A 30 minute dinner recipe that the whole family will love. These Chicken Sloppy Joes are a twist on the American classic recipe using chicken instead of ground beef, and are still packed with flavor.
About this Recipe
The Sloppy Joe is a classic American meal and it seems like everyone’s got their go-to recipe. But I’m here to shake up that recipe with Chicken Sloppy Joes instead of ground beef.
This recipe has plenty of flavor thanks to garlic, onion, mustard ketchup and worcestershire. Adding hot honey, too, gives a perfect balance of sweet and heat. Not only is this Chicken Sloppy Joes recipe so flavorful, but it comes together in just a half hour. It really can’t be beat!
Chicken Sloppy Joes are a perfect weeknight meal for the family, or for meal prep to enjoy throughout the week. The filling holds up great in the fridge, and it’s arguably even better after it sits for a couple of days!
If you love this sandwich, I also encourage you to try these Garlic and Basil Chicken Burgers, these Pulled BBQ Chicken Sliders, or these Rotisserie Chicken Hawaiian Sliders. Or try a chip version with this Sloppy Joe Nacho Recipe.
Recipe Ingredients
- Ground Chicken – Use 90-96% lean chicken. You need some of the fat for the thickening of the sloppy joe sauce, but you don’t want it to be too greasy.
- Veggies: I used bell pepper and onion for extra nutrients and extra crunch, too.
- Worcestershire Sauce – A strong umami taste, a little sweet, a little sour, and a little spicy.
- Mustard – I used yellow mustard.
- Low Sugar Ketchup – Regular ketchup is fine too, but with the honey included in this recipe, low sugar ketchup works great.
- Hot Honey – The perfect balance of sweet and heat.
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to Make This Recipe
1. First wash and dice bell pepper and onion. Smaller is better. I like using a vegetable chopper for small and even cuts.
2. Heat a skillet to medium-high heat. Pour olive oil (or cooking spray) into the skillet and add lean ground chicken, diced bell pepper, diced onion, and minced garlic. Allow the veggies to become translucent and meat to brown.
3. When the meat is 90% cooked, turn the heat down to medium and add Worcestershire sauce, mustard, ketchup, and mike’s hot honey. Add it all into the skillet at the same time, and then stir to evenly distribute. Ensure the meat is coated in sauce, then sprinkle on seasonings. Stir again.
4. Turn down to low heat, and cover the skillet. Allow the sloppy joes to simmer for 30 minutes.
5. While the meat mixture simmers, warm the buns under the broiler with a slice of cheese on them prior to serving! Scoop desired amount of Chicken Sloppy Joe mixture onto the heated bun and enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
Store the Chicken Sloppy Joe filling separate from the buns. The cooked filling in an airtight container will last for up to 5 days in the fridge or the freezer for up to 3 months.
YOU NEED A GOOD BUN. Literally: The right kind of bun can make or break your Sloppy Joe. I prefer a fresh brioche which I used in this recipe. A high quality hamburger bun or Hawaiian rolls would also be tasty.
I like to serve these Chicken Sloppy Joes with some sort of veggie or salad. Coleslaw or Roasted Carrot Fries are both great options. Even just a simple deli pickle spear pairs well with this sandwich, too. Gahh, I love a deli pickle spear.
Use 90-96% lean chicken. You need some of the fat for the thickening of the sloppy joe sauce, but you don’t want it to be too greasy.
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Chicken Sloppy Joes Recipe
Equipment
- skillet
- meat separator
- Cutting Board
- Knife
- vegetable chopper optional
Ingredients
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lbs ground chicken, 90-96% lean
- 1 small onion, white or red
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 3 tbsp yellow mustard
- 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp low sugar ketchup
- 1 1/2 tbsp Mike's hot honey
- 1/2 tsp salt
- pepper, to taste
For serving:
- 4 brioche buns
- 4 slices Pepper Jack cheese
Instructions
- First wash and dice bell pepper and onion. Smaller is better.
- Heat a skillet to medium-high heat. Pour olive oil (or cooking spray) into the skillet and add lean ground chicken, diced bell pepper, diced onion, and minced garlic. Allow the veggies to become translucent and meat to brown.
- When the meat is 90% cooked, turn the heat down to medium and add Worcestershire sauce, mustard, ketchup, and mike's hot honey. Add it all into the skillet at the same time, and then stir to evenly distribute.
- Ensure the meat is coated in sauce, then sprinkle on seasonings. Stir again.
- Turn down to low heat, and cover the skillet. Allow the sloppy joes to simmer for 20 minutes.
- While the meat mixture simmers, warm the buns under the broiler with a slice of cheese on them prior to serving! Scoop desired amount of Chicken Sloppy Joe mixture onto the heated bun and enjoy!
Nutrition
Notes
Looking for this in MyFitnessPal?
If you’re using MyFitnessPal, search ‘A Paige Of Positivity’ and find CHICKEN SLOPPY JOES calories and nutrition facts. Disclaimer: for most accurate macronutrients and caloric breakdown, it is recommended that you input each ingredient into your MyFitnessPal food diary.
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. It’s my passion to create dishes that can be shared with others. Tell me something you loved or just say hi!
These are incredibly flavorful! I only had ground chicken on hand and wanted to make sloppy joe’s!
I honestly like these better than regular sloppy joe’s!! going to be a repeat in my house for sure
Made these tonight and they are so flavorful! I’ll for sure make them again.
Made these for my family tonight and they were a HIT!! They are already being requested for again!
This was the easiest and best meal prep for work night dinners! We made a big batch on Sunday and paired it with different things every night! Sweet potatoes, buns, cauliflower rice etc! It had great flavor
Works great with ground turkey if you’re like me and picked up the wrong ingredient!
Also Mike’s Hot Sauce is going to be come a staple for sure! Great meal, easy and quick to make, AND leftovers – amazing!
I grew up on ‘Sloppy Joes’ these most definitely hit the mark! I also love how macro-friendly they are and go great with any veggies/side salad.
A simple weeknight staple! Perfect cozy craving made lighter. Super easy to put together and easy to sneak in lots of veggies. We go heavy on the peppers and I usually add in a few handfuls of spinach too.
Whipped this up for dinner and it was so quick + a crowd favorite! Will definitely be making agin
The sauce has so much flavor!! And comes together so quickly. Have made with ground chicken and ground turkey when it was all I had on hand, and both times it turned out perfectly.
These Sloppy Joe’s are amazing. Do not skip putting the buns under the broiler ( I put some butter on them) and adding cheese ( I used sharp cheddar).