Easy Ohio Shredded Chicken Sandwich

This Shredded Chicken Sandwich is one of the most classic sandwiches in Ohio. This hot and creamy chicken sandwich is so easy to make, only requires a handful of ingredients, and is budget friendly. Once you make this sloppy chicken sandwich, you will understand why it’s so popular.

Having had grown up in NW Ohio, it seemed that at every event; whether it be a graduation, a church potluck, a carry in dinner, family reunion, baseball game, school events, concession stands, auction food stands, or even the fair, you would find this creamy and delicious sandwich.

It definitely seemed though that this was more of a regional sandwich that you would find in either NW Ohio or Central Ohio. You would rarely find it anywhere else. So, if you are planning a road trip in Ohio this year and are wanting to try this famous sandwich for yourself, check out Chicken Sandwich info for all of the current known restaurants where you can dine for lunch and dinner.

I think one of the reasons why this recipe became such a mainstay in Ohio kitchens is because it’s very budget friendly AND it’s ready to go in 10 – 15 minutes if you use chicken that has already been cooked.

If you love easy classic recipes, I have a few more of my family’s favorites that you might enjoy. Such as my Stuffed Chicken Breast with Stuffing, our easy Creamed Chicken on Biscuits, my Chipped Beef on Toast, and my Salmon Patties. And another old-fashioned recipe you might remember and enjoy is this recipe for Classic Spoon Burgers.

Why Should You Make This Recipe

I think you should definitely make this recipe because it’s:

Easy – You only need 5 to 6 ingredients.

Budget-friendly – You probably have most of these ingredients already in your pantry.

Hearty – this is one of those rib-sticking and hearty dishes that warms the soul.

🥘Ingredients

Chicken breast – you can either use up leftover roasted chicken, rotisserie chicken, canned chicken, or make it fresh.

Soup – most cooks will use Cream of Chicken, however, some will use Cream of Mushroom. It’s totally up to your preference. For my family, we prefer using the chicken soup.

Crackers – if you’d prefer you can use day old bread crumbs, saltine crackers, or croutons. Any of these will work fine. It’s to help bind everything together. Add this ingredient also helps to thicken it up.

🔪Instructions

You will find complete instructions, including how to make this in the slow cooker, in the recipe card below.

🧾Substitutions

The great thing about this recipe is that you can switch out a lot of the ingredients, but still get the same delicious sandwich.

• Crackers – use potato chips or Italian breadcrumbs. If you are using crackers, Ritz crackers are the best.
• Stuffing – you can omit this.
• Turkey – if you have leftover turkey after Thanksgiving, this is a fantastic way to use it up.

📖Variations

• Rotisserie chicken – you can use this instead of canned chicken.
• Chicken thighs – this is a great substitute and will bring added flavor.
• Chicken breast – you can also make your own and shred it.
• Onion – by adding either diced or minced onion, you will add more unique flavor.
• Low sodium soup – this recipe as is high in sodium. If that’s a concern, use low sodium soup instead.
• Omit the bun – to make this dinner recipe more versatile, instead of using buns, whip up some creamy mashed potatoes and top them with this creamy shredded chicken. Also bake up some biscuits and top them with this to make another hearty meal. You can also cook up some noodles and use this to top them.
• Poultry seasoning – if after you make this and you think it’s a little bland, add a teaspoon at a time of poultry seasoning to get it seasoned just right.
• Chips – instead of crackers, you can use chips. Ballreich are perfect if you can find them. If not, Lays regular chips are a great choice.
• Bread – if you have bread that needs used up, serve it up as an open-faced sandwich or in between two slices of bread.
• Root’s Shredded Chicken – Fremont Ohio seems to be where this recipe started.
• Minced garlic – to really add extra flavor, add in some minced garlic.
• Frank’s Red Hot Sauce – if you are wanting a spicy kick, add a little bit of this.
• Sweet or hot pickle chips – add a few of these flavorful pickles on top to really add another dimension of spice.
• Cream of celery – some of our readers have messaged to say add a can of cream of celery soup as well.
• Bread and Butter chips – these pickles added on top also add a nice crunch.
• Kings Hawaiian Rolls – use these instead of normal buns to add a sweet flavor.
• Cream cheese – add 8 ounces of this to make it extra creamy.

🍽 Equipment

• Dutch oven
• 2 Forks or hand mixer or stand mixer

🥫Storage

This will keep for up to four days in the fridge stored in an airtight container.

If you want to freeze any leftovers, place them in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to two months. Past that, you start to lose the flavor and are at risk for normal freezer burn.

To thaw, place the container in the fridge and let it thaw overnight. Reheat and serve the next day.

💭 Top tips

• If you can find them, pick up some Ballreich chips, that are made in Ohio, to go along with this Ohio Shredded Chicken Sandwich.
• To see more comments and variations that people use, check out our post on Foodtalk.
• The easiest way to shred chicken is to use your stand mixer. Just add the cooked chicken breasts into a large mixing bowl, use your paddle attachment, and turn the mixer on medium low. It’s quick, efficient, and makes it a lot easier than using two forks.
• Put a glass mug in the freezer and then when you are ready to serve, fill the mugs up with root beer. That my friends, is what brings this recipe full circle.
• If you are looking for more classic Ohio recipes, then pick up a copy of Gooseberry Patch’s Ohio cookbook.

❔FAQ