Never Eat Alone: Chicken and Sausage One Pot Meal

I am always trying to find simple meals for my busy schedule! Browsing thru the Cook's Country Magazine this weekend, they featured a little known old-school Southern recipe called the 'Carolina Chicken Bog'--what the heck does that mean? 

Well, after reading the recipe, I translated it to mean: Simple. Affordable. Delicious. Flavorful. Satisfying. Crowdpleaser. 

In fact, a 'bog' recipe was originally intended to "combine inexpensive ingredients--chicken, smoky sausage and rice--into an easy one-pot meal that works for big weekend gatherings"…so, I decided to try it out (with a few adjustments)!

Perfect for college cooking and college living. Invite someone to dinner tonight for some low-country cooking!

Carolina Chicken & Sausage Bog

Equipment:

Large Dutch oven with lid

Ingredients:

2 - 3 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded 

(or, store-bought roasted chicken if time an issue)

1 Tbls butter

1 Tbls grapeseed or vegetable oil

8 ounces of Hillshire Farms Kielbasa (Reduced Fat), 1/4" sliced

1 onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

4 cups chicken broth (or re-constitue bouillon cubes)

2 cups long-grain rice

2 cups fresh or canned corn

Instructions:

1. Wash your hands. 
2. Remove meat from roasted chicken and prep all ingredients.

2. Heat 1 Tbls oil in large dutch oven over MEDIUM heat.

3. Add sausage and onion and cook until onion becomes translucent, approx 3-5 minutes.

4. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, approx 30 seconds.

5. Add rice, broth, salt and pepper.  

6. Stir and cover with tight-fitting lid and cook x 20-25 minutes until rice is done.

7. Add shredded chicken, corn, and stir until combined. 
(this photo without corn, obviously)

Top it off with chopped parsley or parmesan cheese!

Call your friends.

FYI. The original recipe calls for skin-on chicken thighs (ultra cheap):
--searing the skin-on chicken thighs or breasts in large dutch oven, removing skin,and setting aside.

--adding chicken back to the sausage, onions, and garlic with the broth, salt and pepper and cooking x 20 minutes.

--removing the chicken from broth and dutch oven. cooling and shredding.
--adding rice to dutch oven, covering and cooking x 20 minutes until rice is done.
--finally, re-adding chicken back to dutch oven.

I find this too cumbersome for college cooking!

Popeye Bites

The BCS National Championship game is coming quickly, and I have found a great recipe just for the occasion! Some of you may squirm at the thought of having anything "green" for a tail-gating party, but 'fear not'!  This appetizer is warm, cheesy, and comfort food at its best--even if your team fails to win.

This is one of those dishes easily made ahead for up to 24-48 hours. Whether you are hosting game day, or whether you have been invited--everyone wins!

(Adapted from America's Test Kitchen's 'Make-Ahead Appetizers' Magazine)

Equipment:

9" x 13" x 2" Pyrex dish

PAM Spray

Mixing Bowl

Spatula

Collander or sieve

Ingredients:

1 cup plus 2 Tbls all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne

1 cup chicken broth

3 large eggs

1 1/4 lbs frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

12 oz Gruyere cheese, shredded (I use mix of Fontina/Gruyere)

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 oz Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

1. Wash your hands.

2. Preheat oven to 375F degrees and spray your pyrex dish with PAM.

3. Run warm water over the frozen spinach in a collander or sieve. Squeeze as dry as possible.

4. Whisk flour, baking powder, salt,pepper, and cayenne together in a bowl.

5. Add chicken broth and eggs. Whisk until smooth.

6. Add spinach, finely chopped onion, shredded gruyere, and minced garlic.

7. Mix well and transfer to the prepared baking dish.

8. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

9. Bake until browned on top and bubbling around edges, approx 40-45minutes.

10. Cool completely if you are making it ahead. Cover in plastic wrap and store up to 2 days.

11. When ready to serve, remove the plastic and cover with foil.  

12. Heat at 375F degrees for 25 minutes, cut into squares and serve.