Chicken Bog Recipe

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Do you ever have a snippet from a TV show stay with you for eternity? That’s all I can think whenever I make chicken bog

Now that you’ve had a peek into my twisted little mind, let’s talk chicken bog. At first glance, some long-time readers may say, “But Heather, that looks just like chicken pilau.” Nay nay my friend, there are many heated arguments between Lowcountry residents and PeeDee residents about the superiority of one over the other.

As long as someone is willing to share, I refuse to take sides.

What’s the difference between the two? The grains of rice in chicken pilau are separate, whereas in a traditional chicken bog, the grains will mold to a fork. Additionally, chicken bog is typically more savory.

My late friend Andre Pope was been kind enough to share his recipe for chicken bog. Our family has been enjoying it since 2008 and the teenagers still go, “YES!” when the answer to “What’s for dinner?” is “Chicken bog.”

Pretty sure that’s about as big an endorsement as you can get.

Chicken bog is a great meal for potlucks, new moms, and families dealing with grief or having a hard time. If you make it for someone else, you can pop it into an aluminum pan which they can either freeze or use to reheat, depending on their needs.

One of my favorite aspects of this recipe for chicken bog is that it is not an expensive recipe.

As written, it calls for a whole chicken when compared to the more expensive cuts, this can be much cheaper. You can also use just chicken thighs or leg quarters if those are what’s on sale this week at the grocery store. Don’t be scared to use all dark meat in this dish. You’ll never miss the white. (Keep scrolling, the recipe is below) 👇🏻

Please note that I share the recipe exactly as Andre gave it to me. Over the years this has become more of a measure it with my heart recipe, and as my kids became more tolerant to spices and heat, I have become more heavy-handed with the seasoning. Keep that in mind as you adjust to your preferences and dietary needs.

Chicken Bog

Chicken bog in a white dish in the foreground, a red dutch oven in the back ground

Chicken Bog is a classic South Carolina Recipe, it originated in the Pee Dee region. This recipe is from Conway, South Carolina and is from my friend Andre Pope, who was the youngest person to earn the title of Senior BBQ Judge.

Ingredients

  • 1 (3-5 pound) chicken (cut into pieces)
  • 1 pound smoked sausage
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 2 generous teaspoons Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground red pepper
  • 2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • Dash of garlic powder
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 8 cups water
  • 3 cups raw white rice

Instructions

    1. Turn the burner on to medium heat and allow the pot to begin to heat.
    2. Cut the sausage into 1/2-inch coins and add to the pot. Allow the sausage to cook just until it begins to brown
    3. Add the chicken, sausage, butter, seasonings and bay leaves to the pot and carefully pour in the 8 cups of water.
    4. Cover and increase the heat. Bring everything to a boil and then reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 40 minutes.
    5. Use tongs to remove the chicken pieces. WARNING: The chicken is very hot, handle with care. I place the pieces on a cooling rack over a baking sheet.
    6. While the chicken is cooling, add the rice to the stockpot and give it a good stir. Ensure that nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pot.
    7. Increase the heat to bring it back to a boil and recover. For ten minutes monitor the pot closely and stir frequently.
    8. Reduce the heat to a simmer and ensure the pot is covered tightly. Simmer for 10 minutes.
    9. As soon as the chicken is cool enough to handle, separate the meat from the bones and skin. Tear or cut the meat into bite-sized pieces.
    10. Test the rice.
    11. If the rice is not tender and all of the water has been absorbed, add more water, no more than a cup at a time and allow to simmer another 5 minutes.
    12. Once the rice is tender, add the chicken, mix well, and serve.

Notes

The recipe doesn't specify what type of smoked sausage to use, but we really like Andouille. Experiment to find your favorite.

You might even find you like to go more of a dirty rice style (this is NOT dirty rice). In that case, brown the sausage and set it aside, rather than simmering it with the chicken. Stir it in at the end with the cooked chicken. It's

Thank you very much, Andre, for sharing your recipe. You were a great friend and are and will always be missed.

Typically, I triple the recipe and freeze family-size servings in vacuum-sealed bags.  Important note: If your freezer is small, be sure to cool the chicken bog in the fridge or an ice bath before placing it in the freezer. Too much hot food in a small freezer could thaw some items or allow your food to remain at unsafe temperatures for too long. It’s worth spending a couple of dollars on ice at the grocery store than risking several hundred dollars in a copay at the emergency room. I promise.

And yes, I did say that I triple the recipe. If I have to smell boiling chicken, one of my least favorite odors on the planet, I will get a return on my investment. Multiple nights off from cooking is that return.

Chicken bog goes really well with collard greens, green beans, carrots, cornbread, or salads. You either want something savory like collard greens to stay with that flavor profile, or you want something nice and crisp as a contrast to the texture to keep the meal interesting. As it’s a beige food, something with some color is a good idea, too.

Enjoy!

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41 thoughts on “Chicken Bog Recipe”

  1. Twisted indeed–that whole episode is one of the funniest ever! It definitely put political correctness in it’s place. Or maybe I’m just a bit twisted too….

    As for the bog–leave the skin on the chicken, take it off, or personal choice? I used to make a sort-of version of this, without the sausage and with mixed veggies. We used half of the $4 bag of chicken legs and thighs at Walmart. We didn’t call it “Bog”, just “Chicken and Rice”–but “Bog” is much cuter!

    Reply
    • I cannot say how many times I saw "Southern Chicken Bog" recipes using Lipton dry onion soup mix. How southern is that? Where is it made? How about this yall……….. try using some Robert's of Charleston seasoning and maybe a hint of Charleston Pig Company seasoning? I am in no way affiliated with either of these brands but did use them myself in my bog and WOW !!! BTW they are both produced in SC.

      Reply
  2. YUM! i am a sucker for mushy food.
    at first i thought you were trying to say perlow rice…which we call greasy rice. damnit, i’m starving now!

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  3. I’m pretty sure this dish wants to be chicken and sausage gumbo when it grows up. All you’d need to add is some okra, the “trinity” and some filé.

    Reply
  4. My grandmother makes this with ground sausage, very good!! Chicken bog is good with a splash of Texas Pete hot sauce! Yum! I’m hungry now!

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  5. @scrappyquilter Discard the skin, it has that funky boiled texture. Ew 😉
    @Angie I’m glad I’m not the only one permanently scarred.
    @Candice people argue about the spelling of pilau, too. It has its roots in pilaf.
    @Julie Now, I love gumbo and I do see the similarities, but sometimes only chicken bog will do.
    @Shanele We’re Louisiana Hot Sauce fans here.

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  6. It sounds great, Heather, but… a half-cup of butter? That’s a whole stick, isn’t it? Is it OK to cut back on the butter, or does that ruin it?

    Reply
    • Put in all the butter! This makes a lot of bog so if you take the amount of butter and separate it among all the servings, it really isn’t all that much per serving. Yes, it will affect the flavor and bog is much better on Day 2 than just made. You will absolutely love it and make it again and again. We used to make it a lot camping and on scouting retreats until my family started telling me they were “craving some bog.” Now I make it at least monthly. I put extra onion in mine and put the hot sauce on the table because some like it without the hot sauce.

      Reply
  7. It’s makes more than ten serving. Experiment, try using half, you could always stir more in.

    As I noted, this is Andre’s recipe and since I begged for it, I wasn’t going to mess with it. 🙂

    Reply
  8. Just want to compliment the recipe! After having this at CREATEsouth .. well, don’t tell the folks but it competes with Mom’s recipe! YUM! (:

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  9. I’m right with you, Heather. I started singing with the title of the post, before I even got to your first line. CLASSIC!!

    Hmmm, I wonder how many WW points this recipe has? KIDDING… My manager’s daughter just had a baby yesterday, so I’ll be hitting the grocery tomorrow to fix this for her. I might reserve a serving or two for us =)

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  10. So glad to see this recipe. Matt talked to Andre about the recipe, to see if I could eat it, with my fun allergies. He has not stopped talking about Chicken Bog, since then. I sent him a link to this post. I hope he feels like cooking this weekend. 🙂

    High Value Yum!
    ~Heidi

    Reply
  11. Hot sauce on this is a must I think its a sc thing because I love love love it … I put the tiny pieces of celery and chopped onions in mine…and I use ground sausage….it is also good with leftover thanksgiving turkey 🙂 yum I’m hungry

    Reply
  12. Ok I made the Chicken Bog this week based on your current weekly menu. I think I messed up the sausage. Is smoked sausage more dried and hard? I got fresh sausage from my sausage dude because I was all excited to use our local sausage. It's fennel sausage. It's really tasty normally, but in this bog I think it got a little bland. I cooked it ahead of time in the butter because it seemed weird to boil the sausage, but now it makes more sense if the sausage was hard!

    I also used brown rice instead of white rice. It took about 40-50 min to cook. I'm not sure if that was because I had the heat too low or if it was because it was brown rice.

    The end result is great, really hearty and filling, but I am definitely missing a flavor. I think it's the smokiness of the sausage. It also feels like an acid is needed- perhaps tomato?

    I will definitely make it again, but maybe with some tweaks! Please let me know if smoked sausage is supposed to be dried/cured like pepperoni.

    Reply
  13. Hillshire Farms Smoked Saausage….you can get it @any grocery store….it isn't dried but yes it has a taste all it's own….fennal sausage is good but I can see why your bog was missing something

    Reply
    • Fennel sausage is good, but the white looking Johnsonville sausage/brat is the best in this recipe. Try it! Lots of good flavor there!

      Reply
  14. Chicken Bog…We call it Chicken Perlow but what ever the name is, it is good eating. Just my suggestion, to me the sausage is the most important thing in this dish. My family uses Rogerwood smoke sausages. A very good tasting sausage with a little spice. It adds so much flavor. Unfortunately these may not be a the local store but you can always order them online…

    Reply
  15. This is a fabulous recipe. I've made it many times since seeing it and everyone just loves it!!! Took it to work and then had to hand out the website to all my co-workers. The recipe is perfect as it is! Thank you so much! This is the recipe that we'll be handing down in my family.

    Reply
  16. I haven't tried using either of those, but I'll certainly pick them up next time I see them in the store. I live near Charleston, but I don't think I've ever seen either of those in my usual haunts. Next time I wander closer to downtown I'll keep my eyes open.

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  17. My family has been cooking chicken bogs for as long as I can remember. The recipe is similar to ones I have read here with the exception of a large can or fresh tomatoes and a small can of tomato sauce. I have had it with or without the tomatoes and prefer with tomatoes/

    Reply
  18. Tomatoes? That is NOT bog, dude. Have eaten Mama's made just like this for years, and its good. BUT, recently had some made by a friends mama and I swan, it was BETTER! (please god, don't tell mama). She had left out the sausage and used salt pork instead, cubed and browned. Try it.

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  19. I agree with you. No tomatoes in bog whether it’s low country, midlands or up country. That’s just a variation on bog. You can also use bacon instead of the sausage, but sausage is more authentic.

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  20. Flavor and all was great! But, I had to add more water for the rice to cook. A lot more, like 6-8 cups more.I only used 3 cups of rice. I don’ understand how it needed that much more water?

    Reply
  21. as a lowcounty resident and rice lover. Chicken bog is one of my fav dinners to make. If your not a fan of sausage you can always leave that part out.

    Reply
  22. I am so excited that I found this recipe on Pinterest. After highschool I left Ohio and moved to SC. I lived all over Aynor, Conway, Murrells Inlet. I went to the bog off in Aynor shortly after I moved there and fell in love with chicken bog. When I went through my divorce 3years ago and moves back to Ohio I lost my recipe. Chicken Bog is by far one of my favs. In fact I am making it right now for my fiance and step son. Can’t wait for it to be done. So happy I can share such a delicious dish and some of the low country culture I miss so much. Thanks for sharing the recipe.

    Reply
  23. I have given up chicken and feel a lot better, along with some other things from this site. We mostly eat fish, lamb, and turkey. Here is what Dr. Lam says:
    It is important to leave off chicken for Type Bs. Chicken contains a Blood Type B agglutinating lectin in its muscle tissue, which attack the bloodstream and potentially lead to strokes and immune disorders. Type Bs thrive on deep-ocean fish, but should avoid all shellfish. The shellfish contain lectins that are disruptive to the Type B system.
    http://www.drlam.com/blood_type_diet/blood_b.asp

    Reply

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