Cajun Chicken Sloppy Joes (Printer-Friendly)
Ground chicken with Cajun spices and peppers, simmered to savory perfection and piled onto toasted buns.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Main Filling
01 -
1 tablespoon olive oil or unsalted butter
02 -
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
03 -
1 medium green bell pepper, finely diced (red bell pepper may be substituted)
04 -
2 celery ribs, finely diced
05 -
3 garlic cloves, minced (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
06 -
1.1 pounds ground chicken, preferably thigh meat
07 -
1 to 1 ½ tablespoons Cajun seasoning, to taste
08 -
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
09 -
1 tablespoon tomato paste
10 -
½ cup tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
11 -
2 teaspoons light brown sugar or honey
12 -
1 teaspoon Dijon or yellow mustard
13 -
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (or soy sauce)
14 -
⅓ cup chicken stock or water
15 -
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
16 -
Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional for extra heat)
→ To Serve
17 -
6 soft hamburger buns, split and toasted
18 -
Sliced dill pickles or sliced jalapeños, for topping (optional)
# Steps to Follow:
01 -
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add olive oil or butter. Once shimmering, add diced onion, bell pepper, and celery. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 to 7 minutes until vegetables have softened and become fragrant.
02 -
Stir in minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Push vegetables to the edges of the skillet, add ground chicken to the center, and break apart with a spatula. Cook until no longer pink, about 5 to 6 minutes, scraping up browned bits as needed.
03 -
Sprinkle Cajun seasoning and smoked paprika over the chicken mixture, stirring thoroughly to coat and bloom the spices for 1 minute.
04 -
Add tomato paste; cook and stir for 1 minute to remove raw taste. Pour in tomato sauce, brown sugar, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and chicken stock. Stir well to combine into a cohesive sauce.
05 -
Reduce heat to low and gently simmer uncovered for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Adjust consistency with a splash of water if too thick, or simmer a bit longer if too thin.
06 -
Season with salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper as desired. For brightness, add a few drops of vinegar or lemon juice at the end, tasting as you go.
07 -
Lightly toast buns. Spoon generous portions of filling onto each bun base, top with pickles or jalapeños if desired, and place top buns. Serve immediately with extra napkins.
# Helpful Hints:
01 -
Let the vegetables soften fully before adding chicken to build a sweeter, more flavorful base.
02 -
If your Cajun seasoning is heavily salted, compensate by reducing the added salt in the filling.
03 -
A teaspoon of butter stirred in at the end enhances gloss and prevents dryness if the chicken is lean.
04 -
The filling can be refrigerated up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months; reheat gently with a splash of water to loosen the sauce.