Once you sink your teeth into these Chicken Sloppy Joes, you won’t want a regular sloppy joe again! Ground chicken is all dressed up with ingredients like tomato paste, worcestershire sauce, ketchup and more. It’s ready in just 30 minutes and perfect for game day!
What’s in Chicken Sloppy Joes?
Leave those sloppy joes with ground beef in the past. My version uses ground chicken and tastes SO good!
- Ground Chicken: The star of the show! This is an inexpensive protein that’s always easy to cook.
- Seasonings: We use a simple, yet flavorful combo of chili powder and salt in this recipe. Feel free to sprinkle in any other seasonings you’d like.
- Garlic: Pro tip – smash your garlic before you mince it so it releases the most flavor.
What is sloppy joe sauce made of?
The meat is cooked with garlic, onions and bell pepper. The sauce for the chicken is simple, and is made with:
- Chili powder
- Ketchup
- Mustard
- Tomato paste
- Worcestershire sauce.
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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.
Take care to only reheat the chicken once.
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!
Serving Suggestions
Once the meat is cooked, spoon it onto buns. You can stay classic and serve them as is, but I like to top mine with coleslaw and pickles.
You can also top it with some sharp cheddar if you like. You can use regular white buns to serve and brioche buns also work really well.
Notes from the Test Kitchen
- 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
More Chicken Sandwich Recipes We Love
- Buffalo Chicken Sliders
- Copycat Chicken Fil A Sandwiches
- BBQ Chicken Sandwiches
- Chicken Salad Sandwich
- Buffalo Chicken Sloppy Joes
- Popeyes Chicken Sandwich
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 tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Once heated, add 1lb ground chicken and 1/4 tsp salt and cook until fully cooked.
Add veggies: Stir in 1/2 diced onion, 1/2 diced green bell peppers, and 2 cloves minced garlic. Cook until softened.
Add final ingredients: Stir in 1 tsp chili powder, 1/2 cup ketchup, 1/2 tbsp mustard, 1/4 cup tomato paste, 1 tsp worcestershire sauce and 1/2 cup 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 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!