Question regarding chicken in gumbo...

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Could anyone add some insight as to adding seasoned raw chicken to the pot rather than pre-cooked?

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like browning some thighs instead of a roasted whole bird? do it all the time if I have some stock already

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When making a chicken based gumbo it seems a majority of recipes call for using meat from a roasted bird. Most of these suggest making a stock from the bones of the bird that is then added to the gumbo.

Could anyone add some insight as to adding seasoned raw chicken to the pot rather than pre-cooked? Thoughts as to how this might impact the flavor/texture?

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1) I use a pre-roasted bird because it's much easier than cooking the chicken yourself. If you go with cooking a chicken yourself, it may be juicier, but you're making a gumbo, not a bird roast.
2) I gave up on making chicken stock. I've made it a handful of times, and have found that making chicken stock, vs. buying chicken stock (and i'm talking stock, not broth) tastes the same.
3) Chicken gumbo is my easy gumbo, so i'm not going to make it difficult by cooking a bird first, and making stock.

Now if i'm doing a duck and sausage gumbo, thats a different story. I smoke the ducks, and make a stock out of the smoked duck bones, and use the fat reserved from the ducks in the smoker to make a roux. That's my fancy gumbo.

Then there is seafood gumbo, which is pretty easy, and again, i just use seafood stock. I've made seafood stock before and again, can barely tell the difference between the seafood stock and the store bought stock. The real flavor impact is the roux and your other ingredients, IMO.

And finally there is my gumbo z'herbes or green gumbo. This is labor intensive but one of my favorites. I use the dooky chase recipe.

I almost always add raw chicken to the pot. On Sunday I made a relatively small pot of gumbo. I browned four whole chicken wings (I wanted something with bone and skin for the stock). Later in the cook, I added raw boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into medium sized pieces. Texture is perfectly delicious. Sometimes I use one or two raw chicken breasts on the bone (if no wings). The only thing you need to be careful of is it being overcooked. You can take it off the bone after it's cooked through and add it back in later in the cooking process.

I always make gumbo with a raw hen. Boiling a big hen for a couple of hours in the roux base adds the best stock to the gumbo & the meat just taste better. I've never been a fan of pre-cooked meat in a gumbo. I also don't like shredded/deboned chicken in gumbo; where I'm from, you have a side plate for chicken meat/sweet potato/ or potato salad if you don't want it/them in the bowl-sausage stays in the bowl. But again, everyone likes different things & none of them are wrong

I always use a hen, better flavors for sure.

I filet the breast meat and cut it up in chunks, then I season and brown the raw legs, thighs and cut up breast meat. These go straight to the gumbo pot.
Everything else go into the stock pot to debone later.

I brown chicken thighs, then cook the sausage and then make the rough with all the bits on the bottom of the pan. Once I get my broth added, I simmer it for an hour or so and then throw those thighs back into the pot and simmer for another hour or so until the thighs are pulling apart. Take them out, shred them and return to the pot with the sausage.

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I use a pre-roasted bird because it's much easier than cooking the chicken yourself.

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Maybe a little easier, but browning some thighs takes 5-10 minutes. You don't even have to do that if you don't want to...but many argue that you will gain some flavor if you brown them first. The main advantage of using a pre-roasted bird is cutting down the cook time, since the chicken is already cooked.

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If you add raw chicken to the stock then you end up with just boiled chicken. I guess the closest comparison would be boiling a steak vs searing it. Produces a different flavor and texture.

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Not a good comparison, since the chicken is cooked in a rich and flavorful gumbo, which adds to the flavor of the chicken.

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have found that making chicken stock, vs. buying chicken stock (and i'm talking stock, not broth) tastes the same.

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Ya lost me there.

I always debone smoked chickens and add them after making stock with the skin/bones. There are many other ways.