Sloppy Janes

---

Serves 4

Cooking Time 2 to 3 hours on Low

Slow Cooker Size 5½ to 7 Quarts

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Ground chicken is a great alternative to beef for Sloppy Joes—its more delicate flavor is a perfect medium for boldly flavored sauces. Because chicken is leaner than beef, it can quickly turn dry and grainy in the slow cooker. To prevent our ground chicken from drying out, it was important to cook the mixture on low for no more than three hours. We also found that microwaving the chicken for a few minutes made it firm enough to break into coarse crumbles that did not turn grainy during cooking. A combination of ketchup and canned tomato sauce gave our sauce the right balance of light sweetness and strong tomato flavor. We doctored up this simple sauce by adding a little brown sugar, chili powder, and hot sauce until our sandwiches had enough flavor to please both kids and adults. Be sure to use ground chicken, not ground chicken breast (also labeled 99 percent fat free). This recipe can easily be doubled for a crowd. See the sidebar that follows the recipe.

1	pound ground chicken
1	cup chopped onion
2	teaspoons minced garlic
½	teaspoon chili powder
½	cup canned tomato sauce
½	cup ketchup
1	tablespoon packed brown sugar
¼	teaspoon hot sauce
	Salt and pepper
4	hamburger buns

1. Microwave ground chicken, onion, garlic, and chili powder in bowl, stirring occasionally, until chicken is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Transfer mixture to slow cooker, breaking up any large pieces of chicken. Stir in tomato sauce, ketchup, sugar, hot sauce, ½ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Cover and cook until chicken is tender, 2 to 3 hours on low.

2. Using large spoon, skim excess fat from surface of chicken mixture. Break up any remaining large pieces of chicken with spoon and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon chicken mixture onto buns. Serve.