Booster Booth Shredded Chicken Sandwiches

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I think of them as booster booth sandwiches. This sandwich featured at the concession booth of pretty much ever high school track meet, football game, and soccer tournament I ever went too.  Ladled out of a crock pot, sometimes wrapped in thin foil so it all steamed together, they were a stable of cold autumn mornings an hour from home. I have a vague memory of someone selling them out of the back of a pickup truck at a rugby tournament in college, but that could be the beer or head injuries talking.    

I’ve spent a bit of time over the past few months looking into recipes and whether or not this is a regional thing.  I grew up in Central Ohio and while it looks like the sandwich’s reach is greater than just local, I can’t really tell if it’s just a midwestern thing or – most likely – one of those back of the can recipes that just keeps getting recycled.   That research also provided the secret ingredient that my earliest attempts at making this lacked.  Ritz Crackers.  Yeah. It’s weird, but it works.

Think of this sandwich as chicken and stuffing together … on a bun.  I know, if you never stood in the cold on the sidelines eating one of these things off a cheap paper napkin, it probably sounds like a terrible idea, and maybe it is. 

Regardless, they’re an amazing way to stretch out a small amount of chicken and feed a crowd of half frozen idiots standing in a buddy field. 

Booster Booth Shredded Chicken Sandwiches

Recipe by DrewCourse: MainCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

Shredded chicken sandwiches like you used to get at ball games.

Ingredients

• 2 bone-in skin on chicken thighs

• 4 hamburger style buns

• 2 cups chicken stock

• 1 rib celery

• 1 small onion

• 1 small carrot

• 1 clove garlic

• 8 Ritz crackers

• ¼ cup toasted breadcrumbs

• Pinch of dry thyme

• Pinch of rubbed sage

• ½ tsp ground black pepper

Directions

• Add the chicken stock and chicken thighs to a pan and bring to a simmer. Cook until the chicken is falling from the bone, 30 minutes or more.
• Remove the chicken and allow to cool until just cool enough to handle.
• Discard the skin, bones and cartilage.
• Using two forks, shred the chicken.
• Peel, trim, and dice the onion.
• Peel, and finely dice the carrot
• Finely dice the celery
• Peel, trim and mince the garlic.
• Add the chicken, vegetables, herbs, pepper, breadcrumbs, and crackers into the reserved chicken stock.
• Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until all the moisture is absorbed, and the chicken and stuffing mixture is thick enough to be used as a sandwich filling – usually 20-30 minutes.
• Check for seasoning and add salt if necessary.
• Spread filling on hamburger buns and enjoy.

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