Chicken Bacon Ranch Sloppy Joes are a fun, quick meal made in just 30 minutes- combining familiar, delicious flavors in sloppy joes form!
I’m enjoying the heck out of the Sloppy Joe Series including my BBQ Sausage Sloppy Joes and my favorite Philly Cheese Steak Sloppy Joes. I have so many Sloppy Joe recipes you can try a new one out on the family every week!
Sabrina’s Chicken Bacon Ranch Sloppy Joes Recipe
This Sloppy Joe version is a classic, crazy popular flavor, chicken bacon ranch! One of my favorite things about Sloppy Joes are how easy they are to make. One dirty skillet and dinner is ready. You can add in as much or as little filling as you’d like. In case you’re looking to make your own Homemade Ranch Seasoning, I have you covered. The best part is that the leftovers are delicious. And did I mention kids love this recipe?
Recipe Card
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
- Heat a large cast iron skillet on medium high heat.
- Cook the bacon until crisp then remove the bacon to cool and drain all but two tablespoons of fat.
- Add the chicken and onion and cook for 5-7 minutes or until cooked through.
- Whisk the ranch packet, milk and cornstarch together and add it to the pan, cooking until slightly thickened and bubbling (about 3-4 minutes).
- 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.
Nutrition
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Note from Sabrina
Brown the ground chicken thoroughly before adding liquids. Letting some golden bits form in the pan adds a deeper savory flavor that keeps the filling from tasting flat.
Table of contents
About this Recipe
These are made with a creamy mozzarella ranch sauce, bacon and melted cheddar cheese in just 30 minutes. Classic Sloppy Joes are made with beef but since I started experimenting with more flavors of Sloppy Joes I’ve found the kids are more willing to try fun and unique flavors since they’re in Sloppy Joe form.
Can this be made ahead of time?
Yes, this mixture is perfect for meal prep! Just 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 containers and add chopped cheese and bacon to the top of each one. Microwave on half power for 2-3 minutes before adding to the toasted bun. 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.
Serving Ideas
- Sides: I love serving Sloppy Joes with Crispy Sweet Potato Fries, Beer Battered Onion Rings, Loaded Garlic French Fries or your favorite roasted vegetables.
- Burger Buns: I prefer to serve these Sloppy Joes on a Homemade Brioche Bun 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.
- Grilled Cheese Method: Avoid using sliced bread because it gets soggy so quickly and unless you are using the Grilled Cheese Method from my Philly Cheese Steak Grilled Cheese.
- Sub Sandwich: You can easily turn this into a sub sandwich, use your favorite hoagie roll, brushed with butter and toasted first.
Variations
- Buffalo Chicken: Replace the mozzarella with 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese and replace the cheddar with ½ cup blue cheese crumbles. Add ⅓ cup buffalo sauce, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, and ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper.
- BBQ Chicken: Replace ranch packet with 2 tablespoons ranch seasoning and replace the mozzarella with 1 cup smoked gouda. Add ½ cup BBQ Sauce and 1 teaspoon smoked paprika.
- Jalapeno Popper Chicken: Add 2 diced jalapenos, 4 ounces cream cheese, ½ teaspoon garlic powder and replace the cheddar with 1 ½ cups Monterey Jack Cheese.
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I make all the time!!!!!!
For all those that mentioned that the sauce was too runny…I read ahead and saw this comment multiple times so I thought about what I could do to make it less runny. I used 1 cup of milk, 1 Hidden Valley Ranch DIP MIX, and a teaspoon of cornstarch. Added that to the chicken and onion, brought this mixture to a boil and covered it and simmered until it was of a desirable consistency. Recipe is amazing Sabrina! Everyone has their own “consistency palates I guess! But thank you for the recipe. I was just trying to help out here??
Thanks April! Appreciate the 5 star review and your great feedback!
Really want to try this but i am wondering what the yellow chunks are. Seems like the recipe would have yellow bell peppers and maybe corn would be a great addition. Just wondering what everyone else has added. Thank you
Cheese! 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.
Would this recipe work well if I make it the day before serving and then the next day…heat it in a crock pot before serving?
I haven’t tested it with a crockpot yet!
Could I use heavy cream instead of milk in keto so I can’t drink regular milk ?
Sounds rich and yummy! Let us know how it turns out!
Tasted great. We decided it would make great topping for our chicken bacon ranch pizza. I will add the cheddar to the mix and put the mozzarella on before baking. Yum!
Sounds yummy!
Very tasty. A little ‘sloppier’ than my ‘Joes’ are, usually. Definitely a keeper. I might use self-rising flour, as opposed to corn starch, as my thickening agent, next time.
Thanks for sharing.
Loved it followed the recipe to the tee and it came out perfect, definitely will be making it again and it was so easy and quick to prepare and make… my favorite… quick easy and good meals
Made this for the first time will be making it again it is so good.
Followed it perfectly. Came out so runny, I couldn’t fix it. So off to the dogs it went. Pizza to the rescue. Use WAY less milk.
Try this recipe is actually pretty good my husband liked it I revamped that a little you can add to it if you’d like over all good recipe
Although I love anything, chicken, bacon, ranch, I was hesitant. But, I said I would try 2 new recipes per week and this was one of them. My husband and I loved it and, as it’s just us, I cut it down but, fortunately, we like leftovers. I added garlic and onion powder and cayenne (in everything!) and that gave it just a little kick. Yummy yummy! Thank you!
I’m so glad you decided to give it a try, Stacy. Thanks for the 5 star rating.
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!
I would say this recipe needs more ground chicken, maybe 1 1/2 to 2 lbs. Otherwise very tasty.
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!
I’ve used Almond Milk, and it’s still delicious !!
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!