I think we've already established the fact that our love for any sandwich-like meal runs deep. They're usually fairly speedy and can be the perfect healthy yet satisfying weeknight meal. The only thing that might have a chance of being better than a sandwich is a slider, because when you whip those mini guys up you're guaranteed multiple sandwiches, and what could be better than that. We already have our Buffalo Chicken Burger Sliders, but I knew I wanted to attempt a homemade classic.
I'd pretty much only had one sloppy joe in my life before these, and while I won't say it was amazing, I knew that people did rave about them so there had to be a reason for that. I knew I wanted to use ground chicken instead of ground beef to keep these nice and light, and I also love how ground chicken really lets the flavor of any sauce shine. We'll start by browning the chicken in just a little bit of olive oil and setting that aside.
I knew I wanted to incorporate peppers and onions somehow but I wasn't sure how'd they incorporate into the rest of the sauce. But when the peppers and onions are sliced super thinly, once you sauté them until they're slightly softened you'll be amazed at how well they blend right into the rest of the sloppy joe mix! With the addition of a little garlic we're already well on our way to having the best sloppy sliders.
Once you return the chicken to the pan it's time to stir in a little tomato paste. I find that tomato paste not only thickens but also adds richness to any sauce, and a bit of sweetness that regular tomato sauce doesn't have. I always like to take a minute to stir the tomato paste around to incorporate it into the chicken and vegetables and also let it cook for a bit on its own before adding any liquid.
A lot of sloppy joe recipes include ketchup, but we're going all natural here with some tomato sauce, water, and a whole bunch of pantry staple spices. The Worcestershire is key, and if you don't already have some, it's a great buy because it will last you forever and you'll be shocked at how many recipes call for it.
The spices are the simple sloppy joe suspects, (chili powder, onion powder, brown sugar, and smoked paprika), which all add a necessary component. The chili powder helps give them their "classic" taste, the onion powder is key to go with the garlic we added to the peppers and onions, the brown sugar helps add a subtle sweetness, and you guessed it, the smoked paprika makes them just a little smoky.
Now in my opinion, whenever I have a sandwich or burger with a lot of flavor, and I know I don't want the flavor of the cheese to get lost, my mind automatically goes to provolone. It packs a punch, is just salty enough, and slices really easily, so it was the obvious choice for these.
The sloppy joe mix really isn't very spicy at all, so if spice is your jam you may also want to add on some sliced jalapeños. Grab your slider buns, scoop some of that healthy and homemade sloppy joe mix over each bun, and top with that provolone and those jalapeños if you like. If you keep the meat nice and hot, it will also melt the provolone a bit, which is always ideal.
Easy as can be, these saucy, satisfying, sloppy joe sliders are made for your next summer BBQ, Father's Day, the 4th of July, or anything in between.
Simple and healthy sloppy joe sliders with the classic flavor and spiced up with sliced peppers and onions.
Servings: 10 sliders
1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add ground chicken, breaking up with the back of a wooden spoon. Cook until completely browned and cooked through. Remove to a plate.
2. Add remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil to the same skillet. Add peppers and onions, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until softened, 5-6 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for an additional minute until fragrant.
3. Return chicken to pan, followed by tomato paste. Stir for an additional minute. Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Simmer for 10 minutes until thickened.
4. Immediately divide meat between slider buns and top with provolone and jalapeños.
Ground chicken can be substituted with ground turkey or beef.
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