Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

So Delish

Honestly, I was considering going shopping today.  Luckily, for Mark and Matt anyway, I decided to stay home and cook.  It has been so long since I posted, I thought this was a great opportunity to do so, and what luck, we have the jack pot!  Since I have not yet posted a basic chicken stock or roux (pronounced roo) I will be including them in this post.  I realize many people will already have a chicken stock recipe, but it never hurts to be thorough.  I lived in the New Orleans area for many years and it if you learn nothing else living there you learn that to cook almost anything, first you make your roux.  

So, we will start with the roux.  For a basic roux recipe you will take equal measures of flour and your fat (normally butter or olive oil) and heat them together at a low temperature until your have a dark brown mixture.  You will want to stir the roux almost continuously.  I can usually get away with not stirring constantly in the beginning, but once the color starts to change you really will need to stir constantly.  A good roux will take about 30 minutes, but it is so worth it.  For this gumbo recipe I have used 2 sticks of butter and 1 1/2 cups flour.  It is important that you add nothing else to the roux until it is done. 

When you first start the roux it will look like this, not real appetizing yet.

Hot and bubbly, use a whisk to mix and to keep the flour from clumping.

Be careful as you are stirring this as it will burn if it splashes on you.

Getting darker, and the texture is different too.  Make sure you are stirring constantly.  There is a very thin line between the perfect roux and a scorched roux. 

Now you have made your first roux.  Believe me when I say it is worth the work!
 

Chicken
1 onion quartered
2 stalks celery halved
2 carrots halved
2 tablespoons pepper corns
3 sprigs of fresh thyme

For a basic chicken stock you will need a chicken, left over is fine. We will take a rotisserie chicken and make stock with what is left over.  If we do not have a rotisserie chicken to use, we will get leg quarters or what ever bone in chicken on special.   To Place the chicken, onion, celery, bay leaves, whole pepper corns, carrots thyme sprigs and 10-12 cups of water in a stock pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer for around 45 minutes.  Remover the chicken (pull the meat and use for a soup or gumbo.  Strain the stock and discard the solids.  If we are not ready to have gumbo, but we have prepared a meal with a whole chicken, we will make the stock and freeze it until we need it.  To freeze the stock, put cooled stock in zipper freezer bags and lay them on a flat freezer shelf.  Once the stock is frozen, you can stand the bag of stock up and it will take up minimal freezer shelf space.

So now you know how to make the stock and the roux.  The hardest part of this particular dish is done.  For this dish I like to have all my prep work done before I start the roux.  As I mentioned earlier, there is a very thin line between the perfect roux and a roux that taste burnt, so once the roux is ready, you will want to have the other items readily available.  The addition of the andouille (Cajun seasoned smoked sausage), celery, bell pepper, and onion will quickly cool the roux and keep it from scorching once it is the desired color.

If you are not in Louisiana, you may not be able to find a good andouille, but if you are near a Harris Teeter, they carry a very good one at the meat counter.  You can substitute smoked sausage, but we really prefer the andouille.

The addition of the onion, celery, and bell pepper will require you give up the whisk for a spoon to get it all mixed, if you have not already switched.

Add your stock and continue to stir until the roux and stock are thoroughly blended.

Your gumbo at this point should be a rich brown.  Add the garlic.

Mix in the chicken and continue to cook for about 20 minutes.

Serve over rice with a crusty bread.  If you can get a good French loaf, this is the perfect dish for it!

Chicken Sausage Gumbo

2 sticks butter
1 1/2 cup flour
1 lb shredded chicken
1 lb andouille (or other smoked sausage)
1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
2 onions, coarsely chopped
6 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
6 cloves garlic, finely minced (we use around 9, but most people do not want as much garlic as we do)
1 tablespoon creole seasoning
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
Salt to taste
Fresh ground pepper to taste
Cooked white rice

Make your roux with the butter and flour following the directions in the roux recipe above.  Add the andouille and continue to cook until the sausage begins to release the fat it contains.  Add the chopped celery, onion and peppers and cook for a couple more minutes.  Add stock (8 to 10 cups), garlic, and seasonings.  Stir well, making sure the stock and roux are thoroughly mixed.  Stir in the shredded chicken and cook for another 15- 20 minutes.  Serve over cooked rice.  

This dish does have some heat.  If you prefer milder food, cut down on the amount of cayenne pepper called for.  When tasting the dish, remember the rice will temper the heat a little.  Enjoy and let me know what you think of this one.  I have some other Cajun/Creole recipes that I am holding on to fro another day.