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!
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.
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!
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.
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!
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!
Can I Use Ground Turkey Instead?
Absolutely!
Ground turkey would be a delicious substitute for chicken in this sloppy joe recipe.
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.
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
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
- 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.
© Girl Heart Food Inc. Photographs and content are copyright protected.
Tried this recipe?
If you do make this recipe, thank you!! It would mean so much if you could leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed it, and it helps other readers too!
2pots2cook
Hello Dawn ! I am so happy to be here ! Love your creations since I see them on IG. We haven’t made sloppy joes for some time now and I thank you for this beautiful reminder. Enjoy your day ! 🙂
Laura
Dawn – I made these Sloppy Joes for dinner last night! I didn’t have a carrot, but added a bit of red bell pepper! This was a big hit in my house! Thanks again for the recipe!
Dawn | Girl Heart Food
Oh my goodness, that’s awesome!! Thanks very much, Laura!! So happy you enjoyed!! Bet the bell pepper was lovely. 🙂
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers
Such a great idea! I haven’t had sloppy joes in forever, but I’m definitely adding this one to the menu soon 🙂
David @ Spiced
Slop-sloppy joes! Now that song is stuck in my head for the rest of the day. Haha. But that’s ok as I’ll already be thinking about these buffalo chicken sloppy joes all day anyways. Talk about an amazing comfort food recipe! This is my kinda meal for a weekend evening in the basement. Yum!!
Laura
Dawn – these look amazing – I’ve been looking for some simple, flavorful, healthy and healthy-ish meals to make this season! This is definitely on my list – I love the hidden veggies – I’m all about that for family members who can be veggie-averse. Thanks for the inspo!