A classic comfort food and potluck staple gets a healthy grain-free makeover in these 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 it’s 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 it’s name, there’s one thing we can all agree on: It’s an easy and filling meals 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.
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 Sloppy Joe Sliders are just what you need. If you can’t be home midday to turn on the slow cooker then consider making the chicken filling on the weekend when you are 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 meal later in the month.
So easy and a great way to sneak in some extra veggies
We’ve added a big handful of shredded carrots to the recipe for a pretty orange color and some added fiber and vitamins. You won’t even know they’re there so go ahead and toss them in with everything else and give it a big stir before placing the lid on the slow cooker and setting it to low heat for 4-6 hours.
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 their fiber, vitamin and mineral content. Plus we added some fresh spinach and broccoli slaw or shredded cabbage for crunch. Though a few dill pickle slices or some thinly sliced red onion would also be great additions.
There we go making things healthy again (wink, wink) with our easy Slow Cooker Chicken Sloppy Joe Sliders!
Now dust off that old Crockpot and get cooking because you deserve a break from the kitchen this week.
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 14 oz. can organic tomato sauce
- ¼ cup canned organic tomato paste
- 3 Tbsp. yellow mustard
- 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
- 3 dates, finely chopped
- ¾ cup shredded carrots
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- ½ tsp. onion powder
- ½ tsp. chili powder
- ¼ tsp. sea salt
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
- 2 small sweet potatoes, sliced into ¼-inch rounds
- Avocado oil (such as Primal Kitchen brand) or olive oil
- Place all of the ingredients in the slow cooker. Mix to combine.
- Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours.
- Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred with two forks.
- Return back to slow cooker, stir to mix all ingredients, and set temperature to warm (or low) until ready to eat.
- While the chicken is cooking, preheat oven (or grill) to 375ºF. Brush sweet potato rounds with oil and a dash with sea salt. Bake for 15 minute or just until soft. Remove from oven and cool slightly.
- Place chicken between two sweet potato rounds. Add desired toppings such as pickles, onion, greens, broccoli slaw, mayonnaise, etc.
Looking for a slow cooker? Here’s a few we recommend:
Pin it now to make later!
This recipe originally appeared on the Paleo Hacks blog.
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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 🙂
Wow!! How awesome. Thanks for sharing – that totally makes our day when readers find something the love and pass it on to others.
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.
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.
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!
Awesome! So great to hear this recipe is a winner for your entire family! Makes the job of cooking that much easier 🙂