Last night, Sidney made her famous chicken bog.

Chicken what?!

It became obvious once I posted an image of our dinner to social media that chicken bog is a very regionalized dish. The photo was enough for my social media audience to Google the dish AND ask for the recipe.

This was the Instagram post that had a lot of my followers curious.

I should have expected the questions. Before I came to Myrtle Beach, I had absolutely no idea what it was either. But within the first couple months of moving here, our office had a department lunch and our interim University Communication vice president, Martha Hunn, an Horry County native, made chicken bog. From that point on, I was hooked.

This is the big batch of Chicken Bog that Martha made for our department lunch five years ago.

Chicken bog is rice, chicken, and sausage cooked together in a big pot. The taste is delicious and the texture perfect. It is firmly on my short list of favorite foods. Interestingly, although few people outside of this region of the state know about it, chicken bog has a rich history. In fact, the “bog” legend goes back far enough that students at CCU did an in depth project on it. You won’t waste your time if you watch this video our department did on their efforts. Called “the most famous, unknown dish of South Carolina,” I feel fortunate that it became known to me.

Somehow, chicken bog also became known to Paula Deen. Sidney follows her recipe and it literally is the best thing ever. Filling and flavorful, it tastes even better the next day. And believe me, no matter how good it is, you will still have leftovers the next day – a pot makes a lot!

Chicken bog that I had at a local restaurant with some other Southern staples

There is no other dish I would recommend someone try for the first time than chicken bog. If you want to bring in a taste of northeastern South Carolina into your kitchen while endearing yourself to your spouse at the same time, make plans to cook some bog. Don’t Blink.