These grilled onion cheddar sliders are the perfect copycat recipe for Chili’s popular Big Mouth Bites menu item. This is a super delicious and easy meal that will make the whole family happy! If you can't get enough of delicious, bite-sized sliders, Italian stuffed sliders are a great variation, too! Make it a Chili's themed meal with my southwest chicken soup, and a giant chocolate chip skillet cookie to finish things off!
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Why This Recipe Works
- Quick and Easy: The great thing about this recipe is that it’s super simple to make. Once the beef mixture has been made, it only takes roughly 5 minutes to make on the stove!
- Flavorful and fun: These are hands down the perfect cheeseburger sliders with grilled onion because of the spices mixed in the beef, the delicious sauteed onions, the ranch, and the melted cheese!
- A game day favorite: These sliders are perfect as a main, but an even better addition to your favorite game day spread including mini pretzel dogs, spinach artichoke dip and biscuit taco pockets!
Ingredients
- Ground beef - Use a beef that has a good mix of fat to meat ratio. This will make sure that your sliders are juicy, and full of flavor!
- Sharp cheddar cheese - Sharp cheddar is a great cheese to use for cheeseburgers, as it is a classic. Sharp cheddar adds a little bit more flavor than standard American slices—and melts just as well!
- Sweet onion - I like to use sweet onions as they make for great caramelized onions. They become even more sweet once they are cooked down.
- Mayonnaise - This ranch dressing is mayonnaise based. For that reason, I recommend using a good quality mayonnaise that you know and love.
- Sour cream - Sour cream adds a good tang to the dressing, and cuts some of the fattiness of the mayonnaise. I still recommend using full fat sour cream, as the texture is thicker compared to reduced fat varieties.
A full list of ingredients with measurements is located on the recipe card, below.
Substitutions
- Ground beef: You can use lean ground beef, turkey, chicken if you’re looking for a more lean protein option.
- Sharp cheddar cheese: If you don’t have or like sharp cheddar, I recommend pepper jack or American cheese. However, you can also use swiss cheese, mozzarella cheese, or monterey jack.
- Sweet onion: You can use either yellow onion or red onion if you don’t like, or don’t have, sweet onions. Either way, they will be sauteed onions and taste great!
- Sour cream: Substitute sour cream with Greek yogurt for a similar tangy flavor.
- Milk: You can use buttermilk, or half and half cream in place of whole milk.
Variations
- Spices - When making your burger patties, you can use various spices to flavor them. This recipe uses garlic and onion powder but there are a number of delicious ways to switch up the flavor. For example, you can also use chili powder to really spice things up! Many also use Old Bay Seasoning to season their beef patties as well.
- Crisp romaine lettuce - Add lettuce if you want to add a little color and crunch to your mini burgers.
- Bacon bits: Sprinkle bacon bites on top of your slider patties for an extra flourish of protein and taste!
Step-by-Step Instructions
Prep Work Before Cooking
Collecting all your ingredients - This will make cooking so much easier. Gather all the spices you will need, and keep them nearby.
Mix together the ingredients - Mix the ranch dressing ingredients, in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Keep covered in the refrigerator while you prep the burgers.
Add the ground beef and spices to a large mixing bowl. [photo 1]
Using a 1 ½ tablespoon ice cream scoop, portion out the ground beef mixture into balls to create the perfect size. [photo 2]
Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Spray the skillet with nonstick cooking spray, and add the slider portions to the skillet. Let the balls get golden brown and gain a crust for 1-2 minutes. Using a spatula, press down on the balls to flatten the burgers into patties. Let the patties cook on the same side for another 1-2 minutes, and flip. Let the patties cook for another 2-3 minutes, and remove from the pan. [photo 3]
If you have an excessive amount of grease in the skillet, drain it out of the skillet. Add the diced onions to the same skillet over medium-high heat. Let the onions brown and become lightly caramelized. [photo 4]
Add the burgers back to the skillet, on top of the grilled onions. Top each burger with the cheddar cheese pieces, and turn the heat off. Cover the skillet with a lid, or a sheet tray that is large enough, until the cheese is melted. [photos 5&6]
Assemble the sliders by spreading the ranch dressing onto the slider buns. Top with the slider patty, and additional grilled onions.
Expert Tip
- Mix the beef just until the spices are combined with the beef. Do not overwork the meat mixture! Over mixing the meat will make the burgers tough.
- Only smash the burgers once! If you keep smashing down on the burgers after the first initial smash, you will risk losing moisture and juiciness from the patties. Once is all you need to get the crust!
Make Ahead & Storage
Make Ahead Instructions
You can make the beef patties a day if you keep them sealed tight in the fridge. Or you can make them a few weeks in advance and freeze them given they are stored properly. See below.
Storing Leftovers
If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container. They can last up to three to four days in the refrigerator. If wrapped and sealed tightly, they can last in the freezer up to three months.
Recipe FAQs
Add whatever spices you like to your ground beef, mix evenly, and create ice cream scoop size portions of beef balls. Then cook in a preheated cast iron skillet over medium-high heat with nonstick cooking spray. Let the balls get brown and use a spatula to press down on the balls to flatten them into patties. As instructed above and within the recipe card, let the patties cook on the same side for another 1-2 minutes, and flip. Let the patties cook for another 2-3 minutes, and remove from the pan. The dress the slider accordingly!
Why settle for average french fries? Serve with chaat masala fries with salsa ranch or chimichurri aioli. Or make a healthier side dish and try a delicious wedge salad (without bleu cheese crumbles) or a classic caesar salad! Other favorites include sweet potato fries or tater tots with chipotle aioli. Or you can make french onion soup or homemade chili!
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Grilled Onion Cheddar Sliders {Chili's Copycat}
Ingredients
For the slider patties
- 1 lb Ground beef 80/20 fat content
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Black pepper
- 3 slices Sharp cheddar cheese cut into quarters
- ½ Sweet onion finely diced
- 12 Slider buns
For the Dressing
- ½ cup Mayonnaise
- ½ cup Sour cream
- ½ cup Whole milk
- ½ Lemon juiced
- 2 tablespoon Fresh dill finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon Chives finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Onion powder
- ½ teaspoon Black pepper
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Mix together the ingredients for the ranch dressing, in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Keep covered in the refrigerator while you prep the burgers.½ cup Mayonnaise, ½ cup Sour cream, ½ cup Whole milk, ½ Lemon juiced, 2 tablespoon Fresh dill finely chopped, 2 tablespoon Chives finely chopped, 1 teaspoon Garlic powder, 1 teaspoon Onion powder, ½ teaspoon Black pepper
- Add the ground beef and spices to a large mixing bowl.1 lb Ground beef, 1 teaspoon Garlic powder, 1 teaspoon Onion powder, 1 teaspoon Black pepper, 1 teaspoon Garlic powder, Salt to taste
- Using a 1 ½ tablespoon ice cream scoop, portion out the ground beef into balls.
- Preheat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Spray the skillet with nonstick cooking spray, and add the slider portions to the skillet. Let the balls get brown and gain a crust for 1-2 minutes. Using a spatula, press down on the balls to flatten the burgers into patties.
- Let the patties cook on the same side for another 1-2 minutes, and flip. Let the patties cook for another 2-3 minutes, and remove from the pan.
- If you have an excessive amount of grease in the skillet, drain it out of the skillet. Add the diced onions to the same skillet over medium-high heat. Let the onions brown and become lightly caramelized.½ Sweet onion
- Add the burgers back to the skillet, on top of the grilled onions. Top each burger with the cheddar cheese pieces, and turn the heat off. Cover the skillet with a lid, or a sheet tray that is large enough, until the cheese is melted.3 slices Sharp cheddar cheese
- Assemble the sliders by spreading the ranch dressing onto the slider buns. Top with the slider patty, and additional grilled onions.12 Slider buns
Notes
- Mix the beef just until the spices are combined with the beef - do not overwork the meat mixture! Overmixing the meat will make the burgers tough.
- Only smash the burgers once! If you keep smashing down on the burgers after the first initial smash, you will risk losing moisture and juiciness from the patties. Once is all you need to get the crust!
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