Doesn't a nice big bowl of spicy gumbo with a slice of crusty bread sound good right now? We need something hot and spicy to warm us up after all of this snow. I've never made gumbo before and it is a little time consuming. It is not like a stew where you can plop everything in a pot and let it cook for hours. You need to constantly stir the roux for 20 minutes or it will burn. Be very careful not to splash on yourself. I also learned something about okra. It is added to help thicken the gumbo, if prepared right. Apparently you have to stir that in a pan for 15 minutes to get rid of the stringy consistency. I did not know this and added it right in. Mine was fine, but probably would've been that much better had I prepared it properly.
This gumbo has delicious flavor. You pour it over some rice and top with chopped green onion or fresh parsley. Feel free to add some Tabasco sauce on top too. This recipe makes a ton and I'm sure this gumbo will be even better after it sits for a bit. I also added shrimp. thinking back now I should have just added the shrimp for that night's serving. I'm sure the shrimp will not freeze and reheat well. Also, make sure you have good adouille sausage. I hear Trader Joes has a good one. (Johsonville on the other hand is not anything to right home about). I ended up combining a couple of recipes for this final version. I used chicken breast instead of thighs. I also cooked them in the crockpot which took out a browning step with the thighs. That would probably add a lot of flavor, but I took the easier route. You would use the fat from the skin in combination with the oil to make the roux. You need a total of 1/2 c of the vegetable oil and fat from chicken thighs. I used a half stick (1/4 c) of unsalted butter because I didn't have chicken fat.
Like many soups, stews, spaghetti and lasagna recipes. There are a million variations. So, feel free to play around with it.
Gumbo
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast
1.5 lb adouille sausage cut into 1/4" pieces
shrimp (optional)
1/4 vegetable oil
1/4 c unsalted butter
1/2 c flour
1- 48 oz can diced tomatoes
4 c low salt chicken broth, warmed slightly
2 onions finely chopped
1 red or yellow pepper finely chopped
1 rib celery finely chopped
1 bag sliced frozen okra
6 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper
1 tsp Thyme
1/2 tsp salt
2 bay leaves
Rice cooked separately
green onions, sliced, optional
fresh parsley, chopped, optional
1. Place the chicken, sausage, diced tomatoes and half of the thyme, half of the cayenne pepper, and 2 cloves of minced garlic in a crock pot. Cook on low for 8 hours.
2. In a large dutch oven on medium melt the butter with the vegetable oil. Carefully add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon to break up any clumps. Stir continuously for approximately 20 to develop a deep brown color. If it starts to smoke, remove and stir, turn down the temperature a bit. You want to make sure your roux gets a deep color to add flavor.
3. Meanwhile, in another pot add your okra and stir continuously for 15 minutes. After, add this to your roux along with the onions, pepper, celery remaining cayenne, thyme and garlic. Stir for 8-10 minutes or until the vegetables soften. Slowly add the chicken broth and stir constantly.
4. Carefully add your chicken, sausage, tomato mixture to the vegetables and roux. Add the bay leaves and stir. Reduce the heat and simmer for at least 30 minutes. If you are adding shrimp, add at the very end.
