Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Sloppy Joes combine two cookout favorites into one delicious meal. These easy sandwiches are packed with ground chicken, onion, minced garlic, and celery for a burst of unforgettable flavor.
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Why this Easy Buffalo Sloppy Joes Recipe is a Keeper
- Easy Weeknight Meal: Throw together your ingredients in the slow cooker in the morning, forget about them, and come back in the evening for a delicious dinner!
- Easy Ingredients: All of the ingredients can likely be found in your kitchen or local grocery store.
- Family Friendly: My family love this recipe. Serve sloppy joes at your next cookouts, barbecues, and potlucks. I made this tonight and everyone loved it.
If you’re looking for more sloppy joe recipes, try these: Cheese Steak Sloppy Joes, Sloppy Joe Grilled Cheese, and Slow Cooker Sloppy Steak.
Why Are They Called Sloppy Joes?
Sloppy joes may have gotten their name from a few different sources. One explanation is that they’re named after Cuban restaurant owner José García, who was teased by his customers for having a “sloppy” restaurant because of the melted ice on the floor from the iced seafood he sold. His restaurant became known as “Sloppy Joe’s,” and the name passed to another restaurant in Key West, Florida.
The other possible explanation is that they were named after a cook named Joe at Floyd Angell’s cafe in Sioux City, Iowa, who supposedly gained fame for adding tomato sauce to his “loose meat” sandwiches.
Ingredient Notes for Slow Cooker Sloppy Joes
This chicken sloppy joes recipe uses shredded chicken instead of ground beef for the sloppy joe filling. It’s the perfect weeknight meal that the whole family will love, and it’s super easy to make!
- Ground Chicken: While sloppy joes are often made with ground beef, these sloppy joes are made with ground chicken. Cook the ground chicken in the skillet before moving it to the slow cooker. You can also double the amount of chicken and other ingredients if you need to make sloppy joes for a large crowd.
- Wing Sauce: Use any brand or flavor of wing sauce you’d like for the sloppy joe sauce.
- Onions: Dice one onion finely and stir into the BBQ chicken mixture.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of the ingredients with measurements.
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Variations and Substitutions for Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken in Sloppy Joe Sauce
- Ground Turkey: Use ground turkey instead of ground chicken for a healthier option. Or try using shredded chicken.
- Ketchup: While this recipe uses tomato sauce, you can use ketchup instead, or a canned sloppy joe sauce. You can also always add homemade sauce instead.
- Skillet: Make in a skillet or dutch oven if you wish.
Special Equipment Needed to Make this Recipe for Chicken Sloppy Joes Recipe
- Slow Cooker: You can also use a crock pot or Dutch oven to make buffalo sloppy joes.
Fun Fact
Sloppy joes are called a variety of different names across the United States. They’re also called dynamites, slushburgers, steamers, and yum yums.
How to Make Crockpot Buffalo Sloppy Joes
This is the chicken version of a classic saucy pulled pork recipe. Lean ground chicken is a healthier option and making it in the crockpot has never been easier. Just follow these simple steps to make these delicious chicken burgers.
These are the basic steps for making slow cooker buffalo chicken sloppy joes. Refer to the full, printable recipe card below for detailed instructions. We love reader interaction, so let us know if you try this recipe.
1. Add the Ground Chicken and Cook
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add your celery, onion, and ground chicken on the stove top. Add the garlic and cook until the chicken is cooked through and no longer pink.
2. Transfer to Slow Cooker
Add this ground chicken mixture to your slow cooker, and season with salt, pepper, tomato sauce, buffalo wing sauce, honey and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to combine.
3. Simmer and Serve
Cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours in the crock pot, stirring occasionally to allow the filling to become more flavorful, and garnish with scallions if desired. Serve the sloppy joe mixture onto brioche buns with ranch dressing.
Recipe FAQs for Slow Cooker Chicken Sandwiches
Expert Tips for Making Buffalo Chicken Sloppy Joes with Homemade Sauce in the Slow Cooker
- Different Vegetables: Instead of onion and celery, try adding bell peppers instead.
- Sauce Ingredients: Make sure to use wing sauce, not just hot sauce. You can also substitute blue cheese dressing in place of ranch.
- Brown Sugar: If you want, you can substitute honey for brown sugar. You can also season the chicken sloppy joe filling with onion powder or garlic powder or turn the heat up with chili powder.
- Sliders: Use small hamburger buns to make this recipe into sloppy chicken sliders.
- Cheese: This classic American recipe is delicious with a slice of cheese. Sharp cheddar will work great.
What to Serve with Slow Cooker Buffalo Ground Chicken Sloppy Joes
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Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 2 stalks Celery, chopped
- 1 Small Onion, diced
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 2 pounds Ground Chicken
- 1 ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 8-ounce can Tomato Sauce
- ½ cup Buffalo Wing Sauce
- 2 tablespoons Honey
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
- Scallions, for garnish
- Hamburger Buns
- Ranch Dressing, for serving
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium high heat, add your celery, onion and ground chicken. Cook until the chicken is cooked through.
- Add the ground chicken mixture to your slow cooker, along with salt, pepper, tomato sauce, buffalo wing sauce, honey and Worcestershire sauce. Stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours and garnish with scallions if desired. Serve on brioche buns with ranch dressing.
Expert Tips
- Different Vegetables: Instead of onion and celery, try adding bell peppers instead.
- Sauce Ingredients: Make sure to use a wing sauce, not just hot sauce. You can also substitute blue cheese dressing in place of ranch.
- Brown Sugar: If you want, you can substitute honey for brown sugar. You can also season the chicken sloppy joe filling with onion powder or garlic powder, or turn the heat up with chili powder.
- Sliders: Use small hamburger buns to make this recipe into sloppy chicken sliders.
- Cheese: This classic American recipe is delicious with a slice of cheese. Sharp cheddar will work great.