Southern · Authentic-ish Southern
Chicken Bog
470 kcal a serving, against 883 for the traditional version. That is 413 kcal off, or 47%, with 47.6g of protein. Serves 6. 1 hour 40 minutes.
What the traditional version is
Start with one whole chicken, about 1.5kg, simmered in 2 litres of water with onion, celery, and plenty of salt until falling apart. Skin stays on, because that's where the flavour is, and it bastes the rice. Fish out the chicken, strip the meat and skin, and return it to the pot along with 350g of smoked sausage, sliced thick. Stir in 400g of long-grain rice and simmer again until the grains are plump and every forkful seems more sausage than rice. Finish with black pepper and a shock of parsley.
What changed, and what each change costs
Whole chicken with skin to skinless chicken thigh
Taking the skin off means all that rendered fat doesn't end up in the rice. Skinless thighs still give decent flavour and don't dry out like breast would.
What it costs you. You lose the self-basting effect - the rice won't glisten with chicken fat. Stick to thighs or dark meat, or it's just boiled rice and poultry sadness.
Smoked sausage down from 350g to 180g, and switched to reduced-fat sausage
Sausage is mostly fat, so halving the amount and picking a leaner one lets you keep the smoke and punch without making the whole pot greasy.
What it costs you. The sausage taste isn't as bossy, but you can get most of the way there by slicing thin and scattering the pieces all through the rice. Still, it's a softer echo compared to the original.
Rice down from 400g to 270g, add more black pepper and parsley, throw in a bay leaf
With less fat, there's nowhere for the rice to hide - so use less of it, and go heavier with seasoning to make up for the loss in richness. Bay gives it a backbone and keeps things herby.
What it costs you. The pot isn't as sticky with rice, but you get bigger chunks of chicken and more flavour per bite. If you expect it to glue itself into a ball, this version doesn't. You'll get over it.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 883 | 470 |
| Protein | 45.4g | 47.6g |
| Fat | 48.4g | 10.4g |
| Saturated fat | 14.5g | 3g |
| Carbohydrate | 63.4g | 43.5g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 5.1g | 10.1g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish Southern prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. gluten, celery, mustard.
The method is in the book
This is a drier, lighter bog - the sausage isn't running the show, and the rice isn't as glossy. In exchange, you get a bowl that's all about the chicken and herbs, with pockets of smoke from the sausage if you slice thin and scatter with enthusiasm. It's a trade of richness for something you can eat for lunch and still get anything done afterwards. If you want the full nostalgia hit, you could sneak in a dab of butter at the end - but then, who's counting?
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish Southern, along with 50 more. It is not out yet. The swap kit is free in the meantime.