Carolina Chicken Bog

• servings: 8 servings

Ingredients

3 tablespoons bacon drippings, or corn or canola oil

1/2 pound minced chicken gizzards and hearts

Salt and pepper

2 medium green bell peppers, diced

2 medium red bell peppers, diced

4 medium white onions, diced

6 celery stalks, trimmed and diced

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 cup dry red wine

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes with their liquid

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter

1/4 cup flour

1 pound cooked mixed sausages such as kielbasa, Italian sausage, breakfast links, chorizo, or diced ham or cooked bacon

2 cups chicken stock or canned low-sodium broth

1 branch fresh thyme

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste

2 bay leaves

1 pound boneless chicken meat, preferably dark, roughly chopped

8 chicken livers, trimmed and cut in half

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup Dijon mustard

Cooked white rice, for serving

Directions

Heat the fat in a large, deep lidded skillet or large lidded casserole over medium-high heat.

Add the gizzards and hearts and cook until brown and sticking to the pan, about 3 minutes.

Stir once, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and brown the other side.

Add the bell peppers, onions, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes.

Add the red wine and tomatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a small skillet over medium heat.

Add the flour and stir until smooth. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture turns deep brown, about 10 minutes. Add this mixture to the stew and cook for 5 minutes

Add the sausages, chicken stock, thyme, red pepper flakes, and bay leaves to the stew.

Set the heat to medium-low and cook at alively simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 40 minutes.

Add the chicken meat, cover, and cook for at least 15 minutes. The bog can simmer on the stove for hours; just add stock or water if it begins to dry out.

About 10 minutes before you're ready to serve the stew, melt the remaining butter in an 8 or 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the livers when the butter foam disappears and cook until dark brown on one side, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper as they cook. Turn and brown on the other side.

Stir the vinegar and mustard into the stew. Add the livers and stir. Serve hot over white rice.

Notes

Dolly says: "Whenever I crave this stew, I think of the Hominy Grill in Charleston, South Carolina, where it comes from. It's one of those toss-it-in-the-pot-and-walk-away dishes--my favorite kind. It's also one that doesn't waste a single part of the bird, another good thing. You just put it all in a pot, leave it on the stove, and go about your business. The chicken sits in the pot like hummocks in a bog, which accounts for its name."