Football-themed sliders for NFL kickoff weekend

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — NFL football returns this weekend, and that means you’ll need some new crowd-pleasing finger foods.

This week on Good Morning Arizona, Valley home chef Nick Farrer joined to show us how to make delicious football-themed sliders.

One recipe is for Chicago-Style Italian Beef Sliders — which may please Chicago Bears fans residing in the Valley.

The other is, of course, Arizona Cardinals themed: the Arizona-Style Chicken and Pepper Sliders.

Both recipes yield 12 sliders. Check out both slider recipes below.

And be sure to catch the Cardinals season opener against the New Orleans Saints at 10 a.m. Sunday on CBS5!

Chicago-Style Italian Beef Sliders

Ingredients:

• 12 slider buns (Hawaiian, brioche or bakery-style)
• 1 ½ lbs thinly sliced roast beef (deli or homemade)
• 2 cups beef au jus (or beef broth + 1 packet Italian dressing mix + 1 tsp garlic powder)
• 6 slices provolone or mozzarella cheese (halved)
• 2 cups Chicago-style giardiniera (hot or mild)
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Warm au jus in a skillet. Add sliced beef and let it soak for a few minutes.
3. Split slider buns and place bottoms on a baking sheet.
4. Layer beef → provolone → giardiniera → top bun.
5. Brush tops with melted butter + Italian seasoning.
6. Bake 8–10 minutes until cheese is melty and buns are golden.
7. Serve with extra au jus for dipping.

Arizona-Style Chicken & Pepper Sliders

Ingredients:

• 12 slider buns (pretzel or brioche are great)
• 1 ½ lbs chicken breast or thighs (grilled or sautéed, sliced thin)
• 1 poblano pepper, roasted & sliced
• 1 red bell pepper, roasted & sliced
• 1 sweet onion, caramelized or grilled
• 1 cup pepper jack cheese (sliced or shredded)
• ½ cup chipotle mayo (mayo + canned chipotle + lime juice)
• 2 tbsp butter, melted (for brushing buns)
• Fresh cilantro (optional garnish)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. Roast poblano + bell pepper until blistered, slice thin. Caramelize onion in skillet.
3. Cook chicken, slice thin.
4. Split slider buns and spread chipotle mayo on bottoms.
5. Layer chicken → peppers/onion → pepper jack → top bun.
6. Brush tops with melted butter.
7. Bake 8–10 minutes until cheese is gooey and buns are toasted.
8. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot.

Nick Farrer is a home chef out of Gilbert with a big following on TikTok and Instagram. Farrer has appeared on Food Network’s Guys Grocery Games 3 times and has won twice!

Farrer also owns his own brand of hot sauce called Southside Sauces, where he harkens back to his roots in South Chicago and brings life to a childhood favorite.

Farrer lives in Gilbert with his wife Danielle and kids Tony and Sam.

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