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Oct 18, 2018 By Stacie Hassing

Slow Cooker Chicken Sloppy Joe Sliders (Whole30)

Dairy-Free
Egg-Free
Gluten-free
Grain-Free
Nut-free
Paleo
Whole30
Jump to Recipe

We’ve taken a classic comfort food and given it a unique but oh-so-delicious twist. These Slow Cooker Chicken Sloppy Joe Sliders are a winner for the entire family and great for making ahead during weekend meal prep sessions to save time later in the week.

Side view of Slow Cooker Chicken Sloppy Joe Sliders

Oh, the humble Sloppy Joe!

If you Google “sloppy joes history,” you’ll find that there’s some disagreement as to how this now famous weeknight staple got its name. Some say it originated in Sioux City, Iowa where a cook named “Joe” (of course) added a can of tomato sauce to the loose meat sandwiches served in his restaurant. Others contend it was named for the iconic Sloppy Joe’s Bar in Key West, FL and still others say it was dreamt up at the old Sloppy Joe’s Saloon in Havana, Cuba. But no matter how it got its name, there’s one thing we can all agree on: It’s an easy and filling meal for busy weeknights, tailgate parties, and potlucks.

So, posting a simple Sloppy Joe recipe seemed like a no-brainer, right? Well, it was. Except for the fact that we can’t seem to leave things alone when it comes to recipes – meaning we’re always trying to find a way to make classic comfort food recipes easier and cleaner.

Enter the Slow Cooker Chicken Sloppy Joe Sliders or if you’re looking for a more classic Sloppy Joe recipe we suggest our Stovetop Sloppy Joes!

Overhead view of Slow Cooker Chicken Sloppy Joe Sliders with a side of slaw on a white plate

Put that slow cooker to work!

When you come home from work at the end of the day, don’t you just want to run to the kitchen to make dinner every night?

Yeah, we thought you’d say that. That’s why our healthy Slow Cooker Chicken Sloppy Joe Sliders are just what you need. If you can’t be home mid-day to turn on the slow cooker, then consider making the chicken filling on the weekend when you’re home, then reheating it while you bake the sweet potato rounds.

You can even take it a step further and make a double batch and freeze half for an easy reheat-and-eat meal later in the month. Cook once, eat twice!

A classic comfort food with a unique but oh-so-delicious twist. These Slow Cooker Chicken Sloppy Joe Sliders are a winner for the entire family. Click To Tweet

Pulled chicken in a slow cooker for Slow Cooker Chicken Sloppy Joe Sliders

Buns are nice, but…

They really aren’t doing much for you nutrition-wise other than supplying some empty calories. And really, the purpose of the bun is to get the filling to your face in a somewhat socially acceptable way, right?

So we nixed the buns for this recipe and opted instead for baked sweet potato slices to up the fiber, vitamin and mineral content. Plus we added some fresh spinach and shredded cabbage for crunch. Just saying, a few dill pickle slices, dollop of garlic aioli mayo or some thinly sliced red onion would also be great additions.

No buns also = Whole30-friendly.

Overhead view of Slow Cooker Chicken Sloppy Joe Sliders ingredients

Not into the sweet potato bun “thing?” You’ve got options.

We get it, not everyone is cool with using a sweet potato bun. It’s a little different…maybe even “out there” for some. So here are a few additional ways you can serve up this sloppy joe goodness.

  1. Tucked ever so nicely into a lettuce wrap. We like to use bib or butter lettuce.
  2. Smothered over a baked potato or sweet potato.
  3. Topped on a bed of greens. Bring on the sloppy joe salad!
  4. Served between our Zucchini Fritters. These make for the perfect “buns.”
  5. Rolled into a gluten-free tortilla such as Siete’s or Danielle Walkers homemade grain-free tortillas. These are not Whole30.

Side view of Slow Cooker Chicken Sloppy Joe Sliders

We can’t wait for you to give our Slow Cooker Chicken Sloppy Joe Sliders a try! If you give ’em a try, we would love to hear how you like them!

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Let's Get Cookin'

Slow Cooker Chicken Sloppy Joe Sliders

A traditional comfort food with a unique but oh-so-delicious twist. These Slow Cooker Chicken Sloppy Joe Sliders are a winner for the entire family. Served between two sweet potato rounds, it makes for one delicious and hearty meal. Lighten it up by serving the chicken in a lettuce wrap, over a bed of greens, or whatever way you please.

  • Author: The Real Food Dietitians
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 4 hours
  • Total Time: 4 hours 15 mins
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x
  • Category: Main Entree, Slow Cooker
Slow Cooker Chicken Sloppy Joe Sliders
Print Recipe
★★★★★ 5 from 3 reviews

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs. boneless chicken breast and/or thighs
  • 14 oz. can organic tomato sauce
  • ¼ cup canned organic tomato paste
  • 3 Tbsp. yellow mustard
  • 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tsp. coconut amino
  • 3 pitted dates, finely chopped (optional for touch of sweetness) 
  • ¾ cup shredded carrots
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • ½ tsp. onion powder
  • ½ tsp. smoked paprika
  • ¼ tsp. sea salt
  • ¼ tsp. black pepper

For the “bun:”

  • 2 sweet potatoes, sliced into ¼-inch rounds
  • Avocado oil or olive oil

Instructions

To make the Sloppy Joes:

  1. Place all of the ingredients in the slow cooker. Mix to combine.
  2. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
  3. Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred with two forks.
  4. Return back to slow cooker, stir to mix all ingredients, and set temperature to warm (or low) until ready to eat.
  5. Place chicken between two sweet potato rounds. Add desired toppings such as pickles, onion, greens, slaw, mayonnaise, etc.

To make Sweet Potato “Buns:”

  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line a large baking sheet (or two, depending on how many sweet potatoes you’re going to bake) with parchment paper.
  2. Arrange sweet potato slices in a single layer on baking sheet(s). Brush with oil.
  3. Bake for 25-30, flipping halfway through baking time, or until sweet potatoes are tender and lightly browned on the surface.

Notes

All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish this recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words and link back to the source recipe here on The Real Food Dietitians. Thank you!

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/8 of recipe (without sweet potato)
  • Calories: 187
  • Sugar: 6 g
  • Sodium: 450 mg
  • Fat: 6 g
  • Carbohydrates: 10 g
  • Fiber: 2 g
  • Protein: 24 g

Looking for a slow cooker? Here’s a few we recommend:

Basic Slow Cooker

Slow Cooker with TimerInstant Pot 7-in-1 Multicooker

 

 

 

 

 

Pin it now to make later!

Short Pin Image for Slow Cooker Chicken Sloppy Joe Sliders

Long Pin image for Slow Cooker Chicken Sloppy Joe Sliders

 


Photo Credit: The photos in this blog post were taken by Jess of Plays Well with Butter. 

This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.

All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. If you wish to republish this recipe, please rewrite the recipe in your own unique words and link back to the source recipe here on The Real Food Dietitians.

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About Stacie Hassing

Stacie is a Licensed and Registered Dietitian from rural southern Minnesota where she, her husband and daughter reside with their two pups. She’s a co-founder of The Real Food RDs and content creator of simple and wholesome recipes. She loves all kinds of fitness and has a passion to inspire as many as she can live a healthier and happier life both in and out of the kitchen - the driving force behind the co-development of the The Real Food RDs brand.

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    Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

  1. Mallory says

    December 5, 2016 at 1:40 pm

    I knew you ladies would have my back, so I quickly clicked on your slow cooker meals, found this gem, literally just dumped it all in there…thanks! Sending this to my friends now 🙂

    Reply
    • Jessica Beacom says

      December 5, 2016 at 4:13 pm

      Wow!! How awesome. Thanks for sharing – that totally makes our day when readers find something the love and pass it on to others.

      Reply
  2. Mandy says

    February 27, 2017 at 12:28 pm

    Thanks so much for this!

    I was running late today and didn’t have time to slow cook. Instead, I put it into my Instant Pot and tried cooking it on the “Poultry” setting for 15 mins. I let it naturally vent and it turned out perfectly 😀

    It was delicious served in a baked sweet potato with ranch drizzled over it, I’ll definitely be adding this to the weekday round-up.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Jessica Beacom says

      March 2, 2017 at 8:36 pm

      Hi Mandy,

      Thanks for sharing your Instant Pot version and the success you had with it. I’ve been meaning to update this post with Instant Pot directions so thanks for the reminder – I’ve updated it accordingly as I’ve found it to be perfect using the Poultry setting and natural pressure release too.

      Reply
  3. Angie says

    April 18, 2017 at 5:16 pm

    Making it for the 4th time tonight. We rate our meals on a scale of 1-5, with a 5 being “We want this every night”. This meal was rated a 5 by hubby and all 3 kiddos. Thanks for a quick, healthy, and tasty meal!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Stacie Hassing says

      April 20, 2017 at 5:08 pm

      Awesome! So great to hear this recipe is a winner for your entire family! Makes the job of cooking that much easier 🙂

      Reply
  4. Kelsey says

    February 5, 2018 at 5:30 pm

    I’m so excited to make these for dinner but forgot to get dates!! Any whole 39 substitutes/will I miss the dates if I just omit them?!

    Thank you!!

    Reply
    • Kelsey says

      February 5, 2018 at 5:31 pm

      *Whole 30

      Reply
    • Jessica Beacom says

      February 8, 2018 at 1:34 pm

      Hi Kelsey,

      Dates when used in a sauce are considered to be Whole30-compliant so you can leave them in if you’d like. Alternatively, you could leave them out or use a small amount of frozen apple juice concentrate in the recipe in place of the dates.

      Reply
  5. Susan Wilson says

    February 5, 2018 at 8:24 pm

    I rushed to put everything in the crock pot and tripled everything only I “missed” seeing chicken thighs so I just used chicken breast. Three pounds instead of six pounds of meat. Lots of sauce but they LOVED it. They put in lettuce for lettuce wraps!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Jessica Beacom says

      February 8, 2018 at 1:36 pm

      Whooops! Glad you loved it though.

      Reply
  6. Maria Mueller says

    February 11, 2018 at 6:55 pm

    I have made this recipe once before to rave reviews from my husband and son. I would like to make it again while my daughter is home from college but she is allergic to mustard. What can I use as a replacement for the mustard? Thanks so much!!

    Reply
    • Jessica Beacom says

      February 19, 2018 at 10:21 pm

      Hi Maria,

      I would just leave out the mustard and add a tiny extra splash of vinegar in it’s place. Mustard is such a unique flavor and hard to replicate but the extra vinegar should give you that tang you’d get from the yellow mustard.

      Reply
  7. Holly says

    February 23, 2018 at 6:30 pm

    Looking for more of a traditional “Sloppy Joe” recipe. Do you think I could sub ground turkey with these ingredients for the sauce? Obviously would pre-cook the meat and reduce slow cook time.

    Reply
    • Jessica Beacom says

      February 26, 2018 at 6:51 am

      Yes, you could do that. We’ve got a more traditional Sloppy Joe recipe in the works for later this spring, too.

      Reply
  8. Ashley says

    October 19, 2018 at 12:15 pm

    Love this idea and love all your slow cooker recipes! I dont like dates, could I use honey instead of dates if I’m not on a whole 30? If so how much?

    Reply
    • Jessica Beacom says

      October 23, 2018 at 5:37 pm

      Hi Ashley,

      Yes, you could use honey instead of dates. I would add it at the end after the meat has cooked so you can do it to taste.

      Reply
  9. Lorena says

    March 9, 2019 at 6:56 am

    Any chance you have instant pot instructions for the recipe??? Thank you!!! 💜💜💜

    Reply
    • Stacie Hassing says

      March 19, 2019 at 5:37 pm

      The instant directions would be similar to the instructions of this recipe: https://therealfoodrds.com/instant-pot-bbq-pulled-chicken/

      Reply
  10. Brittany says

    June 2, 2020 at 2:25 pm

    Hi,

    In the ingredient list, the sweet potato has avocado or olive oil listed, In the instructions it says to brush with gee. Is this an either/or or should they be coated in oil and then brushed with gee?

    New to whole30.

    Thank you!

    Reply
    • Jessica Beacom says

      June 2, 2020 at 7:17 pm

      Hi Brittany,

      Sorry about that! That should read “Brush with oil.”

      Reply

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The Real Food Dietitians is the passion-driven product of Registered Dietitian Nutritionists Stacie Hassing and Jessica Beacom. They’ve combined their love of nutrition, health and real food with the concepts of ease and convenience to bring you recipes that are big on flavor but short on ingredients.

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