Description
Bright, smoky, and a little messy—these Cajun Chicken Sloppy Joes sing with paprika, cayenne, and a tangy tomato sauce. A quick weeknight meal bursting with flavor.
Ingredients
Scale
- 680 g (1.5 lb) ground chicken
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) neutral oil (canola or vegetable)
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced (about 150 g / 1 cup)
- 1 green bell pepper, finely diced (about 120 g / 3/4 cup)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (about 9 g)
- 120 ml (1/2 cup) tomato sauce
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) ketchup
- 15 ml (1 tbsp) Worcestershire sauce
- 15 g (1 tbsp) brown sugar
- 8 g (1 tbsp) smoked paprika
- 3 g (1 tsp) cayenne pepper
- 5 g (1 tsp) kosher salt
- 2 g (1/2 tsp) freshly ground black pepper
- 15 ml (1 tbsp) apple cider vinegar
- 4 soft sandwich buns (toasted)
- Optional: sliced pickles or shredded iceberg lettuce for topping
Instructions
- Prepare ingredients and sauce by measuring and chopping the onion and bell pepper. In a small bowl mix tomato sauce, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, smoked paprika, cayenne, and salt and pepper; set aside.
- Heat the neutral oil in a skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the diced onion and bell pepper and sauté until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Increase heat to medium-high and add ground chicken. Break it up and cook until no pink remains, about 4–5 minutes.
- Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant. Pour the prepared sauce into the pan, scraping up any browned bits. Bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low.
- Simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and coats the meat, about 4–6 minutes.
- Toast the sandwich buns and assemble each with the filling, topping with optional pickles or shredded lettuce, and serve immediately.
Notes
Avoid overcooking the ground chicken to prevent dryness. For added flavor, consider toasting spices with the onions.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Skillet Cooking
- Cuisine: Cajun
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 sandwich
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 12g
- Sodium: 810mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 41g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 32g
- Cholesterol: 90mg