Set it and forget it! You’re just a 5 minute prep away from slow cooker chicken sloppy joes that will cook all day while you’re away!
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All the summer staples!
We are in the thick of our summer schedule! And with a house full of teenagers, that means plenty of summer activities! We have a pretty good balance of scheduled sports and activities. But mostly, we just really make sure to enjoy every minute of unstructured, free time at the beach, enjoying the sun. Because I love being outdoors so much this time of year, I have a few dinner options up my sleeve that involve either no cooking or minimal cooking!
Slow cookers…not just for cold months!
Slow cookers are notorious for creating the most comforting winter stews, creamy soups, and cozy meals during the winter. But they are also so great for avoiding the oven during the hot months of the year. Since they make meat so tender, it’s a convenient way to get protein made for a summer meal!
Less cooking, and a perfect busy night dinner!
With the slow cooker taking care of the protein part of dinner, the sides can be whatever you have time for! We have been keeping them light and fresh since it is summer, with salads or veggie trays with Ranch dip, and our favorite chips. But in the winter months, I like to serve this dinner with a quick sheet pan of roasted veggies and potatoes or sweet potatoes.
Let’s make the slow cooker chicken sloppy joe sauce!
The secret to making the chicken super flavorful is this sauce. This is the most work you’ll have to do to make this dinner, and it should take less than 10 minutes! Simply stir all of the sauce ingredients into the bottom of the slow cooker.
Slow cooking the chicken for the sloppy joes
Once you stir the sauce up, simply add the chicken breasts (no chopping needed!), and slow cook for 8-10 hours on low. The chicken will literally fall apart! You can pull it out onto a cutting board to shred with forks, and then add it back into the sauce to combine.
How to serve your slow cooker chicken sloppy joes
Serve your chicken sloppy joes on your favorite buns just like a regular beef sloppy joe! You can also serve it over a baked potato or sweet potato. My kids absolutely love sloppy joes on sweet potatoes, and we serve it that way often.
Slow Cooker Chicken Sloppy Joes
Ingredients
- 1 15oz can tomato sauce
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp yellow mustard
- 3 tsp molasses
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 medium bell pepper diced
- 4 cloves of garlic minced
- 2 tbsp tapioca starch
- 4-5 chicken breasts
Instructions
- Stir everything except the chicken together inside the slow cooker vessel, until the sauce is combined.
- Add the chicken breasts to the sauce and stir to combine. Put the lid on the slow cooker, and slow cook on low for 8-10 hours, or on high for 4 hours.
- Turn the slow cooker off, and use tongs to pull the chicken out to a cutting board to shred with forks.
- Stir the shredded chicken back into the sauce, and season with salt and pepper to your taste.
- Serve the chicken sloppy joes on a bun of your choosing. It is also delicious over a baked sweet potato, potato, or in a big salad bowl.
