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I had never heard of Chicken Mull until a few years ago. And then I found out that the Chicken Mull Festival happens 8 miles from me in Bear Grass, NC, population 69. This year, the festival is on Saturday, October 28, 2023. My friend Nancy Sparks had a great recipe for Chicken Mull, so we made it and here it is. It is really quite good!
Chicken Mull – What Is It?
Author: Chloe Tuttle
Ingredients
- Several quarts water
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½-1 teaspoon cracked red pepper or to taste
- 1 T lard
- 1 3-4 pound chicken cut up (larger is fine too) You will need about 4 cups cooked chicken
- 1 box of Saltine Crackers salted (you will probably use 2-3 sleeves)
- Hot sauce for serving
Instructions
Using a large stock pot, add several quarts of water, salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper and lard and bring to a boil.
Add cut-up chicken and enough water to cover the chicken. Return to a boil and cook for 1-2 hours or until chicken is tender and falling off the bones.
Remove chicken from broth and strain into a large bowl, reserving any broth.
After chicken has cooled, pull meat off the bones, discarding the bones and the skin. Tear chicken into shreds, using your hands. Be careful to remove all bones.
Strain and transfer the broth to a separate pan or bowl and wash the cooking pot to remove the chicken residue that is stuck on the sides of the pot. Add the broth back to the pot.
When the broth comes back to a boil, add the picked chicken to the pot and turn heat to simmer.
Crush 2 sleeves of saltines and slowly add to the pot. Stir and continue to simmer. The mull should not have much excess liquid. If there is liquid, add more crackers.
Simmer on low heat about 20 minutes or until hot and thickened, stirring often – hence the Mull moniker.
Hint: it is better the next day – the red pepper has a chance to be heard!
Yield: 6-7 two-cup servings
Charlotte Griffin, the mayor of Bear Grass, NC, tells the story of how the Chicken Mull Festival came to be. In 2015, two other Bear Grass residents, Kevin Harris and Justin Edwards, asked Charlotte if they could start a festival for Bear Grass. Charlotte was intrigued.
One idea was to have a Moonshine Festival – all locals know that in the Prohibition Days Bear Grass had some good moonshine – it has been dubbed by some as the Moonshine Capitol of the World. Alas, the technicalities and federalessoon made this idea nearly impossible to pull off. So that is when the idea for a Chicken Mull Festival came to be.
Charlotte tells the history of her grandfather and other Bear Grass tobacco farmers who had to stay up all night to fire the tobacco barns – thus curing it. I remember my dad and Walter Biggs doing that here on the farm. There was not much to do, so the fellows in Bear Grass would get a big iron pot, a chicken, and some saltine crackers and cook up a pot of Chicken Mull as they called it.
It is odd how the tradition didn’t cross Highway 17 into Farm Life where my folks lived. Charlotte did say that her uncle married a Farm Life girl and he introduced them to Chicken Mull. I don’t remember ever eating Chicken Mull in my youth. In some parts of the south it is called Chicken Muddle, usually this has other things in it like tomatoes and peppers. It is difficult to trace the origin of this humble dish.
After the men folks no longer had to fire the barns with wood, they would still cook up a pot of mull at the end of the tobacco season for the “hands” – the folks who worked the fields. Even now when groups like the Ruritans have a fund-raiser, you might see Chicken Mull on the menu.
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It seems Chicken Mull is popular in the Carolinas and in parts of Georgia, often popping up in barbecue joints and at church dinners. In some parts of Georgia it is made with milk, but in the Carolinas it is usually made with water, chicken and saltine crackers. Be on the lookout or just whip up a batch for yourself.
Don’t miss the Chicken Mull Festival in Bear Grass, NC. It happens every year on the 4th Saturday of October – this year in 2023 it is October 28th. Check out North Carolina Weekend’s story of the Chicken Mull Festival.
Distances From:
Raleigh, NC – 102 miles
Greenville, NC – 20 miles
New Bern, NC – 55 miles
Big Mill Bed and Breakfast in Williamston, NC – 6 miles (252) 792-8787
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FAQs
The origins of chicken mull may rest in the coastal practice of Atlantic fishermen slow cooking striped bass, called a "fish muddle". This tradition inspired inland communities to slow cook chicken using similar ingredients, in what is sometimes called a chicken muddle or chicken mull.
What is the Chicken Mull Festival? ›
Likely born from cooks simply using what they had, Chicken Mull has become a comfort food that spans generations. It is the goal of the Chicken Mull Festival to introduce the town of Bear Grass and this southern specialty to more people.
What is the difference between chicken muddle and Brunswick stew? ›
Historians describe Chicken Muddle as a much thicker and richer stew, that has a distinguished hickory flavor. Brunswick Stew is a latecomer easier made, much thinner, quick and easy. Brunswick Stew owes its ascension to the public's eye and its name to Governor Spotswood.
What is the best method of cooking chicken? ›
Roasted chicken is one of the tastiest, most satisfying dishes you can make. Not only that but roasting a chicken is also one of the easiest ways to prepare a delicious family dinner.
Where did chicken Booyah originate? ›
Booyah (also spelled booya, bouja, boulyaw, or bouyou) is a thick stew, believed to have originated in Belgium, and made throughout the Upper Midwestern United States.
Where did drunken chicken originate? ›
It's also rare to come across an iconic Chinese dish without an elaborate origin story. Canonically, all we can say is that Drunken Chicken was invented in Shaoxing, which has been producing arguably the best huangjiu in China for at least 3,000 years (more on that later).
When was the first chicken festival? ›
The Chicken Festival began in 1990 to celebrate the life of Harland Sanders. The Chicken Festival features many events centered around chicken and KFC such as an egg drop, Colonel Sanders look-a-like contest, and a “Run for the Roost” 5K. No festival was planned in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
What year did the World Chicken Festival start? ›
These two men were the inspiration for developing the World Chicken Festival. It was important to start the festival in 1990 commemorating Harland Sanders 100th birthday. On September 10, 1990 the festival filed to became an official nonprofit under the name World Chicken Festival Association, Inc.
When was the chicken of Tomorrow contest? ›
In the late 1940's, the A&P grocery chain sponsored a series of contests to develop “The Chicken of Tomorrow,” culminating in the national finals held at the University of Arkansas in 1951.
What are the 2 types of white stews? ›
Fricassees and blanquettes are “white” stews of poultry (in the case of fricassee), veal, or lamb. They are delicately flavoured with mushrooms, mild vegetables, and herbs; the sauce is thickened with egg yolks and cream.
The main difference between an Irish stew and classic beef stew comes down to the protein. Traditional Irish stew is usually made with lamb, while beef stew is always made with beef. Our version includes beef chuck, which is less traditional, but easy to make and equally delicious.
Which kind of poultry is best for stews or casseroles? ›
A stewing hen's lean meat contains a high level of connective tissue, which works wonderfully for slow cooked dishes such as stew, soup, and chicken and dumplings.
What is the easiest type of chicken to cook? ›
Boneless chicken breasts are a go-to because they cook quickly, faster than chicken thighs and bone-in chicken breasts. They're often found skinless, which makes them leaner than their bone-in counterpart, which usually comes with the skin on.
Which cut of chicken do chefs prefer for most recipes? ›
Way More Flavorful
Any good cook knows that fat is flavor, and that is yet another reason why thighs are superior to breasts. Chicken thighs are a fattier cut of meat, which means they're going to have more intense, rich flavor than their white meat counterparts.
What cooking method makes chicken most tender? ›
Low and slow cooking methods like braising, stewing, or smoking are most effective when trying to create tender, succulent chicken.
Where did brown stew chicken originate from? ›
Brown stew chicken is a rich and silky Jamaican stew. Of course, stew chicken is not specific to any one Caribbean island, and while different islands may have recipes that appear similar, there are subtle but important differences.
Where did Chicken Maryland come from? ›
Maryland Fried Chicken was recorded in recipe form as far back as 1886, but is most likely much older. It became well-known across the United States when the recipe was published in chef Auguste Escoffier's cookbook Ma Cuisine in 1934.
Where are chicken noodles from? ›
The Chinese actually made the first chicken noodle soup — which they referred to as noodles in broth rather than soup — centuries before Campbell's produced its ever popular version in that can.
Where does chicken juice come from? ›
Chicken juice is the natural liquid that is released from chicken meat during the cooking process. As the chicken cooks, the juices from the meat are released, creating a flavorful and aromatic liquid that is packed with the essence of the chicken.
