In accordance with one story, the sloppy Joe originated in Iowa, a descendant of the state’s free meat sandwich. True or not, the Joe went mainstream a long time in the past, whereas its poultry counterpart remains to be kind of distinctive to a different a part of the Midwest.

The Ohio shredded hen sandwich, additionally known as a “sloppy chicken,” is principally hen pot pie filling on a bun. Within the northwestern and central elements of the state, it’s a staple, served in faculties, ice cream outlets, and retirement houses. The usual recipe requires a can of hen breast meat, a can or two of cream-of-something soup, a gradual cooker, and a pack of burger buns. Many cooks additionally use crackers, stuffing combine, breadcrumbs, or potato chips to thicken the slow-cooked filling, making it extra scoopable.

The sandwich is simple to make and straightforward to take pleasure in, so long as you may have a Midwesterner’s appreciation for carbs on carbs, which is why it’s been in style in Ohio for the reason that Forties. Compact and transportable, it’s the strolling taco of hen dinners. It doesn’t have the zing of a tomato-sauced sloppy Joe, nevertheless it has its personal heat, steamy, comforting attraction.

As you may think, some variations can be bland and mushy. Engaged on this recipe, I didn’t wish to reimagine the sandwich, or add something you may’t simply discover on the grocery store, which might really feel like a betrayal of its convenience-food origins. I wished to give you a model that tasted like extra than simply comfort… with out a whole lot of further effort.

Ranging from scratch obtained me there. As an alternative of canned hen breasts, I used recent hen thighs, which is a extra forgiving minimize—much less more likely to dry out and naturally richer in taste. I sear the thighs to develop fond and taste, braise them, shred them, then end them in a form of selfmade cream of celery soup. The ingredient checklist remains to be quick and acquainted, however I changed the crumbly thickeners equivalent to breadcrumbs utilized in conventional recipes with a roux and puréed greens, to maintain issues easy and comparatively gentle.

For some mouthwatering tang, I added pickled banana peppers, a preferred topping for different sandwiches in addition to pizzas in Buckeye State sandwich outlets and pizzerias. They aren’t customary on shredded hen sandwiches, however I’m not the one Ohioan who makes use of them, and my analysis turned up extra stunning secret elements, together with mushrooms, eggs, and numerous cheeses. Customization is a part of the custom.

There’s no good cause why the shredded hen sandwich is simply an Ohio factor—no hyper-regional surplus of canned hen, to my information. It’s a dish that would slot in nearly wherever. (Who doesn’t like hen and gravy?) Preserve this straightforward recipe in your again pocket for potlucks, tailgates, and all these different events once you want a sloppy sandwich to scoop out of a skillet.

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