The Meal With Many Names

There is a meal that is almost as much a part of my family heritage as grits and eggs. It's an infamous dish called Chicken Bog.

Chicken Bog is made by cooking chicken pieces in a pot of water, removing the meat from the bones, cooking rice in the water and then adding the chicken back in. There are variations like adding onions and peppers or various spices, but the basic bog recipe is simple.

One year at a family reunion my grandparents hired a caterer to make a big Chicken Bog and Squash Casserole to feed everyone. I don't know if they overestimated or what, but there was a lot of food leftover. And my grandma, having grown up poor and lived through the Depression, was not going to let it go to waste. So she served it the next day, and the day after that. When she tried to serve it for breakfast some cousins decided that this Chicken Bog experience had gone on entirely too long. While Grandma was out that day they dug a hole out on the Farm and buried the rest of the Chicken Bog and Squash Casserole. When Grandma asked where it was so that she could serve it again, they told her that it must have gotten all eaten up.

My grandparents came for a visit one time when we lived in Pocatello . Grandpa decided that he would make Chicken Bog for us, and we shared it with our neighbors, a retired couple. The neighbors enjoyed the meal so much that they came over later and requested the recipe for "Chicken Gob."

Last week Kroger had a great sale on split chicken breasts. I asked Russ to pick up 40 or so pounds on his way home from work on Friday. When he got to Kroger the cooler that had held the sale-priced chicken was almost empty and he panicked--and bought almost every package of chicken left. About 70 pounds worth! So I've been boiling chicken and making chicken dinners for the freezer and trying to figure out what else I can do with chicken. On Tuesday I had the brilliant idea--I could make chicken bog. It was easy and everyone loved it--even my pickier eaters thought it was good.

Tonight Jared asked what was for dinner and I told him we were having chicken again. (Big surprise there!)

Jared: What kind of chicken?

Jenna: I'll bet it's "Chicken Gabon" again.

Rachel: It's not "Chicken Gabon", it's "Chicken Bock"!

Whatever they call it, it was obviously a hit and I'll be making it again. But I won't be serving the leftovers for breakfast! (Sorry, Grandma!)

PS--Tonight's meal was a surprise hit too. I put 3 split chicken breasts in the crock pot, and poured over them 1 bottle of salsa mixed with 1/4 c. brown sugar and a couple of big squirts of mustard. It cooked on low all day. I shredded the chicken and served it with rice. Next time I do it I think I'll put the pieces breast side down and put the salsa sauce on the bottom...That would make it easier to get the bones out.