Candied Bacon Chicken Sliders with Green Onion Mayo

Ingredients

Burgers

2 pounds ground chicken thighs
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
Pinch ground cayenne pepper
Vegetable oil for brushing on the grill rack

Candied Bacon

12 strips of thick-cut Applewood smoked bacon
2/3 cup brown sugar
½ cup chopped pecans
1 TBS fresh ground black pepper

Green Onion Mayo

1/4 cup chopped scallions
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Honey
3/4 cup mayonnaise

12 Hawaiian sweet rolls, sliced horizontally
1/3 cup olive oil

Instructions

Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill with a cover, or preheat a gas grill to medium-high.

To make the patties, combine the ground chicken, minced garlic, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper in a large bowl. Handling the meat as little as possible to avoid overworking it and melting the fat, mix the ingredients well. Divide the mixture into 12 equal portions and form the portions into patties to fit the sweet rolls. Tip: Make an indentation in the middle of each patty before cooking to help aid more even cooking and a flatter patty. Set patties aside and let rest.

On a baking sheet (with raised edges), arrange your bacon side by side in a single layer. Mix together the brown sugar, pecans, and ground black pepper in a small bowl. Evenly sprinkle the sugar mixture over the bacon strips. Place the baking sheet on the grill top and close the lid. Let cook for about 20-25 minutes, removing when bacon is crispy. Let cool til crispy and break each strip in half. Set aside.

Brush the grill rack with vegetable oil. Place the patties on the rack, cover, and cook turning once, about 3 minutes on each side. Remove when done and keep warm.

In a small bowl, whisk together the chopped scallions, Dijon mustard, Honey and mayonnaise. Set aside.

Brush the cut sides of the sweet Hawaiian rolls with Olive oil and place on the grill to lightly toast each side for about 25 seconds.

To build the burgers, spread equal amounts of the Green onion mayo inside each roll and then place a patty inside each roll. Top each patty with two crispy candied bacon halves. Serve two sliders per person.

Makes 12 burgers/sliders