Chicken Andouille Gumbo

Haynes

My basic Gumbo, roux, trinity, stock, okra, chicken, and sausage

1 large onion, diced

½ green bell pepper, diced

3 celery stalks, diced

Scant ¾ cup peanut oil

Heaping ¾ cup all purpose flour

2 garlic toes, minced

1 teaspoon, plus more if needed, Cajun seasoning, or combine salt, pepper, cayenne and a pinch of garlic powder

2 quarts chicken stock, plus 1 quart if needed

12 oz okra

1 lb andouille, sliced into rounds, sub smoked pork sausage

1 ½ lb chicken thighs, boneless, skinless bite size chunks

1 tablespoon green onion, sliced

1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped

Hot cooked rice for serving

Hot buttered bread on the table

Tabasco to pass at the table for individual use.

Prepare the trinity by dicing and combining the onion, bell pepper and celery. The proper ratio is about ½ onion, ¼ celery, ¼ bell pepper. Combine the trinity in a bowl to keep close to the stove to be added to the roux at the proper time without delay.

First, you start with a roux. Heat the oil over a medium high heat in a 9qt cast iron dutch oven. Or use the heaviest pot you have. Add the flour and stir constantly until you have a dark roux. Stir Constantly. Don't stop stirring. Your roux will cook from a dirty blonde colored roux, then a peanut butter colored light brown roux, then a milk chocolate colored medium brown roux, and the target is a dirty penny colored dark roux. As soon as you get the dark, dirty penny colored roux, immediately dump the trinity into the roux while still stirring. Stir to combine and cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.

After the 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic. Add 1 teaspoon seasoning salt, stir to mix and cook for 1 additional minute.

Add 2 quarts of room temperature stock in a steady stream, mixing it into the thick base. Do not add hot stock to hot roux as this will cause unnecessary splattering. Bring this to a boil and lower the heat to simmer. If it is too thick, add no more than 1 additional quart of stock. Taste and add another teaspoon of seasoning salt if needed. Simmer cover vented, for 1 hour. Stir a few times during the hour.

Meanwhile, while your gumbo is simmering, prepare the okra. Trim and slice it into ½ inch pieces. Smother your okra in a hot skillet with a minimum amount of oil. Once the okra releases it's slime add it to the simmering gumbo. If you don't like okra or can't get it, it can be omitted, but it's better with. If fresh okra is not available, frozen okra might be found in the freezer section.

Color is flavor. Using the same skillet you used for the okra, lightly brown the sausage in batches and add it to the simmering gumbo. Season the chicken with 1 teaspoon of your seasoning salt. Brown the chicken over a high heat. You don't want to fully cook the chicken, just put some color on it. Add the chicken to the simmering gumbo.

Simmer covered, and vented, until the chicken is fully cooked, 15 to 30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Skim any foam or oil that has risen to the top. Remove from heat and add the green onion and parsley. Cover fully and allow the green onion and parsley to steep for five minutes before serving.

Serve over rice.

Usually served over rice, some prefer to serve it over potato salad.

Gumbo freezes well and is better the second day.

Page footer