Chicken Perlo/Chicken Bog

Ingredients:

·        2 Skinless & Boneless Chicken Breasts

·        2 Skinless and Boneless Chicken Thighs

·        ¾ Cups Diced Onion

·        2 stalks celery, diced

·        1 carrot, diced

·        4 cups chicken stock

·        1 teaspoon dried thyme

·        1 teaspoon black pepper

·        1 teaspoon paprika

·        ½ to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

·        ½ teaspoon salt

·        1 bay leaf

·        16 oz. bag of long grain white rice

·        3 Sweet Italian Sausage Links, cooked and sliced

Directions:

1.  First, boil the chicken. Put chicken, stock, onion, celery, carrot, thyme, pepper, paprika, red pepper flakes (optional) and salt in a large pot and bring to a boil. Turn the pot down to medium low and let simmer for 30 minutes.

2.  While chicken is simmering, go ahead and cook the sausage and slice it. Once the chicken is done, remove the chicken, set on a chopping board, and chop the chicken into bite size chunks. Strain the broth and save.  Hold vegetables in strainer and discard the bay leaf.

3.  Next, measure out the broth and add water if needed to make 5 cups and put back in pot and add the rice, shredded chicken, vegetables and sausage.

4.  Turn on high until it starts boiling. Turn it down to Medium/Low and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let set for 20 minutes before stirring/fluffing.   This gives the rice time to get happy!