rolls or slider buns.
Can I make this ahead? You can assemble these sliders 2-3 hours in advance. Then cover with foil and refrigerate until ready to bake. Then bake for 17 minutes with the foil on, and 5 minutes more without the foil to brown the tops of the rolls.
How long will these sliders keep? 3-4 days in sealed airtight containers in the refrigerator. This makes them perfect for meal prep to.
What’s the best way to reheat sliders? The best way to reheat these sliders is in the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C. Place the sliders in an ovenproof dish and cover with aluminum foil. Place the dish in the oven for 12-15 minutes, or until the sliders have heated through. You can also heat them on high in the microwave for 25 seconds, but note that the buns will soften and become slightly soggy. Also, the filling in the center may not heat all the way through in the microwave. Hence, the oven method is best.
Quantities for the ingredients are for reference. You may need to adjust depending on how large your turkey/ham and cheese slices are. You’re also welcome to use more cranberry sauce if you prefer a sweeter taste.