Slow Cooker Chicken Sloppy Joes Make for a Healthy, Family-Friendly Meal

Looking for a low-maintenance family-friendly dinner? Look no further than these slow cooker chicken sloppy joes.

Vertical image of pulled chicken in a red sauce on a hamburger bun, on a white plate, with more of the bread and a bowlful of the meat in soft focus in the background, on a light green and white checkered cloth, printed with orange and white text at the midpoint and bottom of the frame.

As a kid, I always felt like I had missed out on a very important right of passage: summer camp.

While I was lucky enough to have a mom that could be home with us during the summer, it meant that there was never a need for my brother and myself to be away from home.

Instead, I spent my summers watching movies and TV shows about other kids who got that full camp experience. And nearly every one of them had a scene that involved sloppy joes.

This brings us to the second cherished childhood memory that I never experienced firsthand: real sloppy joes.

By “real,” I mean ones that are made with ground beef, covered in a slightly sweet tomato sauce, piled high on a sesame seed topped hamburger bun.

Instead, I grew up thinking that barbecue pulled beef was a sloppy joe – which, in all fairness to my mom, was usually pretty messy.

Vertical image of a chicken sloppy joe on a white plate, with more meat in a bowl in the background, on a blue and white cloth on top of a light brown wood table.

Later on, I finally did try a true, “authentic” version of this childhood classic meal. But I was honestly a little disappointed.

The sauce was as tomatoey and the sandwich was as messy as I’d hoped. But I just didn’t get the ground beef. After all, why would you choose crumbly ground bits over juicy, pulled beef?

Just like Dunkaroos or Uncrustables, I guess you had to grow up with traditional sloppy joes to get them.

So, while you won’t find the ground beef version cooking in my kitchen anytime soon, you will find a big batch of these shredded chicken ones.

This slow cooker recipe is a healthier hybrid of the traditional recipe and my mom’s version.

While traditional recipes use store-bought canned sauce or a combo of ketchup and barbecue sauce, I cut back on the added salt and sugar by using tomato sauce without added salt, and tomato paste.

However, it wouldn’t be a sloppy joe without a little sweetness, so I also sprinkle in a tablespoon of brown sugar.

Vertical image of an open-faced shredded chicken sloppy joe sandwich on a white ceramic plate, with more buns on another plate in the background, on a pastel green and white checkered cloth.

The main driving force of this variation from the traditional recipe is my choice of chicken instead of ground beef.

If the idea of shredded instead of ground meat sounds like blasphemy, you could always throw in some ground turkey instead. However, I strongly advocate for the chicken – the meatiness it gives to the sandwich will leave you feeling full for hours.

Let’s also talk about how budget-friendly this meal is. Besides the chicken, you likely already have most of these ingredients in your pantry right now. All you have to grab is some chicken and possibly hamburger buns. If you already have these ingredients in the freezer, after a little defrosting, you’re good to go.

Not bad, especially considering that it makes four generously-sized servings!

Vertical image of two hands holding a chicken sloppy joe sandwich, with hamburger buns on a plate in the background, on top of an unfinished wood table with a glass bowl and a pastel green and white checkered cloth.

The best part of this recipe by far is that it’s made in the slow cooker. All you have to do is combine the ingredients, throw them into the cooker, and let it bubble away all afternoon.

The most involved part is shredding the chicken, and that only requires two forks and less than 5 minutes.

For a full, balanced meal, serve these sandwiches with a spinach salad, oven-baked fries, or a big bowl of roasted or steamed veggies.

Print
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Horizontal image of a chicken sloppy joe sandwich on a white plate, with more buns and meat in the background, on a white and light green cloth spread on a table.

Slow Cooker Chicken Sloppy Joes


  • Author: Kelli McGrane
  • Total Time: 4 hours, 10 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x

Description

These slow-cooker chicken sloppy joes prove that family-friendly meals can be healthy and budget-friendly.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced (about ½ cup)
  • 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
  • 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce without added salt
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 4 whole wheat hamburger buns

Instructions

  1. Season chicken breasts with salt and pepper, then place in slow cooker.
  2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine onion, tomato paste, tomato sauce, garlic, mustard, paprika, cumin, chili powder, sugar, and vinegar. Whisk well to combine.
  3. Pour tomato mixture over chicken breasts. Cook on high for 4 hours, or low for 8 hours.
  4. Carefully remove cooked chicken from the sauce and place on a cutting board. Using two forks, shred chicken and return to slow cooker.
  5. Stir into the sauce. Serve on whole wheat buns.
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 4 hours
  • Category: Chicken
  • Method: Slow Cooker
  • Cuisine: Poultry

Keywords: slow cooker, chicken, chicken breasts, sandwich, sloppy joes

Cooking By the Numbers…

Step 1 – Chop Vegetables and Measure Ingredients

Chop the onion and mince the garlic, then measure the rest of the ingredients.

Horizontal image of a white plate of three boneless, skinless chicken breasts, a package of hamburger buns, three small white ceramic bowls of spices, minced garlic, and mustard, two small glass bowls of chopped onion and vinegar, and cans of tomato sauce and paste, on an unfinished wood surface.

You can use yellow or Dijon mustard; Dijon will provide a stronger flavor.

Step 2 – Season

Horizontal overhead image of three uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breasts seasoned with salt and pepper in the bottom of a slow cooker.

Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper, and then place the in the bottom of your slow cooker.

Step 3 – Make Sauce

Horizontal image of a red tomato-based mixture in a glass mixing bowl with a spoon, on a light brown wood surface.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine the onion, tomato paste, tomato sauce, garlic, mustard, paprika, cumin, chili powder, brown sugar, and vinegar. Whisk well to combine.

Step 4 – Cook

Overhead horizontal image of red sauce in the bottom of a slow cooker, on a wood surface.

Pour the tomato mixture over the chicken breasts. Cook on high for 4 hours, or low for 8 hours.

Step 5 – Shred

Horizontal image of three chicken breasts cooked in red sauce on a white cutting board with two forks, on a brown unfinished wood surface.

Carefully remove the cooked chicken breasts from the sauce and place on a cutting board.

Overhead horizontal image of a red ceramic bowl of shredded cooked chicken breast, with a sauce-smeared white plastic cutting board topped with a fork in soft focus in the background, on an unfinished wood surface.

Using two forks, shred the meat. Return it to the slow cooker.

Step 6 – Stir and Serve

Stir the shredded chicken well, so that each piece is coated with sauce.

Oblique overhead image of shredded chicken in a red tomato-based sauce in a slow cooker.

Scoop onto each hamburger bun bottom and drizzle with extra sauce if desired before topping and serving.

Horizontal image of shredded chicken breast in red sauce on a hamburger bun, on a white plate on top of a light green and white cloth on an unfinished wood table.

Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days in an airtight container.

Making Your Own Sandwich Meats

Why bother with deli meats when you can fill your sandwiches with juicy, home-cooked meat instead? Along with having a richer taste, cooking your own fillings also has health benefits over premade packaged deli meats.

Processed lunch meats often contain possible carcinogens, such as BHA and BHT,  as well as sodium nitrate/nitrite, which has been shown to increase the risk of certain cancers and heart disease.

Wouldn’t you rather have something delicious that you made in your own kitchen?

Horizontal image of a chicken sloppy joe sandwich on a white plate, with more buns and meat in the background, on a white and light green cloth spread on a table.

Up your sandwich game with these home-cooked options:

Do you have childhood memories of sloppy joes? We’d love to hear about them in the comments below! Be sure to give this recipe a rating after you’ve tried it as well.

Photos by Kelli McGrane, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details. Originally published on December 11, 2011. Last updated: May 30, 2023 at 13:16 pm. With additional writing and editing by Allison Sidhu.

Nutritional information derived from a database of known generic and branded foods and ingredients and was not compiled by a registered dietitian or submitted for lab testing. It should be viewed as an approximation.

The written contents of this article have been reviewed and verified by a registered dietitian for informational purposes only. This article should not be construed as personalized or professional medical advice. Foodal and Ask the Experts, LLC assume no liability for the use or misuse of the material presented above. Always consult with a medical professional before changing your diet, or using supplements or manufactured or natural medications.

About Kelli McGrane, MS, RD

Kelli McGrane is a Denver-based registered dietitian with a lifelong love of food. She holds undergraduate and master’s degrees in nutrition science from Boston University. As a registered dietitian, she believes in the importance of food to nourish not only your body, but your soul as well. Nutrition is very personal, and you won’t find any food rules here, other than to simply enjoy what you eat.

3 thoughts on “Slow Cooker Chicken Sloppy Joes Make for a Healthy, Family-Friendly Meal”

  1. This was a hit with whole family. I kept the onion chunky so I could pull it out for the kids,(and keep it for myself), and used yellow mustard because it’s all I had. You could put this chicken in wraps or tacos, over any style potato, pasta or rice. I will make this again and again. Delicious.
    Thanks!

    Reply

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