These buffalo chicken sloppy joes are such a fun and delicious twist on traditional sloppy joes. They’re easy to prepare, utterly delicious and sure to make your taste buds dance and your belly happy!

Buffalo chicken sloppy joe, sitting in front of another sloppy joe and two glasses of water.

I’ve been on a roll lately with buffalo-flavoured recipes. Just recently, I shared buffalo turkey meatballs. By the way, they are seriously delicious and you should definitely check those out.

Do you have fond memories of enjoying sloppy joes growing up? They were always a childhood fave. Though, it was not uncommon to have those store-bought sloppy joes mixes. Granted, they were good. But homemade? I mean, it doesn’t even compare!

These buffalo chicken sloppy joes are true to their name. They are sloppy. They are messy. And, no doubt, they are incredibly satisfying and yummy.

For me, that little touch of apple cider vinegar at the end really brings it all together. Don’t skip this!

Of course, it was served on toasted, buttered buns. However, I’m not gonna lie, I was also eating it straight out of the pan with tortilla chips. Wouldn’t you do the same?

How To Make Buffalo Chicken Sloppy Joes

Full details are in the recipe card below, but here are the basics:

Heat some olive oil in a large pan, then add some onion, carrot and celery. Season with some salt and black pepper, then cook until the veggies have softened.

Tip: Save time by shredding the veggies and they’ll cook much faster. Just keep in mind that they will blend into the sloppy joe mixture (much like hidden veggies) instead of giving the mixture a little texture.

Once the veggies have softened, add the ground chicken to the pan. Season with some salt and black pepper, then cook until the ground chicken is fully cooked through.

Cooked ground chicken and vegetables in a pan.

Now it’s time to get saucy! Add tomato sauce, buffalo sauce and a little broth and cook until it has reduced slightly and you reach the consistency you like best for sloppy joes.

Once you’ve got the sloppy joe mixture to where you want it, stir in some apple cider vinegar. This really brings things together, if you ask me!

Buffalo chicken sloppy joe mixture in a pan.

I mean, seriously, doesn’t it look good?

Now it’s just a matter of piling the buffalo chicken sloppy joe mixture onto some toasted, buttered buns. Pile on as little (or as much) as you like.

Serving spoon scooping up some chicken sloppy joe mixture from a pan.

Generally speaking, I find that this recipe yields about 4 to 6 sloppy joe sandwiches, depending on how much you want on them. For me? Definitely 4 hearty sandwiches because I like them substantial!

Sloppy joe mixture on a bun before the top bun is place over top.

And if you want to continue with the whole buffalo-flavoured situation, add some crumbled blue cheese to your sandwich. This is totally optional, of course.

If you aren’t a blue cheese fan, then you could drizzle with some ranch dressing, use your favourite variety of cheese or simply enjoy as is.

I just love the creaminess and funk of blue cheese (then again, I’m also that person who enjoys the smell of garlic on their fingers).

Once the sloppy joe mixture is piled onto the bottom buns, then place the top buns over top and dig in!

Buffalo chicken sloppy joe mixture and blue cheese on a bun before the top bun is placed over top.

Can I Use Ground Turkey Instead?

Absolutely!

Ground turkey would be a delicious substitute for chicken in this sloppy joe recipe.

Buffalo chicken sloppy joe sitting in front of another sloppy joe and a pan.

Are They Spicy?

Personally, I don’t find these buffalo chicken sloppy joes too spicy (however, I do love spice).

Of course, the variety of buffalo sauce will greatly impact just how spicy your overall recipe is. Pick one you enjoy!

If you do enjoy things extra spicy, feel free to add some ground cayenne pepper to the mix.

Two hands holding a homemade sloppy joe sandwich.

What To Serve With Sloppy Joes

If you want to make things even more substantial, serve these hearty sandwiches with a side. Some delicious side ideas are:

Homemade baked fries
Potato chips
Soup
Potato or macaroni salad

More Buffalo-Flavoured Recipes

If you make these buffalo chicken sloppy joes, be sure to leave a comment below!

Buffalo Chicken Sloppy Joes

Dawn | Girl Heart Food

These buffalo chicken sloppy joes are such a fun and delicious twist on traditional sloppy joes. They're easy to prepare, utterly delicious and sure to make your taste buds dance and your belly happy!

Print Recipe Save Recipe

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 40

Course Main Course

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 yellow onion, peeled and diced (about 1 cup)
2 small ribs celery, thinly sliced (about ½ heaping cup)
1 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced (about ½ heaping cup)
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon salt, divided
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 pound ground chicken
1 (13.5-ounce) can tomato sauce, a 398-millilitre can of tomato sauce
⅓ cup buffalo sauce
⅓ cup low sodium chicken broth, or regular chicken broth
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
4 to 6 Hamburger buns, toasted and buttered
Crumbled blue cheese, garnish to taste (optional)

Instructions

Heat olive oil in a 12-inch sauté or deep frying pan over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Season with ¼ teaspoon each of salt and black pepper. Cook, stirring often, until softened, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Note: If you want the veggies to cook a little faster (and blend more into the sauce), you can shred or mince them instead of dicing/slicing.
Add the ground chicken to the pan and season with remaining ¼ teaspoon each of salt and black pepper. Cook, breaking the ground chicken into small pieces and stirring occasionally, until fully cooked through, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Pour in tomato sauce, buffalo sauce and chicken broth and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes or until you've reached your desired consistency.
Note: Canned tomato sauce and buffalo sauce sauce can vary in salt content. Once you've reached your desired consistency, add more salt to taste if necessary.
Stir in apple cider vinegar.
Serve the sloppy joes mixture on toasted, buttered hamburger buns with crumbled blue cheese (if using). Yields about 4 to 6 sloppy joes, depending on how much you top each. Enjoy!

A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.

Keyword chicken sloppy joes, ground chicken recipe, sloppy joe recipe, sloppy joes with chicken, spicy sloppy joes

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