If you’re looking for an easy dinner that’s packed with flavor, these Southwest-inspired turkey sliders are just the ticket. The secret to their amazing taste? It’s all about the spicy mayo spread, inspired by the Carl’s Jr’s Santa Fe Chicken Sandwich of all things. This sauce brings a perfect kick to every bite. Then you’ve got layers of turkey, green chiles, and pepper jack cheese all on those delicious sweet Hawaiian rolls. It’s your new favorite slider for sure!

Check out the original recipe that inspired these sliders with my copycat version of the Santa Fe Chicken Sandwich.

Why Our Recipe

  • The spicy Southwestern mayo spread is what stands out in this slider!
  • Layers of turkey, green chiles, and gooey pepper jack cheese.
  • Easy dinner that can also be doubled, tripled, or quadrupled for a crowd!
A pan of southwest turkey sliders on hawaiian rolls in the pan.

What’s great about these sliders is how versatile they are. Need to feed a crowd? No problem – you can easily double, triple, or even quadruple the recipe. Oftentimes, a 24-pack of Hawaiian rolls will even fit in a 9×13 pan. With minimal prep and maximum flavor, how could you not love these?

Ingredient Notes

An overhead view of the ingredients needed to make southwest turkey sliders.
  • Hawaiian Rolls: Sweet and soft, perfect for balancing savory flavors and they come in that perfect slab.
  • Deli Sliced Turkey: Use whatever sliced turkey you’d like, or use leftover shredded turkey. You can even use a spicy-flavored deli turkey like Cajun or buffalo.
  • Pepper Jack: Adds a nice spice. Substitute with Monterey Jack or cheddar if preferred. We shred our cheese for better melting, but you can always use sliced.
  • Green Chiles: Grab that can of diced whether it is mild or medium heat and drain well.
  • Mayonnaise: Base for the spicy mayo spread, but you could always use Miracle Whip or even plain Greek yogurt.
  • Spices: Paprika, curry powder, cayenne pepper, and salt for the mayo spread. Adjust cayenne for desired heat.
  • Butter Sauce: Butter mixed with poppy seeds, dijon mustard, onion powder, and Worcestershire sauce adds flavor of the finger-licking-good variety.

Roll Options

Hawaiian Rolls are sweet, soft, and oh-so delicious and come in a slab which is perfect for slider-making. You can really use any type of roll though. There are so many options at the grocery store, and many of them come in a slab too like dinner rolls, potato rolls, or brioche rolls. I’ve got a famous homemade dinner roll recipe that will be perfect, or you can even try your hand at making homemade Hawaiian rolls.

Tips for Cutting Rolls

Your best friend is going to be a large, serrated knife. Look for one long enough to cut through the entire rectangle of rolls at once. Check to ensure that you are cutting the rolls evenly in half to ensure that your lids are as big as your bottoms.

A close up view of a southwest turkey slider being lifted out of the pan with gooey strings of cheese.

Storage Instructions

Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to four to five days.

Reheat by preheating the oven to 350 degrees. Cover an oven-safe dish loosely with foil and warm for 5-10 minutes until heated through.

More delicious sliders…

Watch the video below where I walk you through every step of this recipe. I have an entire video library over on YouTube with hundreds of restaurant quality recipes you can easily make at home. Check them out and let me know which recipes you are dying to make!