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

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 a long time in the past, whereas its poultry counterpart continues 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 elements of the state, it’s a staple, served in colleges, ice cream retailers, and retirement houses. The usual recipe requires a can of hen breast meat, a can or two of cream-of-something soup, a sluggish 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 could have a Midwesterner’s appreciation for carbs on carbs, which is why it’s been common in Ohio for the reason that Forties. Compact and moveable, it’s the strolling taco of hen dinners. It doesn’t have the zing of a tomato-sauced sloppy Joe, but it surely 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’ll be able to’t simply discover on the grocery store, which might really feel like a betrayal of its convenience-food origins. I needed to give you a model that tasted like extra than simply comfort… with out lots of further effort.

Ranging from scratch acquired me there. As a substitute of canned hen breasts, I used contemporary hen thighs, which is a extra forgiving reduce—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 kind of selfmade cream of celery soup. The ingredient record continues to be brief and acquainted, however I changed the crumbly thickeners akin 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 retailers and pizzerias. They aren’t commonplace on shredded hen sandwiches, however I’m not the one Ohioan who makes use of them, and my analysis turned up extra shocking secret elements, together with mushrooms, eggs, and varied 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 data. 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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