Chicken Sausage Gumbo

Time: 3 hours | Serves: 4–6 Nature: Very Warm | Flavor: Salty, Acrid

Recipe Source: Cheramie Family from South Louisiana

Ingredients

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup high-temp vegetable oil (peanut, canola, sunflower)
  • 2 lbs andouille or smoked sausage, split and cut into 1/4 in pieces
  • 3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into 1 in pieces
  • 1/4 lb Tasso ham/smoked hock, diced
  • 2 large onions, diced
  • 1 medium green bell pepper, diced
  • 3 stalks celery, diced
  • 1/2 cup green onion, chopped
  • 3/4 cup parsley, finely chopped and divided into two portions
  • 3–4 quarts good chicken broth
  • Cajun seasoning blend (Tony Chachere's or Slap Ya Mama brand)
  • Hot sauce (Crystal or Louisiana Hot)
  • Salt and cayenne pepper to taste

Directions

  1. Preparation: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Chop all meat products to appropriate size and then put into a bowl. Liberally season the meats with Cajun seasoning, thoroughly coating the chicken in particular. Divide onto two foil-lined baking trays, spreading the meat into an even layer on each sheet, giving as much room as possible between the pieces. Bake for around 15–20 minutes until chicken and sausage are nicely browned. The goal is color and flavor not doneness as the meat will be added to the soup pot later. Once color is achieved, remove from oven and set aside. Chop all vegetables and put into a bowl, reserving 1/2 the parsley for later.

  2. Make the Roux: In a large, heavy-bottomed soup pot (6qt) add the oil and flour. Whisk together with a long whisk until well combined as a slurry. Turn on heat to medium-high and stir the slurry casually. As it heats up and starts to bubble, continue stirring the mixture, making sure to get into the sides and edges of your pot. Cook, stirring constantly until the roux has darkened to the color of a very old penny. Almost burned looking, but not, 20–30 minutes.

  3. Once the roux is the right color, add the chopped vegetables to the pot and stir thoroughly to combine. The roux will stop darkening once the vegetables have been added.

  4. Finish the Gumbo: Cook the vegetables over medium heat until they are softened and slightly translucent. Add the chicken broth to the pot and bring to a strong boil, reduce heat to medium low and add the cooked chicken and sausage and their juices to the pot. Add 1 tablespoon of hot sauce and then let simmer for 45 minutes.

  5. Taste the broth and adjust the salt, usually needing around 2 tsp depending on how much Cajun seasoning you used. If you like it spicy, you can add more hot sauce or add cayenne pepper, 1/4 tsp at a time until you feel the right level of heat. Add remaining parsley and cook for 30 minutes more.

  6. Serve over warm rice and with a side of potato salad.

About Roux

Roux is a combination of flour and fat (oil, lard, or butter) that is the basis for much of Cajun cuisine. The flour is cooked in the fat to varying degrees of brown, ranging from the slightest cream color to the almost black of a gumbo. As the roux darkens, the flavor gets earthier and the thickening power of the flour is reduced. So cream sauces will have white roux and be very thick, etouffées will have a chestnut roux and be stew-like, and this style of gumbo has a very dark roux for soup texture and rich flavor. Roux is complex and delicious, but if you are going for the dark version, don't go too far. If you burn it, you'll have to throw it out and start over.

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