Chicken & Sausage Gumbo

Gumbo is a Louisiana tradition. The first time I was coming over here to visit my husband when we were dating, my housemate's boyfriend told me I had to have Gumbo, he didn't know what it was but he had heard of it. So when I got here I asked Ken about it and he introduced me to Gumbo. To me it is a cross between a stew and a soup and as to what the traditional recipe is well that varies from kitchen to kitchen. Some say it's traditional to add tomatoes, some say it's a huge no no. As to the the meat well it can be anything that a Cajun can think off.

At the end of my first trip to Louisiana my mother in law gave me a gumbo mix pack and tin of Rotel tomatoes to take back to Northern Ireland to make Gumbo. I am really good at following recipes but I'm horrible at mixes, adding water seems to be beyond me! Anyhow I decided to cook it for my mother and was really excited to introduce her to it. Well the mix was for a huge pot and back then I didn't own a measuring cup never mind knew what to do with one. So I add a bit of mix and a bit of water. Well the concentration was off and well let say we couldn't eat it and had some unhappy stomachs for a day or so. 

After I got married, a few months later, I was on a mission to learn to make Gumbo from scratch because well the mix and I weren't getting on too well. I found a recipe and added my spin and now I use the same base and just switch between seafood or chicken and sausage. I add tomatoes to mine and okra. Okra helps thicken the gumbo. Yes I do make the roux from scratch although I don't always stand there for 45 minutes to get a dark chocolate roux. I don't like burning my roux so I have a habit of stopping at a dark peanut butter color. Sauteing the vegetables in the roux adds their flavor throughout the entire gumbo.

Gumbo freezes really well and I have been known to make a massive pot and freeze enough for 4 or 5 meals. It's also great if you are cooking for a large group of people. As a Christmas/Thanksgiving Turkey leftover dish just switch out the chicken for the turkey!

Oh and yes I have cooked this for my mother, she was a little apprehensive at first but she does prefer this version to her first experience!

Chicken & Sausage Gumbo

Makes: 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 lb hot smoked sausage, cut into ¼ inch slices

1 whole chicken

½ cup olive oil

¾ cup all-purpose flour

1 cup chopped onion

½ cup chopped green bell pepper

½ cup chopped celery

2 quarts chicken broth

3 cloves garlic, minced

Frozen okra, thawed

Tin of diced tomatoes

2 bay leaves

2 tsp Creole seasoning

½ tsp dried thyme

1 T Worcestershire sauce

½ to 1 tsp hot sauce

½ cup sliced green onions

Hot cooked rice

Directions:

 1. Boil chicken in pot with Tony’s seasoning until cooked. Strip chicken meat and set aside.

2. Brown sausage in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Remove to paper towel, reserving drippings.

3. Measure drippings, adding enough oil to measure ½ cup. Heat in Dutch oven over medium heat until hot.

4. Add flour to hot oil; cook, stirring constantly, until roux is the color of chocolate (about 30 - 45 minutes). 

5. Add onion, green pepper and celery; cook until vegetables are tender, stirring often.

6. Stir in chicken broth; bring to a boil. Return chicken to pan; add garlic and next 7 ingredients. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour.

7. Add sausage to pan and cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Stir in green onions; cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

8. Remove bay leaves; serve gumbo over rice. 

To complete the meal serve with potato salad and bread.