Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken Sloppy Joes 

By Carolina Gelen

Published August 10, 2025

  • Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
4 hours 10 minutes
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
4 hours
Rating
4(170)
Comments
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You can always count on this updated version of a school cafeteria classic to get dinner on the table during a busy week. These dump-it-and-forget-it chicken sloppy Joes make the perfect make-ahead meal to prepare in a slow cooker. They rely on canned chipotles in adobo sauce for an exciting flavor upgrade: The slightly sweet, tomato-scented beef mixture is now balanced with smoky, spicy chipotles and made lighter with ground chicken. When it comes to the spice level, these chicken sloppy Joes pack a pleasantly spicy kick, but can easily be adapted to any palate. (For a milder version, simply use less chipotle.) Enjoy over warm burger buns, sloppy but delicious.

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Ingredients

Yield:6 servings (about 1½ quarts)

  • 1 (7 ½-ounce) can chipotles in adobo sauce 

  • 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped 

  • ⅔ cup ketchup 

  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste

  • 2 tablespoons sugar 

  • 2 pounds ground chicken 

  • Salt and black pepper 

  • 6 warmed burger buns, for serving 

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

39 grams carbs; 130 milligrams cholesterol; 403 calories; 6 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 14 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 1028 milligrams sodium; 32 grams protein; 16 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Dump the can of chipotles in adobo sauce onto a cutting board. Finely chop the chiles. Scrape the chopped chiles and sauce into the slow cooker. Add ¼ cup of water to the can and stir to release any residual chipotle sauce, then pour the mixture into the slow cooker.

  2. Step 2

    Add the onion, ketchup, tomato paste and sugar, and stir to combine. Add the ground chicken, season generously with salt and pepper and stir to combine with the sauce.

  3. Step 3

    Cover and cook on low for 4 hours. Using a spatula, break the chicken into smaller chunks. Taste, and season with more salt and pepper, if needed.

  4. Step 4

    Divide among over burger buns.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
170 user ratings
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Comments

Wm

Based on my lived experience with canned chipotle peppers, give careful thought to tossing a whole can (7 1/2 ounces) into this dish, which serves 6. This is the equivalent of having someone eat slightly more than 1 canned chipotle pepper each, which not everyone can handle. Perhaps try 1 or maybe 2 canned chipotle peppers for flavor and then test and add a bit of cayenne as necessary to raise the heat to the desired level.

DEG

@Wm made this tonight as directed, wish I had seen your comment first and halved the chipotle chiles. Very tasty but very hot.

Noreen

Very disappointing. The end texture is mushy. It might work better browning the chicken in a pan, adding the other ingredients, and skipping the slow cooker.

LV

Used agave nectar instead of sugar. Quite nice.

J. Pham

I would give serious consideration to adding a whole can of chipotle chilis. As someone who loves Thai chili peppers, this amount of chipotle will overpower the rest of the flavor profile. Definitely not kid friendly using this much heat. Proceed with caution.

Kayla

Way too spicy to eat- wish I would’ve read the comments first! Also, I think sautéing the onions a bit ahead of time would be a good idea

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