Chicken Sloppy Joes
Moist chicken, onion, and garlic, simmered in a finger-lickin’, sweet/savory sauce! These low calorie, high-protein Sloppy Joe’s are about to change mealtime forever!
Why make chicken sloppy Joe’s? Because sometimes you want poultry (not beef) and this is a fun way to shake up dinner! This chicken sloppy Joe mixture is just as moist, sloppy, and wonderful as the beef version.
You can make these sloppy Joe’s mild or spicy. I stuck with mild sandwiches this time, but for added heat, use hot chili powder (instead of regular), or add hot sauce or crushed red pepper flakes to the mixture as it simmers. And, of course, you can serve hot sauce at the table!
You don’t have to serve sloppy Joe’s in buns! Yes, that’s the traditional way to serve the sandwich, and why it’s deemed “sloppy”! but, you can also serve this delicious, satisfying chicken mixture over rice, pasta, potatoes, or in lettuce leaves. I found the mixture so incredibly flavorful, I ate it straight out of a bowl, like stew. And it was amazing.
Feel free to add vegetables! If you want to add aromatic veggies, that’s a great idea. Vegetables not only stretch the meal, they add color, texture, nutrients, and of course, flavor! Great additions would be carrots, celery, corn, peas, green beans, bell peppers, and mushrooms.
Chicken Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1/2 cup chopped onion, any color
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 16 ounces 2 cups tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon light or dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, or yellow mustard
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 hamburger buns, toasted if desired
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large skillet or saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook until no longer pink, breaking up the meat as it cooks.
- Add the onion and garlic and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the vegetables soften.
- Add the tomato sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, mustard, basil, and paprika and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Note, if the mixture thickens more than desired, add a little water. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- Ladle the mixture onto buns and serve.