Me and my kids absolutely love these sauce-y Chicken Sloppy Joes, and I’ll never go back to a regular sloppy joe again! Ground chicken is all dressed up with ingredients like tomato paste, worcestershire sauce, ketchup and just a few other ingredients. It’s ready in just 30 minutes, and it’s perfect for game day or weeknight dinners.
Ground Chicken Sloppy Joes Recipe
Sloppy joes are just so comforting, and I’m all about making them with ground chicken now. It’s leaner than beef, but tastes just as delicious covered in all that sauce.
Speaking of sloppy joe sauce, my homemade concoction is a simple mix of ketchup, tomato paste, mustard, chili powder, and Worcestershire sauce. I cook it up with ground chicken, and then this sandwich meat is ready in just 30 minutes.
This one pan recipe is as quick and easy as a can of manwich, but it tastes even better!
Variations To Try
One of the best parts of this chicken sloppy joe mixture is the versatility of the seasonings. Add anything from cajun seasoning to taco seasoning to get the flavor you want. Or try making these buffalo chicken sloppy joes for a spicy kick!
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How to Store and Reheat
The ground chicken filling can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can also freeze the cooled filling and defrost it in the fridge overnight before reheating on the stove top.
How to Freeze
Once the chicken is cooked and mixed with the sauce ingredients, let it cool to room temperature before transferring to an airtight container and freezing for up to 3 months. Don’t forget to date and label!
Notes and Tips
- Dice the onion and bell pepper into small evenly sized pieces. They will be easier to incorporate into the mixture.
- If you are sensitive to spicy foods, you can reduce the amount of chili powder.
Top Reader Review
“Love this recipe. Will never buy sloppy joe sauce again! Will probably never even make one with beef again – this is THE BEST.” – Jane
Chicken Sloppy Joes Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground chicken
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ onion diced
- ½ green bell pepper diced
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ cup ketchup
- ½ tablespoon mustard
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ cup water
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once heated, add ground chicken and salt to the pan, browning the chicken.1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 pound ground chicken, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Stir in onion, bell pepper, and garlic, then cook for a couple minutes until softened. Stir in chili powder, ketchup, mustard, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and water.½ onion, ½ green bell pepper, 2 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon chili powder, ½ cup ketchup, ½ tablespoon mustard, ¼ cup tomato paste, 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, ½ cup water
- Cover the pan, turn the heat down to low, and simmer for 10 minutes. Give the mixture a stir and add in more water if needed. Season with salt to taste.
- Serve the meat on buns with slaw and/or pickles, or keep it classic without toppings.
Notes
- Dice the onion and bell pepper into small, evenly -sized pieces. They will be easier to incorporate into the mixture.
- If you are sensitive to spicy foods, you can reduce the amount of chili powder.
- If making ahead of time, let the chicken cool before storing it.
How to Make Chicken Sloppy Joes Step by Step
Cook the Chicken: Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Once heated, add 1 pound of ground chicken and ¼ teaspoon of salt, then cook until fully cooked.
Add Veggies: Stir in ½ of a diced onion, ½ of a diced green bell pepper, and 2 cloves of minced garlic. Cook until softened.
Finish: Stir in 1 teaspoon of chili powder, ½ cup of ketchup, ½ tablespoon of mustard, ¼ cup of tomato paste, 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce, and ½ cup of water. Cover the pan, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes. Give the mixture a stir and add more water if needed.
Enjoy: Serve the chicken sloppy joes on buns with any toppings you like best!
As to me and my Mom, we weren’t enthused with it. Too much tomato taste drowned out the chicken. I almost wonder if chicken broth should be used instead of water.
I am sorry this wasn’t to your taste, definitely adjust to your preference!
To me this recipe was perfect. The only thing I did because I love garlic is I added some garlic powder, and just a tad more like a splash extra of Worcestershire sauce. Otherwise it was great, fresh tasting, and I had no issue with tasting the chicken, bit this was so much better than canned sloppy joe sauce. The bell peppers added a nice texture too.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing, Tyler!
Love this recipe. Will never buy sloppy joe sauce again! Will probably never even make one with beef again – this is THE BEST.
I thought this was a fabulous chix sloppy Joe recipe. My wife and I really enjoyed it and will continue to use it. I added some smoked black pepper and a lil cayenne to heat it up a bit. This was my first time making this, so the only thing I will change is cut the tomato paste down to 3 Tbsp, as it can be a bit overwhelming. Anyways, I appreciate the post, it was great!
Thanks for stopping by and sharing, Daniel!
We can’t eat red meat because of allergies so I am searching for good ground chicken recipes to replace ground beef. These chicken sloppy joes are delicious!
So glad you enjoyed them!
I loved making this recipe, quick and easy! I didn’t have chili powder, so I used a sprinkle of cayenne pepper and a couple teaspoons Frank’s Red Hot sauce. Just the right kick! Delicious!!
Sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing, Glenda!
It IS the BEST Fried Chicken Sandwich !
Thanks for stopping by, LaDonna!