Chicken Bog

Brian:  "Honey, what's for dinner?"
Me:  "Chicken Bog"
Brian:  "What?"
Me:  "Chicken Bog"
Brian:  blank stare........"what in the world is a chicken bog?"

Unless you grew up in the low country of South Carolina, you may have had the same reaction.
 South Carolina has long been one of the leading producers of rice and is known for their rice dishes.  While pilaf's and other dishes highlight the accompanying food, the bog is just a mess of moist goodness.  Think Tuna Casserole but with chicken.   Did you know they even have a Chicken Bog Festival?

Purest make their bog with sausage.  For some reason, I don't.  While I have heard about this dish before, it held "urban myth" status in my mind until a recipe showed up in one of my cookbook's (Rebecca Lang's Around The Southern Table).  Her version omitted the sausage, I fell in love with it and so that is the way I make it.  End of story.

Part of the recipe for chicken bog is to boil your chicken in water to make chicken stock.  I skip this step.  You can bet that I will substitute rotisserie chicken for any recipe that calls for boiled chicken.  It adds so much more flavor to your dish and while I love the idea of homemade chicken stock, Swanson works just as well for this girl.  If I ever have a spare refrigerator, I will probably go through the effort to make homemade chicken stock but until that day, as I mentioned, Swanson broth is A-OK in my book.

So here is my quick and easy version for chicken bog:

1 rotisserie chicken, cut up
1 cup uncooked rice
6 cups chicken broth
3 tablespoons butter
4 green onions
pickled okra, saltines and hot sauce to accompany

Place your cut up chicken in a pot with rice and broth.  Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 25 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed.  Add butter and half of the green onions,  Serve in bowls with remaining onions and garnishes.  *Again, I omit the sausage step so by all means, cut up half a pound of your choice sausage and simmer it off in the boil with the chicken and rice.

This is without a doubt such an amazing comfort food that everyone must try.  With cooler temps on the way, I wanted to share so you can add it to your rotation.  Enjoy!

xoxo,
TSS