Carolina Chicken Bog

I am a huge fan of one pot suppers. Meals like this are a lifesaver for me on crazy weeknight days where I do not have a lot of extra free time to throw a meal together. This dinner was made because I had a lot of polish sausage leftover and wanted to figure out some way to incorporate it into a cohesive meal. Enter Cook's Country magazine for the recipe for something called "bog". 

Bog. Such an appetizing name for a dish.

"What's for dinner, honey?"

"Bog."

"Yummy! Are we having a side of swamp and wetland with that?"

Ok, bad joke.

The kids love Lucy more than Bog!

Apparently, bog is a traditional dish from South Carolina, particularly from the county encompassing Myrtle Beach. Accurately described as a heavier rice pilaf, bog is a comforting one-pot mixture of rice, smoked sausage, and chicken. It's similar to the more famous southern dish Chicken Pilau. It gets it's name because it is a little "wetter" than pilau although some people think the name originated because when cooking the chicken becomes "bogged down" with rice.  Either way, it's a very popular dish if you are ever in South Carolina. All this information comes from the article that accompanied this recipe. Prior to that, I had never ever heard of bog. 

However, this is definitely a new favorite recipe. Despite it's simplicity, the dish is full-flavored, comforting, filling, and hearty. It's everything you look forward to eating after the end of a long day. While not really appropriate for a hot summer evening, I see this being made more often during the cold winter months. The only thing you need to serve with this is a nice salad or some steamed vegetables since, other than the onion, there are none in the dish itself. 

Simple, delicious, taste of the South. Although I wouldn't throw a dinner party and announce that you are serving "bog". Your guests may not show up. Or they'll hit the drive-thru before arrival. Sorry, I just can't get past the name.

Carolina Chicken Bog
from Cook's Country Feb/March 2015

6 (5 to 7-oz) bone-in chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
8 ounces smoked kielbasa sausage, cut into 1/2-inch-thick rounds
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups long-grain white rice

Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until just smoking. Cook chicken, skin side down, until well browned, 6 to 8 minutes; transfer chicken to plate. Discard skin.

Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from pot and return to medium heat. Add sausage and onion and cook until onion is translucent and sausage begins to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broth, chicken, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until chicken is tender, about 30 minutes.

Remove chicken from pot and set aside. Stir rice into pot, cover, and continue to cook over low heat until rice is tender, about 20 minutes.

Shred chicken into bite-size pieces; discard bones. Gently fold shredded chicken into rice mixture. Remove from heat and let sit, covered, for 10 minutes. Serve.