Aight so since so many of y'all want this gumbo recipe, I shall provide! 👌🏼
Please note that this recipe makes a BIG pot of gumbo and requires a bit of work. It's an all day process for me personally.
Cajun Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
You will need:
Food:
- 1 large yellow onion
- 1 bell pepper
- 1 whole garlic (not a clove)
- At least 1 cup of flour
- ~3 tbsp of butter (more if you use more flour)
- At least 2lb of BONE-IN chicken (white or dark doesn't matter, use what you prefer)
- At least 2lbs of smoked sausage, Cajun is preferred but your favorite will do too
Cookware:
- 1 cast iron skillet
- 1 large (LARGE) gumbo pot
- A (WOODEN) mixing spoon
- Knives & a cutting board
Recipe:
- Start by rinsing your meat, then cutting your veggies and sausage (NOT THE CHICKEN). You wanna dice the veggies fairly small and slice the sausage however you like (but keep the veggies and sausage separate for now), then set to the side.
- In your gumbo pot, place the rinsed chicken and fill the pot with water just enough to cover the chicken. Season the HELL out of it - garlic & onion powders, cayenne pepper, and a little bit of Italian seasoning. Place on your stove and bring to a boil. Skim any froth off the top as it boils.
- Once your chicken is cooked fully, remove from the water and place the chicken into a bowl BUT DO NOT DUMP THE WATER. This is your gumbo base. Transfer cooked chicken to the fridge to cool.
- Keep the water in the gumbo pot and add the veggies to it. You wanna keep it on a low heat so nothing evaporates, but the liquid stays hot.
- In your cast iron skillet, begin browning one cup of flour (lightly to moderately seasoned with all the same stuff as your chicken water) on medium low heat. DO NOT STOP STIRRING IT AND DO NOT STEP AWAY FROM IT. If it burns, you will have to start this step all over. You want it DARK.
- Once your flour is brown and smelling like grandma's house by the swamp in December (the Cajun ancestors will let you know), add just a little bit of butter 1 tbsp at a time and mix until you have a nice playdough looking brown ball. Be careful, as I've had the flour sizzle on me many, many times before. It should smell like roux - and that's exactly what it is! Set this aside to cool a bit.
- Your chicken should be cooled enough now that you can remove it from the bones. You can cut it or shred it, the choice is yours. Add the chicken meat to your sausage and dispose of the bones or keep them to make chicken stock for a recipe which requires it.
- Once the roux is cooled down, bring your broth and veggie mixture to a boil and SLOWLY add the roux one wooden spoon at a time. Stir it in slowly, making sure it's all melting as you go. It's important that you do NOT add the roux until your liquid is boiling, otherwise it won't melt and incorporate right.
- Let the gumbo broth simmer for about 5 minutes once all the roux is melted. Then, add your meat. Continue to let simmer for at LEAST 4 hours. The longer it simmers, the more flavor it has, the better it'll taste.
- About 20 minutes before you're ready to serve, begin preparing your rice. I use plain white long grain. If your rice takes more than 20 minutes, begin this earlier to give yourself adequate time to make it.
You can easily replace the meat with different things, like shrimp, and even add okra if that's more your style. I typically make this with potato salad and cornbread. Also worth noting is that this is a very comforting meal during cold weather. Hope you guys enjoy! :D
I'll reblog and tag everyone who was interested in just a second once I gather all your usernames 👉🏼👈🏼 If you guys want some more South Louisiana-specific recipes, ask and I'll see what I can do!
Note to my other Cajuns/Creoles: If I forgot anything or you have additions, please feel free to mention them! ^^
