I almost started this Easy Chili Cheese Dog Sliders post with an apology. But why apologize for something that’s super fun, and something that everyone loved, just because it was crazy-easy to make, right?

These flavorful little sandwiches were the perfect, much needed treat on a tiresome weeknight, that could also be fantastic for kids, teens, and adults alike, to easily throw together for supper or a casual party, too! So what the heck, right? Dang straight.

They’re a little messy, sloppy, and everything you want in a chili cheese dog, but without having to overeat! (Unless you want to, of course!) But that’s also what’s handy about them!

Have one or two, or just totally pig-out with your friends!

My hubby and I have been passing a stupid cold back and forth now for almost a MONTH. I was DOG tired, not feeling well at all, and just needed something simple but fun to cheer us up. After a quick scavenger hunt through the cupboards, fridge and freezer, I came up with this out of sheer necessity.

And these puppies more than made us happy!

I simply started with a regular ol’ all-American package of hotdogs, and only used half of the package! So these are extremely economical to boot as they can go quite a long ways if fixing for a crowd!

To start, simply butterfly them open (not all the way through, though), then slice them into thirds. The package of dogs came 10 to a pack, so I went ahead and used 5 of them. (Even though the slider rolls, King’s Hawaiian®, came in a package of 12.)

Next, I panfried them over fairly high heat in some Minerva Dairy Smoked Butter and browned them on each side.

This butter has incredible flavor! And this Smoked Maple Wood Amish Roll Butter was a First Place Award Winner in the 2017 American Cheese Society Judging & Competition!

And it does NOT contain “artificial smoke flavorings”. The TWO ingredients are simply pasteurized cream and lactic acid (*which is naturally present in milk products).

*They actually smoke their butter using maple wood!

And it. Is. AWESOME.

And why they much deserved to win!! Congrats to Minerva Dairy, for a product made to perfection the real way!!

So, please don’t skip this step! It adds so much flavor with a touch of smokiness, and tastes as if they were grilled! And it only takes a few minutes per side. VERY quick and easy!

Next, slice open the whole loaf of slider rolls keeping them together and not separated.

And top each with a third of a hotdog! (I added the extra ones here and there on ones that looked a little wimpy.)

*If you want extra meat, simply use more hotdogs and slice them in half instead of thirds. But this was actually plenty for us!

Then comes the chili. I used a can of Wolf thick chili, and that worked really well!! But if you’d like, you can make my homemade Chili Dog Chili! (*Just make ahead and chill.)

Just don’t heat it first. You want it super thick and let it heat and thin out in the oven when it bakes.

Once you’ve got your chili spooned and piled on top, add some white or yellow American cheese, and whatever other toppings you like!

We enjoy chopped red onion, and my hubby asked for my Cowboy Candy! (I passed on the latter due to a VERY sore throat!)

Then place the whole top on and baste with more smoked butter! Lastly, sprinkle with poppy seeds! Sesame seeds would also work just fine, or leave them plain if you happen to be out or prefer not to.

I lined a baking dish with foil and sprayed it, and I was glad that I did! (It sure made cleanup a BREEZE!!

Then cover the top with foil, too, sealing it well. Pop these babies into the oven, then remove the foil at the end to toast the top a little.

Don’t they look AWESOME??!!!

If you prefer soft rolls, just leave the foil on the whole time, and remove it after you take it out of the oven.

I like mine lightly toasted, but the hubs likes the rolls to say nice and squishy soft. Both ways are delicious!

Then just let them rest a few minutes! The chili will be molten lava-hot, and they’ll be much less messy if allowed to calm down for a few minutes before diving in face first!

These would be killer with my old-fashioned Jo-Jo Potatoes, Copycat 5 Guys Fries, Mustard Potato Salad, County Fair Onion Rings, or Sweet Creamy Southern Cole Slaw.

But since I was so tired and under-the-weather, I simply served them with sour cream & onion potato chips and my 3 Ingredient French Onion Pickle Dip!

And these were absolutely DELICIOUS. We got FOUR meals out of this, and I truly hated to see the last one gone!

I knew they were going to be tasty and a lot of fun, but they were so much more than I had expected! And I was so relieved!

These Easy Chili Cheese Dog Sliders would be a hit at your March Madness party, family get together, kid or teen party, or a fun weeknight meal!

Silly-easy to make, snack-sized to go a long ways, and so much more fun to eat!

Remember to save this to your Pinterest Boards! It really is a keeper! ENJOY!

*Canned chili works just fine, but if you prefer homemade, here’s a link to my Chili Dog Chili!

**Enjoy a kick of heat? Try some of my Jalapeño Cowboy Candy on top!

*Just a note, I’m a Brand Ambassador for Minerva Dairy, but I am VERY picky. Any and ALL opinions of their product are solely my own.

12 sliders

Easy Chili Cheese Dog Sliders

Ingredients

12 soft slider rolls such as King's Hawaiian®, unseparated, sliced through middle horizontally
4 hotdogs, butterflied and sliced into thirds (freeze rest for another use)
2 Tbl. Minerva Dairy Smoked Butter, (can sub regular butter)
1 (15 oz.) can of your favorite thick-style chili, with or without beans (I used Wolf)
6 slices white or yellow American cheese or Velveeta, torn into fourths (2 pieces per roll)
drizzle of yellow mustard, optional
finely chopped onion, optional
12 slices of my Homemade Cowboy Candy or purchased pickled jalapeño rings, optional

Topping:

2 Tbl. Minerva Dairy Smoked Butter, melted, (can sub regular butter but smoked was awesome!)
approx. 1 tsp. poppy seeds
(foil to line and cover pan)
lots of napkins!

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375º F.

Slice each hotdog in half lengthwise slicing almost all the way through. Open up, lay flat, and slice each into thirds.

Slice entire loaf of rolls in half through the middle horizontally. Do not separate rolls. Remove whole top and set aside. Place bottom rolls into foil-lined and lightly sprayed* (*the foil) baking dish. *Make sure that there is a little overhang on all sides, or at least the 2 long sides for easy removal later.

In large frying pan, melt 2 Tbl. smoked butter over medium heat. Add butterflied hotdogs and fry each (opened and laid flat) until lightly browned on both sides. Place each fried hotdog section onto center of each roll.

Spoon unheated chili evenly over hotdogs.

Top each with 2 cheese slice pieces, overlapping. Sprinkle with finely chopped onion, drizzle with mustard, and top with Cowboy Candy if desired. Place on roll top.

In small bowl, melt smoked butter, brush on top of rolls evenly. Sprinkle evenly with poppy seeds.

Cover top with foil and seal closed. Pop into preheated 375º F oven. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake 3 -5 minutes longer until heated through, cheese has melted, and tops of rolls are lightly toasted.

Let cool a little, then lift out the sliders from the pan using the over hang of foil. With a large spatula, or just slide off, move the entire thing to a serving plate or pizza paddle. Slice or tear off each roll to eat. Serve with lots of napkins, and enjoy!

Notes

*Other cheeses that also work well for this are pepper-jack, co-jack, shredded cheddar or Mexican blend, or a nacho cheese sauce (homemade or jarred).