Gumbo- Chicken and Andouille Gumbo

      Gumbo - Chicken and Andouille

   Just regular ol' Gumbo!  Like all good southern cookin', feel free to use any protein you want.  What meat you have on hand, can go into the pot.

• 1 cup Oil
• 1 1/2 cup Flour
• 2 cup onion diced
  
• 2 cup celery diced
• 1 cup green pepper diced
• Abita fresh Garlic (4-6 cloves)
• Andouille Sausage quartered
• Thyme
• Cajun Seasoning and Salt/Pepper
  
• 4 cups Chicken Stock
• Chicken or other any other meat that you're using
• 1 bunch of green onions
• Flat Parsley
• Tabasco
• Rice
• File' Powder

  Get all your ingredients prepared before you start, your Mise en place (everything in place).  If you already have your stock prepared, you can partially cook your chicken or any other meat on a grill, in a saute pan, roast in oven...whatever you like. 

   Make a roux by combining the oil and flour in your gumbo pot.  Stir constantly under heat until you reach a peanut butter color or darker.  Be careful not to burn your roux, if black spec appear it has burned...discard and start over. 

   Add your cajun trinity (onion, celery, green pepper) to the roux and cook to wilt (tip: sometimes I'll only add the onion to start this off...cooking the onions early letting them caramelize.  Then I'll add the celery and green peppers.  This will give a sweeter and darker color to the gumbo).  Add Garlic and stir in.  Add Andouille and cook for a few minutes.  Add Thyme and Cajun Seasoning, stir in.

   Slowly add the chicken stock, stirring into the roux as you do.  Bring to boil reduce to simmer, add any additional stock/water needed to adjust for desired consistency (tip:If I have shell on shrimp/crawfish I'll remove the shell/shell heads and place in cheescloth, coffee filter or in a colander that fits down into the gumbo pot.  Then I simmer with the shells/heads removing after an hour or two).  Add bay leaf, Chicken (and or other meats), Salt/pepper...stir on and simmer for a few hours (if the gumbo reduces down too much...add just a little water)

    Once you are about 30 minutes away from eating you can start the rice.  Also add your chopped green onions, parsley and adjust any seasonings as needed (salt, pepper, cajun seasoning, Tabasco).  Also, add any seafood (shrimp, crawfish, catfish, etc) and cook while rice is finishing. 

    Remove Gumbo from the heat and get ready to serve.  Place the gumbo in a bowl and add a teaspoon of file' powder, then stir.  Add rice and top with any additional meats you would like to add on top.  Serve with additional Tabasco and File' at the table. 

     For a Seafood Gumbo you can check out Rod's Seafood Gumbo thread.
     For Gumbo Z'Herbs you can check out the Gumbo Z'Herbs thread.
     Gumbo is excellent served with Corn Bread, grilled garlic bread or Brook's Portuguese Corn Bread.

  below are some pictures of a Gumbo I made the other day.  It was made with Chicken thighs, Homemade spicy andouille sausage, Homemade "craft" Andouille Sausage, Head on Shrimp and Locally caught Frog Legs.   Served with Stone IPA  and Lagunitas DogTown Pale







and here's another version with Cornish Hens, stuffed with the Rice...then Gumbo poured in the bowl.  When you cut the bird open the rice combines in the dish.

Now THAT is a gumbo ~ very nice, Dan!

That looks mighty fine! You do make a big pot of gumbo! I think I remember you saying "you can't make a little gumbo." Thanks for linking to my humble effort too. Gumbo is good eating, anyway you can get it! 

Rod Franklin wrote: That looks mighty fine! You do make a big pot of gumbo! I think I remember you saying "you can't make a little gumbo." ...

    Hi Rod!

  I think that was Mark that mentioned not making a small batch of gumbo.  I think this is a problem a lot of people run into.  While it does freeze okay, I'll have to make a post for a small batch of gumbo...followed by a post for a small batch of jambalaya (using the left over ingredients from the Gumbo recipe)

I'm with Mark. In fact, I don't think I'd know how to not make a large batch.

Ingredient amounts, according to what I learned in the bayou:

1 gallon meat protein in bite sized pieces
4 lbs smoked sausage
1 lb Andouille sausage
Other ingredients in comparable amounts.

Mebbe so, Dan. But God gave us freezers for a reason.

Ahron, there are numerous versions of cajun and creole spice mixes. If none are available commercially, you can just create your own.

Here's one version:

Cajun Spice Mix

1/4 cup salt
2 tbls cayenne pepper
2 tbls paprika
1 1/2 tbls onion powder
1 tbls black pepper
1 tbls white pepper
1 tbls garlic powder
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp mustard powder
1/8 tsp ground cloves

Combine all ingredients. Store in a small jar with a tight lid.

Makes about 3/4 cup

   Hey Ahron!

   Brook has got the Cajun seasonings set in his post, thanks.  I usually leave the salt completely out of my mixes, then adjust as the dish comes together.

   Dan

here's another version using Cornish Hens, stuffed with the Rice...then Gumbo poured in the bowl.  When you cut the bird open the rice combines in the dish.



This time I made the Gumbo Rice a little different, since I was using it as a stuffing for the bird...as well as the rice in the Gumbo.







Gumbo!

Dan,