Chicken and Andouille Gumbo Recipe
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In New Orleans, gumbo is as ubiquitous as Sazeracs and jazz. This version, which Louisiana home cook Whitmire adapted from Cajun Delights, a down-home cookbook sold at a festival and given to her as a newlywed, is thickened by a dark roux and filled with smoky Cajun andouille sausage and chicken.
What to buy:
Frozen okra can be found in most supermarkets; you can substitute fresh okra. Andouille is a smoked pork sausage that can be found in many gourmet markets or online at CajunGrocer.com. Look for Cajun seasoning in most supermarkets, or make your own.
For the chicken:
- 1 4- to 5-pound chicken
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning (either purchased or homemade)
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the gumbo base:
- 3/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
- 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
- 1 (16-ounce) bag frozen sliced okra
- 1 pound andouille sausage, cut on the bias into 1/2-inch-thick slices
- Sliced scallions, for garnish
- Chopped parsley leaves, for garnish
- Remove the neck and giblets from the chicken’s cavity and discard. Rinse the chicken, inside and out, under cold running water; pat dry with paper towels and cut into 10 to 12 bone-in pieces (2 legs, 2 thighs, 2 wings, and each breast halved or cut into thirds).
- Place the chicken pieces in a large pot; cover with the broth, water, Cajun seasoning, and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat then reduce the heat to medium low; simmer until the chicken is tender and just cooked, about 30 minutes.
- Transfer the cooked chicken pieces to a plate to cool. Strain the broth and skim off any excess fat. Reserve 4 cups for the gumbo. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and bones and discard; set the chicken pieces aside.
For the gumbo base:
- Heat the oil in a large, wide, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat until it is hot and shimmers, about 3 minutes. Slowly sprinkle the flour into the pot, stirring constantly with a wire whisk to prevent any lumps from forming. Cook, stirring constantly (and taking care to scrape out the corners of the pot), until the roux is dark brown (it should resemble melted chocolate), about 25 to 30 minutes.
- Add the onion and garlic and stir to coat the vegetables in the roux. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir in the bell pepper, celery, and bay leaf; cook until the vegetables soften slightly, about 4 minutes.
- Slowly stir in the reserved chicken broth, mixing well to incorporate; season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring to a boil, then stir in the tomatoes, okra, reserved chicken meat, and andouille. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low, cover the pan, and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Taste the gumbo to check the seasoning. If necessary, add more salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve over cooked white rice, topped with scallions and parsley.
Beverage pairing: August Kesseler Riesling ‘R’, Germany. Fresh and vibrant with racy acidity and a perfect touch of sweetness, this wine is a refreshing match for this smoky, rich dish.
I would wait to add the okra near the end of the cook, so that it does not break down too much.
The tomatoes are found in gumbo in the New Orleans area, usually seafood gumbo, but folks in Cajun country and the rest of the state don't usually use them in gumbo.
You hear BS from TV cooks about never using both okra and file'. Well, I love okra in my gumbo, and I put a sprinkle of file' in my bowl as a seasoning. Many others do the same.
This is one of the most delicious recipes I have ever prepared. I really despise the hovering stink of green peppers, so I used a red pepper instead. I make my own Andouille, and the smokiness it imparts helps make the dish. Chicken on the bone is a glorious touch. Other than the pepper, I added way more of the spices, esp. cayenne. It was pretty hot, just the way we like it. Really great on Uncle Ben's rice. Don't normally cook that kind of processed stuff, but it was just perfect for it. Anyway, this one is a WINNER and will be reprised for the Super Bowl.
meatzaaa , if you have leftovers, it will be much thicker the next time you heat some up.
I pretty much followed the recipe but used only a 12 ounce package of Aidell's Cajun andouille. http://www.aidells.com/sausages/descr...
I added shrimp and only used a small can of tomatoes.
I tried a third cup of flour and it was not enough. Slightly soupy, if you like it in a bowl. I added some cornstarch later. I think a half cup of flour would do it unless you want it to stand up on the plate and not go anywhere. I personally don't want flour, or its thick gravy, taking a front seat with the dish.
I made the recipe as written (well mostly, I cooked the sausage and cut it back to a single fresh tomato) for the game last night and I thought it turned out great! It was served with white rice and French bread. My guests loved it and I paired it with some Belgium home brew because that's what I had but I think it would have been better with something "hoppier". This was my first gumbo but won't be my last now that I know the general concept I plan on adding some serious heat to the party!
Question - I can't eat wheat flour. Does anyone know if this works with other types of flour? I can get hold of an all purpose wheat free flour but I tried it once before and it didn't brown at all!
I second that Emotion... Zydecook
Amen, ZydeCook!
I have a few suggestions for this gumbo recipe:
1-Leave the okra in the freezer.
2-Put the tomatoes in the pantry.
3-Don't open the Riesling instead open a six pack of Abita Beer.
4-Put on some Rockin' Doopsie, start stirring the roux and don't stop until you've finished three Abita's or until its as dark as chocolate.
5-Saute your trinity, garlic, spices and add your Andouille and raw chicken (not boiled).
6-Add your stock and bring to a boil....and then add your roux.
7-Drink 3 more Abitas and watch the Saints lose another game.
8-Serve over white rice, throw in some green onion tops and a scoop of potato salad with some hot french bread...and open another Abita.
That's a CAJUN chicken/andouille gumbo.
Bon appetit, cher!
I make gumbo all the time (I'm originally from Savannah, GA) and I've always considered the tomato type to be added to seafood gumbo and the chicken/andouille type you don't add tomatoes. I also like it w/out okra. Just me. But as to the thickening ability of the roux after browning, you're right. If you want it thicker when it's done, you need to add file' or some cornstarch/water mix. Everyone' different though and obviously entitled to their own opinion.
It does seem like a lot of flour, considering that you are adding okra, as well. I have not proved this out to verify but I have read that once you brown flour for a roux it does not have the thickening power it usually has. I would assume that the more you brown it the more it loses its thickening power.
This is interesting because you do not know what consistency they are looking to achieve. I use less flour but I also add file, so all three could affect thickening.
My immediate reacion was "a whole cup of flour for 6 cups of liquid?" Sounds way too thick to me. Almost looks like more of a (cajun) Courtbouillon with all those tomatoes in it.
Not that I wouldn't eat it right now if it were in front of me!
Everyone's taste is different. I 've had excellent gumbos which included either chopped tomatoes or tomatoe paste, with or without "okra" ( African word for Gumbo). Tomatoe paste should not effect the roux's color especially if added after roux is cooked.
The Best Andouille I've found was purchased from Bailey's in LaPlace, LA. Jacob's World Famous Andouille, located 1 block down the Hwy from Baileys, has artificial preservatives to allow shipment to all parts of the globe. Bailey's has no artificial preservatives, except for the hardwood smoke, which means you'll have to find a friend or family member to ship it to you.
I've also made rouxs in 10 minutes or less. The trick is to get the oil to its smoke point in a dark iron skillet or a porcelan coverd/clad iron skillet or gumbo pot. You have to have all your vegetables chopped ( Trinity - onions, bell pepper, celery plus chopped/minced garlic) to quench the roux so that it doesn't burn.
The procedure: Add oil to hot iron skillet (temp should be 375-400F). Recommend using peanut oil which has a high smoke point. Premeasure flour, and begin wisking in 1-2 tabs flour into hot oil until the flour begins tourning brown. Continue wisking in flour until all flour has been added. Remove hot skillet from burner, continuing to wisk until color of roux is a dark chocolate. Add chopped/diced vegetables immediately to qiunch roux and continue stirring mixture with a slotted spoon ( wood preferred). Once all vegetables are thoroughly mixed into the roux, reduce burner temperature to 325F, and place pot/skillet back onto burner. Add chicken stock, etc. and continue preparing gumbo.
Oiless roux can be prepared using the same iron skillet, wisk, and flour. Warning: you must add flour 1-2 tbs at a time and wisk till a nut brown color ( cinamon) is obtained . Once all flour is added and wisking yields a cinamon color, remove pot from burner and sieve/aerate/cool browned flour to stop it from cooking/burning. The browned flour should not contain any burnt pieces or clumps which will impart a "burnt, bitter" taste. Store any unused browned flour in an air tight container for later use.
Enjoy,
ejl
I'm not really a fan of putting tomatoes in a chicken and sausage gumbo, and the picture you have of the gumbo looks a little too think. I prefer chicken and sausage gumbo to have more of a broth than a thick sauce around it. Besides, a thinner sauce is perfect for dunking french bread. I used to run around with a bowl of broth, no rice, and chunks of bread and be quite happy.
The recipe given here seems more appropriate for a seafood gumbo.
Having watched my great-grandmother (Big Gran), my grandmother (Gran) and my father (who owns a restaurant in Louisiana) while they cook, I'd like to think that I've learned how to make a pretty mean gumbo. The gumbo in this picture is off... gumbo should not be red, but rather colored by the roux (i.e. walnut or chocolate colored as mentioned above) which is what establishes the base of the flavor profile. I recommend reducing the portion of diced tomatoes to a 12 ounce can instead of 24 ounces. If you go over board on the tomatoes, then your really just making a 'gumbo-like' tomato stew. Also, a lot of people are put off by the texture of okra, which will make your gumbo quite slimy if the okra is over cooked. If you've never had a gumbo before, consider leaving it out until you've made one or two before and have a feel for it. Most people either use either 1) chicken and andouille sausage OR 2) a mix of seafood (shrimp, oysters, crab, etc), but I like mixing all of it. The chicken and sausage make it hearty, while the shimp and crab claws add mostly to the presentation. Make this just after the first cold snap in the fall (then throughout the winter)... pass on the scallions and parsley (gumbo needs not these frivoulous things), but make sure you pick some Gumbo file (pronounced fee-lay, there should be an accent aigu on the e) which is just ground sassafras and sprinkle lightly just before serving.
For chicken andouille gumbo a walnut colored roux is sufficient. A dark roux is for darker, gamier meats.
How about adding a bit on presentation of a mounded cup of rice and then the gumbo poured over it. For each diner.