The weather is changing. LOL – that’s my excuse to make this dish. To be honest, I got the technique from a buddy of mine who’s from New Orleans. The idea is to get the oil hot first and then add the flour. It cuts the roux-making time in literally half. Genius, right?
At any rate, I’ve been known to add all types of things to my gumbo. But, for this one, I’ll keep it simple with just chicken and sausage.
Chicken & Sausage Gumbo
1 cup of oil
3/4 cup of all purpose flour
1 cup of diced onion
1 cup of diced bell pepper
1/2 cup of diced celery
8 cups of water
1/2 cup of chicken bouillon
2 tablespoons of garlic powder
1 tablespoon of onion powder
1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
3/4 tablespoon of gumbo file
1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning
1/2 tablespoon of ground fennel
1 teaspoon of black pepper
1 pound of chicken thighs, boneless & skinless, cut into bite sized pieces
1 pound of smoked andouille sausage, cut into bite sized pieces
1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon of Cajun seasoning
To garnish: white rice and chopped scallion
To start, heat a heavy stock pot on the stove. Then, add the oil. Once the oil is hot, add in the flour and stir occasionally until the roux turns dark brown. Then, add in the onion, bell pepper, and celery. Cook for 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Then, add int he water. Season the gumbo with the chicken bouillon, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, gumbo file, italian seasoning, ground fennel and black pepper. Stir well to combine.
After cooking for about 2 minutes, add in the chicken and the sausage. Bring the gumbo to a boil and then turn it down to simmer for 15 minutes while the chicken cooks through.
Finish the gumbo with Worcestershire sauce and Cajun seasoning. Serve over rice and garnish with chopped scallion.
