Chicken Bacon Ranch Sloppy Joes made with a creamy mozzarella ranch sauce, bacon and melted cheddar cheese in just 30 minutes.
We’re enjoying the heck out of the Sloppy Joe Series including last week’s BBQ Sausage Sloppy Joes, the classic Ultimate Sloppy Joes and our favorite Philly Cheese Steak Sloppy Joes.
Chicken Bacon Ranch Sloppy Joes
Welcome back to our favorite day of the week! The new Sloppy Joes recipe of the week! This version is a classic crazy popular flavor, chicken bacon ranch!
This is our third week in the series and so far we’ve had one beef recipe, one sausage recipe and today we’re making a chicken sloppy joe recipe.
One of my favorite things about sloppy joes are how easy they are to make. One dirty skillet and dinner it ready. You can add in as much or as little filling as you’d like.
In case you’re looking to make your own ranch seasoning, I have you covered.
PLUS leftovers are delicious. And did I mention kids love this recipe?
Classic sloppy joes are made with beef but since we started experimenting with more flavors of sloppy joes we’ve found the kids are more willing to try fun and unique flavors since they’re in sloppy joe form.
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WHAT DO YOU SERVE WITH SLOPPY JOES?
We love serving sloppy joes with Crispy Sweet Potato Fries, Beer Battered Onion Rings, Loaded Garlic French Fries or your favorite roasted vegetables.
MEAL PREP INSTRUCTIONS
If you’re looking to meal prep the recipe cook the sauce mixture for 3-4 minutes less. The chicken mixture will be looser but it isn’t a problem.
Store in a separate container and add chopped cheese and bacon to the top of the chicken. Microwave on half power for 2-3 minutes before adding to the toasted bun.
See how to chop the cheese in the image below. This is also how we add it when serving fresh.
When you stir the chicken just before serving only allow the cheese to cook for 10-20 seconds before scooping or the cheese will fully melt. This sandwich is even more delicious when you have the little pockets of cheddar cheese.
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BEST BREAD FOR SLOPPY JOES
- We prefer brioche for the buttery texture, chewy center and tender crust even when toasted.
- Regular hamburger buns are fine but will get soggy even when toasted if you don’t add a fat to create a crispier barrier.
- We tend to avoid sliced bread because it gets soggy so quickly and isn’t able to provide a good texture to the sandwich.
- If you want to use sliced bread make a grilled cheese using this method: Philly Cheese Steak Grilled Cheese
- You can easily turn this into a sub sandwich, use your favorite hoagie roll, brushed with butter and toasted first.
Chicken Bacon Ranch Sloppy Joes
Chicken Bacon Ranch Sloppy Joes made with a creamy mozzarella ranch sauce, bacon and melted cheddar cheese in just 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound bacon
- 1 pound ground chicken
- 1/2 yellow onion chopped
- 1 ranch packet
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk (2% is okay too)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1 cup chopped cheddar cheese
Instructions
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Heat a large cast iron skillet on medium high heat.
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Cook the bacon until crisp then remove the bacon to cool and drain all but two tablespoons of fat.
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Add the chicken and onion and cook for 5-7 minutes or until cooked through.
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Whisk the ranch packet, milk and cornstarch together and add it to the pan, cooking until slightly thickened and bubbling (about 3-4 minutes).
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Add in the shredded mozzarella and stir to combine, chop the bacon and sprinkle it and the cheddar cheese on the mixture just before serving.
Very tasty but lost one star because it was too watery. I thought it would be more thick. I had to add extra cheese and cornstarch & it was still not as thick. However, I didn’t drain the ground chicken after I cooked it & that could’ve been the problem. The recipe didn’t say to drain it so I figured it needed that fat/juice for flavor or to thicken up with the sauce. Maybe that was the issue, next time I will drain it before adding the sauce mixture.
Maybe a stupid question… but does the 4 servings mean it makes 4 sandwiches?
Yes, I considered a serving to be about a quarter pound of chicken. If you made your sandwiches smaller, you’ll get more out of it. Enjoy!
The first time I made these, it was for my hunting buddies in the deer woods. Everyone loved them, and I ended up emailing the recipe to several of them. I have made it several times since and the family loves them as well. The recipe is never the same, mostly I end up substituting something for whatever reason, but this is a recipe that forgives very easily. I have done it using ground chicken, ground turkey, rotisserie chicken and smoked chicken that I prepared. I have used different cheeses and added some grill spices as well and no matter how I sabotage it, it still tastes good.
I love it! Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and let me know, Brian. I really appreciate the 5 star rating.
This tasted so good! It turned out super runny almost chili like in consistency. Any suggestions on what might have gone wrong? Thanks!
Oh no! Was your chicken completely thawed? Frozen chicken will release a lot more liquid.
Yum! Cubed velveeta cheese instead of normal cheddar ..only needed about 1/4 cup instead of 2. Ooey gooey goodness. It was a nice change to have ? regular hamburger buns held up really well
We don’t have a cast iron skillet because of our glass top stove… Any other recommendations for ways to cook it?
You can use whatever skillet you have on hand. Enjoy!
What about using almond milk instead of whole? Would it still taste good?
I’ve not tested it using almond milk so I can’t really say. Almond milk has a slightly different taste but I would think it would still be ok to substitute. If you decide to try, I’d love to know how it turns out. Thanks!
This recipe turned out amazing! My husband loved it! Instead of using ground chicken I used rotisserie chicken. I also added sriracha sauce to the ranch mixture and used a combination of mozzarella cheese and Taco Bell’s zesty ranch cheese! We like spice in everything lol! I served them on potato buns and it was amazing!
Sounds amazing! I’m so glad you guys enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
How would you go about doing this recipe with three boneless chicken breasts?
You can cook the chicken and shred it to work for this recipe. Enjoy!
Just made these on a cold winter’s night. My oh-so-picky seven-yr-old polished off two sandwiches. Very easy to make, and very relish. I will definitely be adding this to my repertoire of kid-approved suppers! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
You’re welcome, Lisa! I love seeing that we won over picky eaters!!
Can you make in a crockpot for family game night? What serving on Hawaiian buns?
I haven’t tested it yet using a slow cooker.
This looks amazing. My family is quite picky with anything ground like ground turkey and such. What are your thoughts or can I use shredded chicken instead of ground chicken?
Go for it!
Can ,this be made in the crock pot
Yes 🙂
I’m not a ground chicken fan, so, what if I used cooked, shredded chicken instead? Would this work?
Sounds delicious!
This is a fantastic version of sloppy joes! And leftovers were even better! I made just as written but the cheddar did melt but that was fine. When we’re baling hay on our farm, I always make sloppy joes for the crew because the skillet full can wait til they are done. They were happy with this variation on Thursday—my son ate 4 sandwiches! Thank you for this one!
I’m so glad you guys enjoyed it! Thanks for coming back to let me know!
Totally awesome absolutely delicious quick and simple will definitely make this again
Thanks for dropping by to let me know! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Totally amazing loved it so quick and simple will definitely make it again
Yay!! Thanks for the 5 stars!!
Also can you make ahead and freeze mixture?
The bacon would become chewy in the freezing process. I would recommend freezing everything else and then adding the bacon in the day you serve.
Can you make this is the crockpot, or instant pot?
I haven’t tested it so if you decide to try, I’d love to know how it turns out. Good luck!
I need to try this immediately, it looks so good!
Thanks Erin!
Sloppy Joes are such a classic dish! Love the way you switched things up for these tasty sandwiches! Very creative!
Thank you! It’s fun to try new twists to family friendly dishes to keep them interesting.
This is a great way to change up sloppy joes! love this!
Everything about this is making me drool! That cheese, the ranch, the bacon…OMG! NEED this in my life!
It’s definitley life changing!! Hope you enjoy!
These look incredible! Great idea!