It is Mainly a Rooster Pot Pie on a Bun and It is Wonderful

Based on one story, the sloppy Joe originated in Iowa, a descendant of the state’s unfastened meat sandwich. True or not, the Joe went mainstream many years in the past, whereas its poultry counterpart remains to be roughly distinctive to a different a part of the Midwest.

The Ohio shredded hen sandwich, additionally referred to as a “sloppy fowl,” is mainly hen pot pie filling on a bun. Within the northwestern and central components of the state, it’s a staple, served in faculties, ice cream outlets, and retirement properties. 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 simple to take pleasure in, so long as you may have a Midwesterner’s appreciation for carbs on carbs, which is why it’s been well-liked in Ohio for the reason that Nineteen Forties. Compact and transportable, it’s the strolling taco of hen dinners. It doesn’t have the zing of a tomato-sauced sloppy Joe, however 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 need to reimagine the sandwich, or add something you’ll be able to’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 plenty of further effort.

Ranging from scratch acquired me there. As an alternative of canned hen breasts, I used recent hen thighs, which is a extra forgiving lower—much less prone 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 type of home made cream of celery soup. The ingredient checklist remains to be brief and acquainted, however I changed the crumbly thickeners reminiscent of breadcrumbs utilized in conventional recipes with a roux and puréed greens, to maintain issues easy and comparatively mild.

For some mouthwatering tang, I added pickled banana peppers, a well-liked 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 components, together with mushrooms, eggs, and varied cheeses. Customization is a part of the custom.

There’s no good purpose 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 anyplace. (Who doesn’t like hen and gravy?) Hold this straightforward recipe in your again pocket for potlucks, tailgates, and all these different events while you want a sloppy sandwich to scoop out of a skillet.

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