When I was a kid, we walked to school, and hot lunches were 25 cents and included a bottle of milk with a paper cap. (I know, I’m dating myself.) My absolute favorite was sloppy Joes with a side of slaw. 

There may have been chips, too, but that’s hazy in my memory. I always looked forward to the “sloppy” part — that small amount of filling that spilled over the bun. 

Sloppy Joes are typically made with beef, but let’s go with chicken today. And yes, just sloppy enough to escape a bit over the bun. 

The first makes traditional tasting sloppy Joes.

Want to kick the flavor up a notch? Check out the second recipe with a base of spicy chili sauce. 

Both can be made ahead and served warm from the slow cooker. Think Halloween…

Do you have a favorite school cafeteria sloppy Joe memory? Let me know and we can reminisce together.

Traditional chicken sloppy Joes

Use white or dark meat or a combo. Dark gives a deeper flavor. Go to taste on seasonings.

Ingredients

Filling

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 pound ground chicken (turkey can be used too)

3/4 cup onion, finely diced

1/2 cup bell pepper or more, finely diced

Sauce

3/4 to 1 teaspoon garlic powder or up 2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons yellow mustard

1-1/2 cups ketchup

Brown sugar — start with 3 to 4 tablespoons and go from there – I usually add a bit more

Worcestershire sauce to taste 

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions 

Filling

Pour oil into large skillet over medium heat.

Add chicken, onion, and bell pepper, smooshing chicken down with potato masher. Cook until chicken is done.

Sauce

Whisk sauce ingredients together.

Pour sauce over cooked chicken mixture and stir.

Diner style slaw

No real recipe, just mix together about 5 cups cabbage, your choice of red, green or combo. Add a shredded carrot.

For the dressing, just whisk together 1/2 cup real mayonnaise with about 2 tablespoons vinegar and up to 1 tablespoon of sugar. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon or so celery seed.

Pour sauce over cabbage mixture, toss well, then season with salt and pepper.