Anybody want to talk about chicken bog?

[BrentKulman]

While the south is known for many wonderful dishes that are served throughout the region, some of the dishes are sub-regional favorites. Chicken bog, which is rarely seen outside the Pee Dee region of South Carolina, deserves a broader reputation.

In the pilau family, chicken bog is a combination of chicken, spices and rice that is made by stewing a chicken with spices, removing the meat from the bone, and returning it to the stockpot. Next, mix in some rice and cook it until all the liquid is absorbed. The rice takes on a wonderful flavor from the chicken and spices.

This Saturday, Oct. 16th, is the annual Loris Bog-Off in Loris, South Carolina, not too far from Myrtle Beach.

If any of you have been to the festival or have stories to recount or recipes to post about chicken bog, this thread is for you.

[fifi]

I have to admit that this is the first I have ever heard of chicken bog. I know that I am on the western fringes of the south, but this one has alluded me. More information, please. What spices?... for instance.

What does strike me is that this seems somewhat, sorta, kinda similar to jambalaya.

[AmbrosiaFood]

I have never heard of "chicken bog" before, but from what you are describing, it sounds like the way my mother always made chicken and rice at home.

Describe this dish further please.

[BrentKulman]

Here are a couple of links to Dixie Dining that describe the history of chicken bog and provide a recipe.

As the article states (you'll need to scroll down to find it), there are as many variations of chicken bog as there are chili recipes. Doing some searches around the web, I have seen spice selections ranging from salt and pepper to various combinations of poultry seasoning and hot sauces. I have even seen some recipes which included bacon bits sprinkled on top.

Here is the article:

A brief discussion of chicken bog

And here is a recipe:

Chicken bog recipe

Unlike this recipe, which includes sausage, the chicken bogs I have eaten have been straightforward and tasty but have never included any meat other than chicken.

I looked around the web for a picture of the dish but was unable to find one. If you want to use your imagination, chicken bog looks something like risotto, but is not quite as creamy.

[fifi]

OK... Looks really close to jambalaya to me. Maybe a bit different with the emphasis on the chicken. Whatever... I now have a new dish to wow my yankee friends with.

[AmbrosiaFood]

Thanks for the explanation. It is like mom's chicken and rice, but with less seasonings. I never knew it had another name.

[wcmckinney]

Brent, my man in Loris! I have long been a devotee of Chicken Bog, or as you note Pilau -- which it is called in more polite circles. It is juicy, it is tender, it is flavorful without being overpowering. I have fond memories of eating it with family in Pamplico, SC where we would sometimes purchase it in a shack in the parking lot of a grocery store (maybe it was an IGA or Food Lion) and take it home to eat.

Chicken Bog does eek up into North Carolina, I have seen it on buffets around Lumberton for example. However I think you are right that it is most at home from Charleston up through the Pee Dee.