This recipe should have 8-10 cups of broth added. Gumbo is soup-like. Being raised in Baton Rouge, LA and a 10 year resident of New Orleans, I know my gumbo! When 8-10 cups of broth are added this recipe turns out great. Very authentic
Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
During cooking, okra exudes a thick liquid that gives this hearty Cajun stew a sumptuous, silky texture; a little filé powder, made from dried sassafras leaves, further thickens and enriches it. But the backbone of this gumbo, and the source of its smoky flavor, is the roux made by toasting flour in hot oil until it is a deep red-brown.
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Credit: Maxime Iattoni
INGREDIENTS
½ cup canola oil2 lb. bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
8 oz. andouille sausage, cut into ½" pieces
4 slices bacon, cut into ½" pieces
1 cup flour
2 ribs celery, finely chopped
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
1 small green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
2 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. cayenne
6 canned, whole peeled tomatoes in juice, drained and crushed by hand
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
10 oz. okra, trimmed and cut into ½" slices
4 cups chicken stock
Cooked white rice, for serving
Hot sauce and filé powder, for serving
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Heat ¼ cup oil in an 8-qt. Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Working in two batches, season chicken with salt and pepper, and add chicken to pot; cook, turning once, until lightly browned, about 12 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add sausage and bacon, and cook, stirring, until their fat renders and bacon is browned, about 5 minutes; transfer to plate with chicken.2. Add remaining oil, and reduce heat to medium-low; stir in flour, and cook, stirring constantly, until this mixture (called a roux) is the color of dark, reddish caramel, about 8 minutes. Add celery, onion, and pepper, and cook until soft, about 6 minutes. Add thyme, cayenne, tomatoes, garlic, and bay leaf, and cook for 3 minutes. Return chicken, sausage, and bacon to pot along with okra and stock, and bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, until chicken is cooked through, okra is tender, and gumbo is thickened, about 30 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and let cool for 5 minutes. Remove and shred meat, and discard bones and skin; stir meat back into gumbo. Season with salt and pepper, and serve with white rice on the side. Serve with hot sauce and filé powder for sprinkling over each serving.
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Ratings & Reviews (5)
Everyone raved about this gumbo. Did not change the recipe. We liked it thick and hearty. Good for a party. Will definitely make again.
Sorry, this is not a real gumbo recipe. My family has been in Louisiana over 300 years. I grew up there and I cook. The ingredients are correct (so 3 stars) but the result will not be the real thing. Gumbo takes time – no way around it. A few points: 1. It’s nearly impossible to make a roux in 8 minutes. To get the right color for the proper complex flavor you would have to be a kitchen magician not to burn it doing it that fast. It takes 35 to 45 minutes of constant stirring on a slow fire. 2. The roux should be made in a clean pot – not over the browned bits from the chicken and sausage sauté. This will likely burn those important browned bits and make the roux color confusing (dark, but not done). 3. The gumbo must be skimmed for hours at a low simmer to remove acridity. When the roux is made correctly, even oil with a high smoke point burns enough to give off an acrid flavor, and it all needs to come out – very slowly as it collects on the surface. 4. This is opinion, and others differ: thickening gumbo with okra makes it slimy. I always sauté my okra slices first to remove the slime, then add. Thickening should be done with the roux alone unless you like a slimy consistency. People say there’s an infinite number of ways to make gumbo. That may be true, but if it’s made right, it should take at least 7 hours – and that doesn’t include the stock.
Oops! Meant to give it 3 stars..
You can also add filet powder just before serving to thicken.
Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
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