BBQ Chicken Sloppy Joes
BBQ Chicken Sloppy Joes are a quick easy 30-minute family dinner and delicious twist on classic sloppy joes. Made with ground chicken, barbecue sauce, tender onions, and simple seasonings.
Servings 5
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup finely diced yellow or sweet onion (about 1 small onion)
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¾ cup BBQ sauce
- ¼ cup tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
- 5 hamburger buns or brioche buns
Instructions
- In a large skillet, cover medium-high heat, add the olive oil and finely diced onion. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions have softened.1 tablespoon olive oil, ½ cup finely diced yellow or sweet onion
- Add the ground chicken, kosher salt, and black pepper into the skillet. Cook and crumble the ground chicken until it's no longer pink; about 6 to 7 minutes. Drain or soak up any excess fat or liquid in the skillet.1 pound ground chicken, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Sprinkle the garlic powder and smoked paprika over the chicken. Stir and cook for 30 seconds to bring out the flavor of the seasonings.½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- Stir in the barbecue sauce, tomato sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and yellow mustard. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let the mixture simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the filling is thick, glossy, and saucy enough to spoon onto a bun without running off.¾ cup BBQ sauce, ¼ cup tomato sauce, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 2 teaspoons yellow mustard
- Serve the BBQ chicken sloppy joe mixture onto toasted hamburger buns of choice. Enjoy!5 hamburger buns or brioche buns
Notes
- The finished sloppy joe filling should be thick, glossy but still have some sauce to it. If it looks a little loose, just keep simmering for another minute or two, to let it thicken up more before serving. My family actually prefers a more thick, not as saucy filling so I always simmer for a bit longer.
- Toasting the buns is optional but I highly recommend it. It adds structure and helps the bread hold up to the saucy chicken mixture. I place both halves of the buns onto a baking sheet, spread some butter onto each (or spray with coking spray) and then broil for a few minutes until toasted brown. You can also use a skillet pan or flat top griddle to toast the buns as well.
- Add a slice of cheese after toasting the buns and return the buns back to the oven to melt the cheese. My kids love this! Cheesy saucy sloppy joes ♥
- Barbecue sauces vary widely in sweetness and smokiness, so choose one you already enjoy. I love the Kinders brand so that is what I always use.
- Use hamburger buns, sweet Hawaiian buns, potato buns, brioche buns, or whatever bun you prefer. There are lots of options at the grocery store.
- Some side dish options for sloppy joes are; chips, fresh fruit, coleslaw, potato salad, pasta salad, roasted potatoes, baked beans, macaroni salad, corn on the cob, or frozen french fries or tater tots.
- I can get 5 or 6 sloppy joes from this recipe because my kids don't love a thick filling in the buns. If you want heartier, filling loaded sloppy joes then you would probably only get 4 or 5 sandwiches.