Chicken Sloppy Joes

Chicken Sloppy Joes

 

Serves: 2-4

Prep: 20 mins

Cook: 40 mins

T = Tablespoon

t = teaspoon 

 

1 pound BRD Ground Chicken

2 slices  BRD Thick Cut Bacondiced  

 

1/2 Onion; small dice

1/2 Green Bell Pepper; small dice

1 Celery Stalk; small dice 

3 Garlic Cloves; minced

2 inches of Ginger; peeled and grated 

 

1/2 t Ground Mustard

1/2 t Ground Turmeric

1/2 t Ground Allspice

1/2 t Sweet Paprika

3 T Tomato Paste

2 T Dry White Wine

1 T White or Apple Cider Vinegar

1/2 cup Ketchup

1/2 T Worcestershire Sauce**

1/2 T Fish Sauce**

3-4 T Sweetener of Choice; sweeten to taste (brown sugar, cane syrup, honey, etc.)

 

1 cup BRD chicken broth or water

 

Salt

Black Pepper

High Temp Cooking Oil; avocado, safflower, coconut 

 

4 Hamburger buns; pretzel buns for eating with hands, brioche for knife & fork. 

 

Pairing knife

Chef’s Knife

Slotted Spoon

1” rubber spatula*

Cutting Board

Dutch Oven or Deep Skillet

1 large plate

1 med bowl

2 small bowls

Aluminum Foil 

 

Process

  • Preheat dutch oven or skillet over med-low heat.
  • Measure out and combine dry spices. Set aside. (1 small bowl)
  • Measure out and combine liquids — white wine & vinegar together; ketchup, fish sauce and Worcestershire sauce together — set aside. (1 small bowl)
  • Dice bacon and add to preheated skillet with a splash of water. Partially frozen bacon dices much easier than refrigerated. Stir every minute or so for about 10 mins.
  • Dice onion, pepper and celery and set aside in neat piles. (1 large plate)
  • When the bacon has started to brown and a noticeable amount of fat has rendered out, add ground chicken and season with a generous pinch of salt and black pepper. 
  • Cook until about 80% doneness, mostly cooked with a few pink spots. Remove with slotted spoon and set aside. (1 medium bowl)
  • Return dutch oven or skillet to medium heat and add a swirl of high temp oil.
  • Add onions and cook for 3 mins.
  • Add pepper and cook for 3 mins.
  • Add celery and cook for 3 mins.
  • Add Garlic and Ginger and cook until fragrant; about 1 min.
  • Add all dry spices and stir well, coating everything. Cook until fragrant.
  • Add tomato paste, stirring to coat. Cook until color darkens to a deep red.
  • Deglaze with white wine and vinegar. Scrape any fond bits off the bottom.
  • Add ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, fish sauce and ketchup. Cook for 2 mins.
  • Add sweetener. I used honey. Stir well.
  • Add chicken/bacon mixture and stir to coat.
  • Add broth or water and bring to boil.
  • Reduce heat to low and simmer with the lid off until liquid reduces to a sauce like consistency. Will coat the back of a metal spoon with a solid layer. About 20 mins.
  • Preheat oven to 175℉.
  • Slice and wrap buns in aluminum foil and place in oven. TURN OVEN OFF.
  • Remove from sloppy joe mixture from heat and cover with lid until ready to serve.
  • Serve with generous heap of mix on warmed bun and a fresh salad and a pickle.
  • Forget what I said about the different bun choices. Go ahead and plan to eat this one with a fork.

 

 

* A 1” rubber spatula is the most useful tool in the kitchen that's not a knife or a heat source. Especially when working with sauces, you can get every last drop of sauce out of the bowl. It’s therapeutic.

** Can sub for a full T of fish sauce or Worcestershire instead of using both. Both offer similar but different depths of umami that is hard for the chicken to deliver so I like the mix of both.