Chicken Bog, Chicken Perlo, Chicken Pilau – regardless of what you call it, we just call it delicious. This rustic comfort food dish of chicken, sausage, and rice is a family favorite recipe!
Chicken Bog. Chicken Pilau. Chicken Perlo. Chicken Pilaf. While there are many variations (and names) of this dish, Chicken Bog is what it’s always been called at our house. This rustic, homey dish of chicken, rice, and sausage has always been a comfort food. Growing up, it was also pretty economical being that the ingredients are few but it makes a lot.
Many argue that there are actual variations between the Bog, Pilau, and Pilaf versions of the dish and most of them seem to hinge on the amount of liquid in them. I can’t argue for or against that idea, only that Chicken Bog is what it’s always been at our house and this is the method my mom has used to make it for years.
What ingredients are in Chicken Bog ?
Chicken Bog is a very simple one-pot meal. Most recipes suggest you simply mix chicken, smoky sausage, and rice in a tasty, homemade chicken broth or store-bought chicken stock. Some versions even add veggies, like carrots.
My particular version includes celery and onion, but those veggies are only in there to add flavor to the broth. While I like to keep my seasonings simple with only salt, pepper, and garlic, it is common to find recipes with a longer list of seasonings, like bay leaves and thyme. I even see recipes on occasion that feature a bit of ham for extra flavor.
However, I much prefer my simple ingredients of chicken, rice, butter, sausage, and seasonings. I like to use long-grain rice for this recipe, but you could also use other kinds. One reader even mentioned he uses yellow rice in his. Just keep in mind, each kind of rice might require a different amount of liquid. Each cook gives it their own twist, making Chicken Bog a cozy and delicious rice dish!
Why is chicken bog called chicken bog?
Let’s talk about that quirky name, shall we?! Chicken Bog. Doesn’t exactly sound appetizing, right? I’ll never forget the first time I told my wife, then girlfriend, we were having Chicken Bog for supper. A puzzled look came across her face. “You’re having what?” she asked. “That sounds terrible!” she said.
There are a couple theories behind the moniker. Some say because it’s thick and sticky, it’s called bog. Others claim that the chicken gets bogged down in the rice. Still, others say that the name comes from the swampy, bog-like low country area in South Carolina where the dish originated.
My mom lived in Florence, South Carolina for a while and picked up the dish from a native South Carolinian. Regardless of what you call it, I just call it delicious.
Substitutions & Variations
Chicken Substitutions – While my recipe calls for a whole chicken, you could use differently-prepared chicken in this recipe. You will just need to take note of the changes in cook time. A few ideas are chicken breasts, chicken thighs, or pre-cooked rotisserie chicken. Starting with a whole chicken and cooking it yourself is going to produce the best broth and, subsequently, the best end result.
Rice Variations – My recipe calls for long-grain rice. I think this rice works best if you plan to follow my exact instructions. However, if you prefer brown rice or wild rice, you could definitely use those. You could even add instant rice at the very end. You just need to make sure you are cooking each kind of rice to its specific liquid and cook-time needs.
Recommendations for Using Precooked Chicken – If you plan to use pre-cooked chicken, like rotisserie chicken, you will need to add in a broth. I recommend adding 8 cups of boxed broth, like chicken broth. Then, add in an additional chicken base, like Better Than Bullion, to achieve that rich flavor.
Recipe Card
Chicken Bog
Ingredients
- 1 (4 to 5 lb) whole chicken
- 2 ribs celery
- 1 yellow onion
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1 (14-ounce) package smoked sausage
- 4 cups long grain rice
- salt
- pepper
Instructions
- If included, remove and discard the chicken innards. Add the chicken and the neck (if included) to a large stock pot.
- Wash and coarsely chop the celery. Peel and quarter the onion. Peel and smash the garlic with the side of a knife. Add the celery, onion, and garlic to the pot. Add enough water to just cover the chicken. Add 2 teaspoons of salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper then stir. Simmer the chicken for 40 to 60 minutes or until cooked through, being cautious not to boil. Boiling the chicken will result in dry, tough meat.
- Once cooked, remove the chicken to a plate to cool. Then remove and shred the meat, discard the skin, bones, and neck. Set the meat aside.
- Strain the broth from the pot through a fine mesh strainer and set aside.
- In a large Dutch oven with a tight fitting lid, add the butter and melt. Slice the sausage in 1/3-inch slices and add it to the butter. Cook over medium-low heat to just brown the sausage. Add 8 cups of the reserved broth to the pot and bring to a rolling boil. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Add the rice and stir well. Add the shredded chicken. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 20 minutes, stirring once or twice, or until the rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. Add additional broth if necessary. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
* If nutritional values are provided, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands used. The values do not include optional ingredients or when ingredients are added to taste. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, I recommend grabbing your favorite brands and plugging those ingredients into an online nutritional calculator.
Chris Freeman
It was awesome. It tasted just like I remembered from when I was young. I cooked it for my parents and they loved it alsi.
Patty
Very tasty and all enjoyed it. However next time I make it I will use less rice.
So glad to hear y’all enjoyed it, Patty!
Barb
I’m guessing 8 or 9 cups of broth. Sounds great I’m ready to make chicken bog!
Thanks for the guess! Eight or nine cups sounds just about right for a good chicken bog. Hope you enjoy making it! Let me know how it turns out!
Caridad Pino
Yummy; I made this for my family yesterday and there was nothing left in the pot. Only thing I do different to mine is that I add red pepper flakes for a little spice.
That’s quite the compliment! Thanks, Caridad!
Barbara Miller
We love your Chicken Bog recipe and serve it often. TY for sharing it with us.
I’m so glad to hear y’all have enjoyed it, Barbara!
Michael
Question: What do you do with the garlic, onion, and celery after the chicken has been cooked for an hour? Do the veggies get discarded, or are they integrated into the dish?
Thanks.
Thanks for asking! Those veggies are really just there to flavor the broth, so they’re typically discarded after cooking. They’ve done their job by then, infusing all that goodness into the dish! However, I think you could certainly chop them up and integrate them into the dish for extra flavor and texture. It really depends on your preference! Let me know if you have any other questions.
Sha
An Italian Grandma who lived next door to me, told me if making broth just rinse off the carrots and celery and cut in half and throw it in the pot. But the onion is needed in a soup so chop those. No need to cut in small pieces. I make my chicken soup this way. My collies love the cooked carrots! I hate cooked carrots.
Great tip! Thanks for sharing!
Chrissy
This reminds me of a spring chicken casserole I make which has this as the base plus some vibrant veggies mixed in with dill. A great basic recipe.
That sounds great, Chrissy!
Amy
The best I have ever had in my whole entire life. I am so thankful. I ran across this recipe because it made my night and this recipe will be in my probably weekly meals for me and my family because it goes along way and it is very cheap.
Love this, Amy! It looks delicious! So glad you enjoyed it!
Allyson Venable
Made this and it was very good. Only thing I would do differently is add another package of smoked sausage. Family loved it, will definitely make again.
So glad y’all enjoyed it, Allyson!
LizaJo
My late husband used to make something very similar that he called “One Pot Rice Supper”. He used roasted leg quarters, and canned chicken stock with chicken base added, and seasoned it with onion, bell pepper, celery, and homemade Creole seasoning.
I need to give your recipe a try. 🙂
Hope you’ll enjoy it!
Roz Pack
This is very similar to New Orleans Dirty Rice. The two differences would be that instead of smoked sausage, it calls for hot sausage, preferably Patton’s, which I can’t get, so I just use Jimmy Dean hot. I miss Patton’s, though. It also callas for chicken livers, which I simply don’t use, because nobody liked them. But, it is what makes it “Dirty”. But otherwise, it uses the celery and onion, garlic, and adds green pepper, and all the usual NOLA seasonings. I use Tony Chachere’s. I always measured out how much broth I got from the chicken, and adjusted the rice accordingly. Usually got between 6-8 cups, depending on how long I cooked the chicken. Whatever you call it, or make it with, it’s pretty hard to beat.
Sherry Webber
It’s a very funny name. But after reading the recipe, everything is EXACTLY like my Grandma’s Chicken n rice with smoke sausage in it. Grandma’s Southern Chicken & Rice is GREAT comfort food (Especially in winter), good for people with stomach problems, and plenty of leftovers!! My family has never left any to throw away or feed to the dog. 🤣😂🤣 it’s a hit at church pot luck dinners to with enough for the whole congratulations AND the visitors!!! LOL Thank you Stacy for great memories & a new way to add a twist to Grandma’s cold/flu dinner!!! LOTSA cooking love …. Grandma Sherry
Thank YOU!! It’s comfort food for sure!!
JoeyfromSC
I grew up eating this. Thank you!! Ironically, I used to live in Florence, SC also lol
Small world!!
Edward Drzewiecki
I’ve made this recipe several times. Live on the southern coast of North Carolina. When I do make it I have to double the recipe because I’d get my butt charred for not sharing. Originally I followed the recipe faithfully, but, now I have made a slight change and that is I now use yellow rice. It’s off the charts! Thank you for making me known as the Chicken Bog King.
A well deserved title, I’m sure! You can bet I’m going to try this with yellow rice now! Thanks for sharing that tip!
Itisa Williams
It is such a coincidence that I am looking at this and I am from Florence, SC. I’m making this without the sausage. I will let you know how it comes out.
Anxious to hear back from you! 🙂
Wes
Yes I definitely am a fan of this recipe. Florence, SC born, raised, and still here today! As another person said above, I also use some yellow rice along with the white. I know some folks who use cream of chicken in their bog as well. It’s quite tasty too. And Frank’s red hot Buffalo is very good on I as well.
Thanks for these tips, Wes!
Jennifer
Hi Wes…at what step is the Cream of chicken added?
Doug Murdaugh
Third time making this! My 15 year old daughter absolutely loves it and so do I. Originally from Orangeburg, SC. My mom used to make a variation of this. The last time I made it, which was this evening, I added about 8 boiled eggs too! It was fantastic!! I make a pot about every other week for my daughter and I. It goes a long way also!
Awesome, Doug! I’m so happy to hear you’ve enjoyed this!
Shirley White
Made this recipe today, it was delicious. Next time I will cut it in half. Makes so much. I’m a New Englander and got this recipe from my family in Myrtle Beach that I visited last week. So good!!!
So glad to hear you enjoyed it!
Charles
I’m from Loris SC where we have the Big Off festival every year so I grew up eating chicken bog. This is a great recipe. The only thing I did different is I used half yellow rice and half white rice
Thanks, Charles! Glad to hear it meets with a Carolinian’s approval!
Norma Avila
Im mexican and i grow up in sc in mullins sc my brother wife make it a loti love with texas pete 🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼thanks for the recipe
I’m not mad at that at all! 🙂 Hope you’ll enjoy it!
Diane Dickerman
Hi Stacey,
Wondering if I can use rotisserie chicken and store bought chicken broth or stock? Just looking for a couple of shortcuts. Thx!
You certainly can! I might recommend adding some chicken bouillon or something like “better than bullion” just to give it some more deep flavor.
Gina Wilson
Am hoping to make this for an upcoming book club get together; chicken bog is mentioned in the book we are reading. Quick question – can I make this a day ahead and then re-heat? If so, any special way to re-heat? Many thanks!
Absolutely! It’s delicious the next day. You can add a little water or broth and reheat it over low, stirring frequently, on the stovetop or even microwave it, if you’d like.
Kasha
Chicken bog is on the stove as I’m writing this comment. We just moved to SC from up north, one of the neighbors brought us a container and we absolutely loved it. I stumbled upon your recipe and fingers crossed will come out delish. I tried the broth, so far so good. I’m so excited
Sounds great! Let me know how it turns out!
Rachel McKelvey
I’m making this for Super Bowl! North Myrtle Beach native! Chiefs c/o 1989. I love chicken bog! I’ll let you know how it turns out for me! A friend sent me your recipe from ATL!
Sure hope it turned out great for you!
Mary Brim
OH MY GOODNESS!!!! It was a HIT!!! Thank you so much for sharing..
Wonderful to hear!
era
This chicken bog tastes amazing! Much like the one i grew up with in the South Carolina low country. My only change is that I like a lot more chicken to bog ratio so I only do one cup of rice with 2 cups of broth and keep the rest of the recipe the same.
Thanks, Era! Glad you liked it!
Lisa M GUYTON
I made this and added fresh shrimp at the end 😋 it was a hit!
That sounds like a delicious addition!
Lisa Guyton
It was delicious!!
So happy to hear it!
Chip
Been pleasing pallets for a while with this one!!
Thank yoooooooo!
I’m so glad you and yours enjoy this recipe!
Mary Magee
There is a difference between Chicken Bog and Chicken Perlo. Chicken Bog is wet whereas Chicken Perlo is dry. They are two different dishes. I am probably older (89) than much of you so maybe the definition has changed.
This recipe is virtually the same with the same ingredients but goes by many names!
kyle
yep! from the low country bog is what we call redneck risotto haha!
Love this!
Mrs.GreenToYou
I grew up on chicken bog in a small town called Sellers South Carolina! This was a household staple and MUST for family gatherings☺️My husband, a New Yorker, was clueless about chicken bog BUT now he loves it and requests it often!
Thanks for bringing him into the fold!
Suellen Dehnke
I just noticed when I sent this recipe to a friend that it’s not the same one that I had from you from years before. That one had a whole stick of butter and a Tablespoon of Dale’s seasoning.
Yes ma’am, we did update the recipe to make it more user friendly.
Sherry Burger
This sounds delicious, but I’ll need to half the recipe. Single household, small pots to work with. I’ll figure out the measurements, but should there be timing adjustments, too?
No, things should cook in about the same time. Sure hope you enjoy it!
Silvia McHenry
I’m a California girl, so when I told my family I was making Chicken bog for dinner, they said what?? You should have seen their faces. Hilarious, but even more hilarious is how they cleaned the pot. It was delicious, they said. My daughter said, it’s just a “rice bowl”. She is so California. Thanks for all the great shares from your readers.
Ha! So glad to hear they enjoyed it! Clean plates and full stomachs are the best compliment!
Nicole
This is almost identical to the recipe my family from South Carolina uses! I now feed this to my sons football team in South Florida before every home game. We usually serve it at home with collards, homemade applesauce, pickled green tomatoes and my mother in laws canned sweet hot peppers.
Glad to see we’re in good company! Thanks for the side suggestions, too!
Natalie Hermann
We love Chicken Bog but I can never get all the rice done. Some of it always stays crunchy while some is very done. I have plenty of liquid left over and end up cooking it for 40 minutes or more. So frustrating!
Oh no! It’s very frustrating. So, a few things… Are you stirring the rice a few times during cooking? Also, is the liquid boiling when you add the rice?
kyle
bring the stock to a boil and stir every 15 min until liquid is soaks up
Minister Nathaniel Bess, Sr.
Hi Stacey,
I was born in 1953 and raised in the Mount Claire section of Darlington County, South Carolina. It was tradition to gather around a backyard fire on Friday evening after working in the tobacco and cotton fields all week and enjoy some good old wash pot Chicken Bog Mama cooked. I’ve had Chicken Bog with and without sausage. Both are good with some Hot Sauce but I prefer sausage in mine. I’ve purchased dinners on several occasions prepared by “Cooks for Christ” and would love some idea of how much ingredients to use if cooking outside in a large wash pot…like my parents used to do over 50 years ago. THANKS for the recipe and I’ll be looking for your cookbook.
I hate I’ve never had the experience of making chicken bog like this as so many have mentioned! Unfortunately, I don’t have exact amounts for a quantity that large, but the recipe should scale pretty easily.
Nicole
I know my mother in law has said you can double the recipe, but if you try to do more than that, it won’t work unless you use a pressure cooker.
Joan in VA
My mother used to make this – she called it Chicken with Rice. A really imaginative name.
Its funny to me how things get name differently in different areas. I make a dish we call ‘Slumgum’ which is what my father from Michigan called it. My mother from Virginia called it ‘Goulash’. One day I looked up what it might be called and found ‘American Goulash’, ‘Slumgullion’, ‘Hamburger Stew’ and ‘Odd Ends’.
Isn’t it fun!?
Rita Bashor
I grew up in NC, close to SC border so have been eating chicken all my life….in fact I had to laugh,cause I’m making it for supper tonight, but w/a new twist of adding cream of chicken soup to the broth!! Hope it turns out as good as the usual one…yours sounds good too! I now live about an hour away from Florence….hope your Mom has fond memories of SC!!
Thanks so much, Rita! The cream of chicken sounds like a delicious addition!
Michele Thompson
Such wonderful memories of Florence, SC and their Chicken Bog. I’m from Kannapolis, NC. My uncle and father were preachers. Our church was Truth Temple with my Uncle Rev Faw as pastor and my father, Rev Fowler as associate pastor. We were on TV and our program was called Moment of Truth. I sang in the choir along with all my cousins. On Saturday’s we would load up all our sound equipment, instruments , dresses, etc. onto our old greyhound bus, and we headed to Florence for Tent Revivals…. where there was wood shavings on the ground, metal chairs, a big tent and it was at least 500 degrees! And we sang and sang…and they preached and we had the Holy Ghost all around us…..and at break time, those precious women from Florence fed us all huge plates of Chicken Bog! Then ,we would be stuffed and everyone wanted to keep on going! Try singing with a huge belly full of chicken bog!
I believe when we all get to heaven….there might be some chicken bog there to feast on! Haha!
I agree, Michele! There MUST be Chicken Bog in heaven, right!?! Thanks for sharing those sweet memories with us!
Jim Gleaton
I also added some herbs at the same time as the rice and chicken. I used a bay leaf, and 1 tbsp. each chopped fresh sage, rosemary, and thyme.
Sounds delicious! Hope it turned out great for you!
Scott
Can you use skinless and boneless chicken breast instead of whole chicken
You can, but the broth won’t be a rich without the bones. You could always add in some bouillon to richen it up.
Carol
I love making chicken bog for a crowd of people who have no idea what it is…and they ALWAYS LOVE IT. I use regular Jimmy Dean sausage as o pposed to kielbasa…….my husband being a North Carolinian by birth and a transplanted south Carolina. loved regular good old Jimmy Dean…LOL. I doubt it makes a huge different. There is just no way you can ruin chicken bog. I now live in SW Florida…getting ready to move to a smaller place…so I’m having my women pals in for dinner and of course, we are having chicken bog, a great salad made with strawberries, biscuits (of course)…..ans probably banana pudding and carrot cake for dessert. I have a wonderful carrot cake erupt made with baby food carrots, impossible to ruin. In fact one of my daughter-in-law’s friends asked me to make it for HER birthday. I love this site…love trying new things……thanks for all the ideas!!
Thanks so much, Carol!!
Erin
God bless you, this is exactly what I was looking for. I grew up in South Carolina but I live in Utah now. Every time I say chicken bog no one knows what I’m talking about, and they all look at me funny. Thing is I’ve spent the past 10 years looking at all of them funny because dagnabit ain’t no one out here knows how to cook worth a darn. Jello this, casserole that, salad as the main dish, no thank you. They have alright desserts out here, but it ain’t the same. I’m cooking up some chicken bog for a big crowd tomorrow and needed a quick refresher because it’s been a hot minute since I whipped it up. Your whole recipe feels like home, and I can’t thank you enough!
Thanks so much, Erin! I sure hope you enjoyed it and showed them all how delicious chicken bog can be!
Dan Sine
I’m from MB and planning on making this for a guy’s snowmobile trip in Washington state’s Cascade Mountains.
As presented, will this recipe feed eight adult men for their lunch, or should I double it?
Hey Dan! This makes quite a bunch, but I’m not sure that it will be enough for 8 big appetites. It all depends on serving size.
Melissa
I live in Tabor City right now and came down from Winston Salem. Chicken Bog was a surprise to me as was Chicken and Pastry!!! I love them both. People around here insist you use Penders smoked sausage otherwise it’s not the same. First time I cooked it I used kielbasa, I admit, it’s not the same.
Wish I could get my hands on some Penders!
Kathy Collins
I grew up in Florence SC and my mom made this all the time. So happy to see the recipe here. The only thing I would add is that she used to boil some eggs, slice them and throw them in at the end. Try it!
Thanks, Kathy! Sure hope you’ll enjoy it!
Ricky G
I grew up in Florence, SC and the biggest debate was always smoked sausage or breakfast sausage. I prefer a spicy breakfast sausage (Neese’s if you can find it). No matter your preference this is a great base recipe that you can tweak to your liking.
Thanks, Ricky!
Holly
I love chicken bog! My dad’s family is from Florence, SC. 🙂
We’re big fans, too! 🙂
Lane Edwards
Needs: cup of scallions, cup of chopped green pepper, can of diced tomatoes, couple tsp of Worcestershire, thyme, pound of med shrimp and parsley – in addition to your ingredients. Been making for many many years. Try, you will like. Add shrimp towards end of oven time so they do not over cook.
Those all sound like delicious additions, but it wouldn’t quite be the Chicken Bog I grew up with. That’s starting to sound more like jambalaya and I do love me some jambalaya!
Marshall Cochrane
I’ve never heard of chicken bog before…I was born in New Orleans and raised in LA. I happened onto the recipe from my cousin who lives in So. Carolina…I’m going to try it and I’ll let you know…
I sure hope you enjoy it!
chantal bell
I’m from Loris. We have a chicken bog festival every October
I need to get up there for that!!
ROSALYN RODGERS
Is the extra broth always 8 cups…I plan to make for crowd and use the 12 cups of rice…do not want it to boggy but not soupy either. Rice is usually 1 cup rice to 2 cups water/broth …help…
The ratio of 1 cup rice to 2 cup broth works in this case. So if you’re planning on using 12 cups of rice, you’ll need 24 cups of broth. If you’re worried about it being too sticky, you can always rinse the rice first.
Teresa
I left my chicken. bog recipe (in one of my cookbooks) at home when I went to the grocery so I pulled yours up while I was there. Wow! This will be the only chicken bog recipe I’ll make from now on. It was fantastic! I’ve never been a fan but my husband loves it. One taste and now I’m a fan! I’m from Moncks Corner, SC (now in Mississippi) so I grew up on this. We always called it “bog,” not perlou. But my grandma used to make a sausage perlou for my grandfather at Thanksgiving because he didn’t like turkey. That one is also a big hit!
Awesome! I’m so glad that you enjoyed it, Teresa! I’ve been eating this for as long as I can remember and it’s always been a family favorite! I’m so glad it turned out great for you!
Reenie
Made this w/o celery…the man hates veggies…and this is a great recipe. Super simple, too. Made the chicken in a traditional pressure cooker first, for extra moist chicken and tons of delicious stock afterwards. (Added a touch of olive oil, salt, pepper, poultry seasoning for flavor perfection.) Then cooked 2 thinly sliced Kielbasas in a little stock with butter to brown. Then added remainder of stock, shredded chicken and jasmine rice. Somehow doing it in that order makes the flavors blend so nicely! Yummo!!! This is a FAVE in our home!!
So glad that y’all enjoyed it!!
Latasha Terry
Parboiled rice works best
Great tip! Love how parboiled rice keeps its shape.
Melissa
Just searched chicken bog on Pinterest and your recipe came up. I grew up in Loris, SC /Tabor City and had this many Sunday lunches. Mom always served with Chicken and pastry/dumplings (the slick noodle- like ones not biscuit like dumplings)…and usually speckled butter beans.
nothing like grandma and mamas cooking!
Now you’ve got me craving speckled butter beans – my fav!
Jamesvillan
I have lived in Moncks corner, SC which is about 20 min from Charleston, my entire life (49 yrs). It’s amazing how just a few miles can show the variations of the recipes. With all of them still containing the southern basics. Haven’t seen it with the celery and only a few times with the garlic. Lots and lots of pepper. The only time u take it easy on the pepper was if it was being made for a church function, donated to families after a funeral or things of that nature. But, family reunions/get together. U made sure u had a drink when u ate it cause the pepper gave it a kick. We have always called it Chicken Perlo. If shrimp was added with the chicken & sausage we usually refered to it as Chicken Bog. Regardless of the name, u knew u were getting ready to eat a dish that was made by a resident/native of the area and u were going to stuff ur self silly. When asked if it was good, it was common to get the reply “ it was so good I had to loosen my belt and undo the button on my pants. Give me a couch and it would b perfect!!!” Thanks for sharing. Everyone should try it.
Thanks so much for sharing, James!
Pamela King
I am so excited to find this and cool it later today. My parents were both from Marion and Fork, SC. My paternal grandmother, Tempie, would cook up a huge batch of chicken bog on Sundays and the whole family would gather at her house in Mullins to eat. It is by far my favorite food memory in my life. Thank you.
And to the commenter that is from Hemingway, my Dad used to go to a country sausage maker out that way many years ago. Best country sausage ever!
I sure hope it turned out great for you!!
Richard Turner
I grew up really close to SC in NC and we just called it Chicken and Rice. I live in Wilmington NC now
and we call it Chicken Bog. I always add at least a stick of unsalted butter and smoked sausage.
I also use onions and celery and garlic and occasionally a carrot. It has always been a family favorite.
One of the tobacco whse’s in Fair Bluff, NC would cook a bog about 3 or 4 times during tobacco
season I managed to show up on that day. Those days are gone now but like Chicken Bog and Beach
Music It will always be a part of my life.
Love how recipe names can vary by location!
Bob Glenn
Great info and receipt on “Chicken Bog.” Naturally many have ideas and receipts that reflect chicken and rice (truly a marriage made in heaven), but the chicken and rice dish by that name is specific to the Pee Dee region of SC. And the name refers to the chicken being sunk or “bogged down” into the rice. The name says what it is.
In the Dillon County SC country where I was born and raised, black iron wash pots were employed to cook this mighty fine dish. Whole chickens (without the innards) were simmered in water until throughly cooked, then removed, and the meat deboned and reintroduced to the stock. Rice is added and gently cooked until done. The addition of sausage is popular now and the addition of any other ingredient is optional. Salt and pepper are very important and added to taste while the chicken cooks. The degree of moisture at the finish is to one’s preference. Typically chicken bogs are more moist than plain rice. This simple construct is hard to beat!
Thanks for the insight, Bob!
CATHERINE LEE
This is delicious! I’m a California girl so I’ve never heard the names for the recipe and honestly I always thought I made it up myself. Hadn’t used sausage though, just the chicken, the rest is identical. Now with the sausage it’s twice as good. I don’t always use a whole chicken, usually a pack of thighs because we love the dark meat. Wonderful! Thank you for all the great informational tidbits as well. Keep on cooking!
Thanks, Catherine! I hope you’ll give this version a try!
Eva
Stacy, love the recipe, might give it a go, but only 2 of us, so will wait for an empty freezer so I can make it and freeze the extra. I got a similar recipe from an advertizement on canned Zucchini and tomatoes (which I no longer find in the stores) although it was only sausage in the recipe, you cooked your sliced sausage and added your onions garlic and celery, and then the canned veg, let it simmer a few minutes and then added the rice, needed a bigger skillet, the next time I split the rice into 2 casserole dishes and poured half the veggie mix into each. You baked it in the oven after mixing it all together, the large skillet was too small for the rice called for and I had to scrub the oven. The casseroles worked fine, and we ate it for two days.
That sounds great, Eva! Thanks for sharing!
Meg M
Chicken Bog and Chicken Perlo are not the same dish. Chicken Bog is wet whereas Chicken Perlo is dry.
Yep! That’s what I’ve been told.
Joseph
I was born in Marion but grow up in Latta! This is how we also made it but with chicken bouillon cubes! I’m cooking it now. I live in Alabama now. But when I met my wife she never heard of it! But now she loves it!
Nothing a little chicken bouillon can help! 🙂
Brittany
I am born and raised in Florence and took to Pinterest and selected a recipe solely on the photo…turns out my taste buds are very locale specific! Can’t wait to try it!
Hope it turns out great for you!
Derrick
THANKS MY MAN, IM FROM LAKE CITYAND THIS DISH RIGHT HERE WAS AT EVERY EVENT. MY AUNT MARY COOPER WAS FROM HEMINGWAY AND SHE MADE IT OUT IN THE YARD IN A BIG BLACK CAST IRON POT… LOT OF MEMORIES MY FRIEND THANK YOU!!
Sure hope you’ll enjoy it!!
Barbara Eastes
What a blast from my past! I grew up in South Carolina and worked for the Democrat Party in the mid-70s and also worked for Congressman Mendel J. Davis from Charleston. Chicken Bog was a standard at political fund raisers. Thanks for posting this recipe. Barbara Eastes
Sure hope you’ll enjoy!!
donald k walker
i had it many years ago and it was delicious until i tryed to get the last serving. it had a squirrel in the pot with head tail and all but fur on it. chef said gives it so much flavor.. that is a true story of my perlo!!
🙂
Charles Howse
Hi Stacey,
You might just want to mark this recipe “Fool Proof”. I made it SOOO Wrong, and it still got rave reviews!
Already have 3 requests to make it again!
I used frozen Boneless Skinless breasts, and heated them in the oven instead of simmering a whole chicken.
I chopped the onion, celery, garlic and sausage and sauteed it in oil all at once, instead of in the water with the chicken and the sausage in butter.
I used boxed Chicken Broth, and added the rice before the broth was boiling.
The only thing I did right was add the chicken last, cover and simmer until tender.
How about a tip on reheating?
So glad you enjoyed it and it turned out great regardless! I find that reheating anyway other than microwave often ends up in scorching.
barbara
i just read all the reviews & giggled – i too grew up in scranton sc ,, but my family just called this chicken & rice,, but i married a man from penna & introduced him to southern cooking, && he loves going to church fellowships where they have chicken & rice, pork bar-b-cue,, such a small world
That it is! 🙂
Jim Hicks
My mother’s sister and her sister’s husband cooked Chicken Bog for a get together on “the river” back when I was about 10 yrs old. I saw Uncle Edward deboning the chicken in a huge pot big enough to feed an army. Was so good I later got the recipe from a very distant relative from Marion, SC. Mother was from Mullins, SC and dad from…Florence, SC.
It’s one of my favorites!
Jim Hicks
Tonight I made a half recipe. My mistake, sort of, was to forget to buy sausage and had to use a link of British Banger breakfast sausage made kind of locally. It was not what I expected when I bought a pound or two about six months ago. I had wanted to buy small thin ones instead of fat long ones. And the taste was altogether not what I hoped to buy. Next time I’ll rectify that glitch. I think, then, the flavor will change a bit. As I remember from Uncle Edward Taylor’s bog (I’m 76 now) his had a lot of black pepper. Also, locally the Kroger had much too large heavy selections of whole chickens, so I bought 5 pounds of cut up whole chicken. It was missing one drumstick and the neck. Odd chicken there. I froze the other half for a second attempt. Thanks for the memory and recipe.
Elizabeth
I’ll be trying this recipe. I sorta grew up in Georgetown, so our perlo was a lot more salty and was cooked with homemade chicken stock, lots of pepper and lots of butter along with the rice, chicken and sausage. Looks really good though. I introduced my native Texan husband to perlo. He said it looked like vomit but tasted like heaven ???? he grew up on gumbo too so I’m sure he thought I cooked it too “dry” as perlo is not a soup. Thanks for the recipe. I’ll try it tonight.
Ha! Sure hope y’all enjoyed it!
P.J. Coldren
The giant interweb seems to think my e-mail is pjcoldren[at]gmx.net. It is NOT. see below. Please add the correct e-mail to your list, as I don’t give a rodent’s posterior if that P.J. gets your recipes. I want them! Thank you.
My list is showing that you unsubscribed on May 4th of 2017. As a security measure, it won’t allow me to add you back. You’re welcome to do that though. Just visit here: https://southernbite.com/subscribe/
Royalty
Thanks ma’am
Sherrie
I have even started adding shrimp to mine, it is so good!!
Yum!
Cheryl McGregor
I make bog all the time with home grown rabbit. It is very good.
Allison MacKay
I guess it’s measured raw, Must feed an army!
Allison MacKay
Hi, Interesting recipe, but please state whether the rice is measured raw or cooked. 4 cups raw seems like a huge amount once cooked. Thanks!
The rice is raw. Yes, it makes a lot! 🙂
David Phipps
Stacey, I’m impressed! This is the closest recipe to the chicken bog I grew up with in Horry County! We didn’t do the celery and garlic, and we cooked the chicken and sausage together, with some extra chicken livers added in. Other than that we’re pretty much on the same page. I like it either way, boggy or pilau. I was born in Loris (home of the world famous Loris Bog-off), lived and went to school in Conway, and worked (and played) in Myrtle Beach. I always chuckled at the Northern transplants who cooked the chicken and rice separately and then mixed it together and called it chicken bog! Our sides were sliced light bread and sweet pickles lol… Btw, I happened upon your article as I waited for my pot of bog to cook! How’s that for a coincidence!!
I would say that’s a pretty awesome coincidence, David! Glad to hear my recipes passes muster from a native! Thanks!!
Liz
Please come make me dinner ♡
Cathi
The first time I had chicken bog was at my step fathers house who was an attorney in NMB for 40 years. And, I agree that this is very similar to his recipe but he didn’t onclude celery or garlic…lots and lots of black pepper though! And, always served w white bread (Sunbeam) and coleslaw. My mother has passed
Away so we don’t get down to NMB much any more so my kids (27&25) will be so excited when I make this for them!
Dwyane Jordan
Hi Stacy,
I think I may have figured out where chicken big may have came from. I was watching something on PBS on night and a lady had a recording of her grandmother singing a song in an African language and went to Africa trying to find her where her grandmother came from.. After visiting several villages and not having any luck of finding people who would know they song, she finally gave up, had her last meal but decided to visit one more village. There she played the tape and the people started singing the song. It was a song that they would sing during their burial process. After the funeral they would have a feast, of chicken, rice, sausage and saffron. I grew up in Conway, SC and there my dad would add yellow food coloring to his chicken bog. I assume this is a dish brought to America through slavery. I wish had more information about the show but I love this story. Hope you do too.
That’s very interesting! I’ve never heard of anyone adding food coloring.
Yvonne
My mom would add tumeric to make it pretty! We always had a salad with Wishbone Italian dressing on the same plate. It was so good!! ( Horry County natives.)
Love that! Thanks for sharing!!
Lesli M
Yummo! I think this looks incredible!
Thanks so much, Lesli!!
rex butler
this is much closer to the myrtle beach recipe. that last recipe had tomatoes in it . I grew up in myrtle beach and never had bog with tomatoes. some people later on started adding black eyed peas to it.
Interesting! Hope you’ll enjoy it!!
Vanns4
@Rex Butler the name for that one is called Red Rooster stew.I have been eating chicken bog all my life and it’s one of my favorite things to cook.Here in Dillon,South Carolina we have 2 organizations called Neighbors Helping Neighbors and Cooks For Christ and what they do they will host a benefit for a person or family that are going through a sickness,or a legit financial problems.They will sell chicken bog tickets for the benifit and it depends on how many tickets they sell but they usually raise a lot of money for the individuals.Neighbors Helping Neighbors has a cooking shed and Cooks For Christ has a mobile trailer.They cook the chicken bog in big wash pot and I have seen over 10 wash pot at one time cooking chicken bog.Most of the time they sell well over a 1000 plates of chicken bog.Neighbor helping Neighbors plates have coleslaw,chicken bog,apple sauce and 2 pieces of lite bread.Cooks For Christs plate has chicken bog,green beans,coleslaw,and lite bread.Here is one of the many benefits that have helped a lot of people
https://www.advocatesc.org/2017/03/cooks-for-christ-chicken-bog-fundraiser-raises-63k-for-nichols-hurricane-victims/
Dawnn
This recipe is great. I kinda cheated and used a rotisserie chicken and it turned out great!
Glad you enjoyed it!
TONIE WILLIAMS
How about adding some broccoli to it ?
Feel free to do that!! Enjoy!
Mandy @ South Your Mouth
YASSSS!!! One of my all-time favs!! This looks perfect, Stacey!
Thank you!!!
Dawn
How much rice is called for in this recipe? Thanks!
Brent
How much rice? The ingredients list left off the rice and amount needed for the recipe. Sounds good and would love to try it.
Brent
Nevermind…I’m blind! LOL! I see the 4 cups of rice now.
No worries! 🙂
Lori
Can you substitute basmati rice? It’s lower on the glycemic index.
I don’t see a problem with that. Enjoy!