Chicken Gumbo Sloppy Joe Recipe (2024)

Old fashioned sloppy joes with chicken gumbotaste like my childhood. My mom made them this way, and now I do too.

I love the rich, savory flavor, but also that they're so easy to make with simple pantry ingredients. Plus, they're easy to change up with different flavors like sriracha or, my favorite, BBQ sauce!

Now, I’m not sure how acan ofchicken gumbo soupended up in a sloppy joe recipe, but it makes sense. There's stuff like tomato puree, celery, onions, peppers, and a slew of seasonings in there. Plus, the rice adds heartiness and stretches the ground beef even further.

These quick and easy sloppy joesare perfect for weeknight dinners and casual gatherings, served with a side ofTuna Macaroni Salador bowl ofCreamy Tomato Tortellini Soup, a big pile of potato chips, and classicToll House cookie barsfor dessert!

Ingredients

Ground beef. I use 80/20 ground beef, but you can use lean ground beef, ground turkey, or ground chicken.

Onion. I use yellow onion, but you can use white onion, red onion, or whatever you have.

Chicken gumbo soup. One can of Campbell's Chicken Gumbo soup is the foundation for the sloppy joe sauce.

Ketchup. These homemade sloppy joes with ketchup have a sweet, tangy flavor.

Mustard. I use Dijon mustard because I like the flavor and I always have it on hand. Yellow mustard — or any type of mustard, really — also works.

Recipe Variations

Jazz up your sloppy joe sandwiches any way you like! Add a dash of garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cumin ... whatever spices and seasonings you and your family love!

Here are some more ideas to put your own twist on traditional sloppy joes.

BBQ Sloppy Joes -- my favorite!: Omit the brown sugar and ketchup and add ¾ cup of your favorite BBQ sauce.I especially love this homemade Jack Daniels BBQ sauce!

Cheesy Sloppy Joes: Spoon meat mixture onto the bottom bun, add a slice of cheese, and place it onto a sheet pan under the broiler for a minute or two to melt the cheese. Add the top bun and serve.

Turkey Sloppy Joes: Replace the ground beef with ground turkey.

Open Faced Sloppy Joes: Instead of hamburger buns, serve over toasted French bread, garlic bread, or Texas toast.

Spicy Sloppy Joes: Add jalapenos, red pepper flakes, even more cayenne pepper, sriracha, or hot sauce to the sloppy joe sauce.

Do you drain meat before adding sloppy joe sauce?

If you’re using anything other than very lean ground beef, yes, drain off any excess fat from the browned ground beef before adding the sloppy joe sauce ingredients.

How do you thicken sloppy joes?

The best way to thicken this recipe for sloppy joes with chicken gumbo soup is to let it simmer so the liquid evaporates, allowing the sauce to naturally thicken.

Can sloppy joes be frozen?

Yes! Freeze sloppy joes in a freezer safe container for 2-3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or microwave.

How do I store sloppy joe meat?

Store leftovers in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Freeze leftovers for 2-3 months.Source: USDA FoodKeeper App

• ▢ 1 ½ pounds ground beef
• ▢ 1 small onion, diced
• ▢ 1 10.5 ounce can Campbell's condensed chicken gumbo soup
• ▢ ¾ cup ketchup
• ▢ 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard or yellow mustard
• ▢ 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 2 teaspoons chili powder, or to taste
• ▢ dash of cayenne pepper

• Place the ground beef, diced onions, and salt and black pepper, to taste, in a large skillet over medium heat. Brown meat until it is no longer pink, 6-7 minutes. Drain away any excess fat.

• Add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer until the sloppy joe mixture reaches your desired thickness.

• Spoon mixture onto your favorite hamburger buns.

Storage & Freezing

• Store leftovers in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

• Reheat sloppy joe meat in a saucepan on the stove over medium heat until warmed through or in a microwave-safe container in the microwave in 30-second bursts until warm.

• Freeze leftovers for 2-3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or microwave.

• Drain fat after browning the meat before adding the sauce ingredients.
• Simmer the sloppy joe mixture until it's thick and saucy. If it goes a bit over and dries out, just add a little water.
• To give your chicken gumbo sloppy joe even more cozy, homemade flavor, toast the hamburger buns. Butter the insides of the top and bottom buns and toast them in a 350 degree oven for about 5 minutes.