Chicken Andouille Gumbo
This was inspired by the AAA 'Going Places Magazine', Spring 2005. It states that the file powder can be omitted if it can't be found locally. You can also use Italian or polish sausage, but you should use more cayenne to keep the fire. It is courtesy of 'The Gumbo Shop', in New Orleans. Voted best gumbo by locals.
Submitted by: Donald Clair from Waverly, New York
Yield: 6 entrees or 10 - 12 appetizers
Preparation Instructions:
Cover cut up chicken or pieces with water and simmer over low heat for about and hour until chicken is tender and easily removed from bones. Pour off water (now stock) and set aside. When chicken is cool, remove from bones.
While chicken is cooking, prepare vegetables and sausage.
In a heavy frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil. Add okra and saute over medium to high heat for 10-15 minutes, until "ropiness" is gone. Fresh okre may take longer.
While okra cooks, prepare garlic, bell pepper, onion, celery, and tomatoes. Slice sausage into 1/4 inch pieces.
The next step, making the roux, requires 20 uninterrupted minutes.
Combine 1/2 cup oil and 1/2 cup flour in a heavy Dutch oven. Cook over medium-low heat , stirring constantly, or very frequently, until it turns a dark brown color.
To the roux, add the onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic, and saute until vegetables are tender. Allow the vegetables to stick to the bottom of the pan a bit, then scrape them off with a metal spoon or spatula. This allows the sugar in the onions to carmelize, rendering a great depth of flavor.
Add the sauteed okra, tomatoes, and sliced sausage. Cook 15 minutes.
Add the bay leaf, thyme, basil, cayenne peper and salt, then add the reserved chicken stock. Mix well and bring to a low boil. Simmer for about 1 1/2 hours with pot loosely covered, stirring occasionally.
Add the cooked chicken and simmer another 15 minutes. Remove from heat and skim off fat.
Just before serving, stir in file powder. Do not reboil after adding file, as this tends to make the gumbo stringy.
Serve in large bowls over steamed rice.
thespicehouse.com
I have actually won gumbo cook off competitions with my version of this recipe. I take a lot more steps in preparing the chicken stock (made the night before with fresh herbs), and I use a different pepper than the green bell pepper. I also use high quality andouille sausage. This is a creole gumbo… so I like the okra and tomatoes.
I have a better way of making the roux so I adapted my roux method to this recipe and I liked it just fine. But as it’s written? No, I wouldn’t do it again. Too watery and I don’t care for the okra. Added carrot instead and the sweet/spicy carrot made it MUCH better. And as with any gumbo recipe, it’s always better the second day.
The roux recipe is awful. I mistakenly tried it a second time. If this recipe comes from the Gumbo Shop, that explains it as they don’t make good gumbo, period.
I haven’t made this, but my gumbo is similar. I use equal amounts flour and oil for the roux, hold the garlic for the next stage so it doesn’t burn, and degrease the broth before combining with the roux. Also, no tomatoes or okra, but use file for the thickening. My spice mix is similar to your Cajun low-salt mix. Overall, yours is a legitimate gumbo recipe, well done.
Thank you SO much for posting this recipe! It is my absolute favorite chicken gumbo recipe. I lost my issue of AAA Going Places and I thought this recipe was lost forever!
And, BTW, you most certainly can make roux this way. It does not burn. The addition of the veggies slows the cooking process and it is wonderful!
I have never used this recipe but I have made Gumbo just like this for years. This is the first time I have seen a recipe that reflects the same ingredients and process. Brian said you can’t make rue this way but he doesn’t understand what the recipe means. basically you cook the rue (always takes me longer than 20 min). When you get the rue to the dark color you want you dump in all the veggies. This cools the rue so it stops cooking. At that point you no longer have the super hot rue and you can cook the veggies as stated. Happy cooking.
Katie M. is correct. You cannot make roux like this. To make a dark roux, as required for gumbo, you will need to continuously stir equal parts oil and flour. As the color deepens to a chocolate color, the roux cannot sit still for more than a moment or it will burn. If it burns (visible black bits) you must chuck it and start over. Thus, you cannot let the vegetables stick to the bottom and carmelize in the roux as the recipe calls for. I highly recommend making the roux in a spearate pot, and then adding it to the gumbo pot right before you add the stock. That way if you mess up the roux, you do not need to start the whole dish over.
This is a good recipe. The taste and appearance reminds me of the gumbo I had in Guedan La when visiting Grandma and Grandpa in the 40’s and 50’s. My grandparents were originally from the New Orleans and Houma area. On my first attempt, prepared roux was used but want to try the roux using the method in the recipe. Since I didn’t have any handy, my first batch was made without the okra, but If I choose to put in the okra on my next attempt, at what point should it be put in?
I moved out of Lousiana 4 years back and was yearning for some good Gumbo, and I decided to cook this recipe. It came out amazing, even without the file seasoning. The portions are HUGE, and it also took me about 4 hours – part of it probably cuz I’m a newb.. :D.. All in all, a MUST TRY!!
This is a great recipe for gumbo- one of my favorite recipes actually. The ony comment I have is that unless you already know how to make a reux, this recipe will RUIN a rueux. It will burn it, no doubt. The size of this recipe would call for at least a cup of oil to a cup of flour- at least. Other than that, it’s a great recipe and easy to make your own if you have your own particular likes in a gumbo. Great recipe!