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Chicken and Sausage Gumbo Question

Posted on 11/6/13 at 7:08 pm
Posted by HurricaneDunc
Houston
Member since Nov 2008
10472 posts
Posted on 11/6/13 at 7:08 pm
So I'll be cooking a gumbo on Saturday before the big game. I've prepared a turkey gumbo before using leftover Thanksgiving turkey, but never a "typical" chicken and sausage gumbo.

My question revolves around the chicken. Clearly I need both the meat and a broth. I'd really prefer to cook my own broth, which will require me to buy a whole chicken for the carcass and whatnot. However, the recipe I'm using (John Besh book) calls for cooking the raw chicken in the pot after the roux is prepared. Can I get away with boiling the entire chicken (meat on) for the broth and using the cooked meat in the gumbo? Or should I butcher the meat off before making the broth so that I can cook/brown it in the roux?

Hope that makes sense. Appreciate the advice.
Posted by LSUballs
RayVegas LA
Member since Feb 2008
37736 posts
Posted on 11/6/13 at 7:12 pm to
I would roast the chicken or better yet smoke it, debone anduse the carcass for a stock. Add meat to the gumbo toward the end.
This post was edited on 11/6/13 at 7:13 pm
Posted by OTIS2
NoLA
Member since Jul 2008
50103 posts
Posted on 11/6/13 at 7:15 pm to
What ^ said.
Posted by Tigerpaw123
Louisiana
Member since Mar 2007
17257 posts
Posted on 11/6/13 at 7:18 pm to
Boil chicken till mostly cooked, take out and cool, debone, roast and return bones to pot and continue simmering as long as you can for a good stock, don't add your chicken to the gumbo till almost ready to serve to keep it from getting stringy

I use a hen instead of a fryer
Posted by TIGRLEE
Northeast Louisiana
Member since Nov 2009
31493 posts
Posted on 11/6/13 at 7:25 pm to
Use hen.
Boil on low for hour or so.
Take out and let cool.

Put chicken back in few mins before serving.. It'll string out if overcooked.
Posted by Btrtigerfan
Disgruntled employee
Member since Dec 2007
21413 posts
Posted on 11/6/13 at 8:19 pm to
quote:

LSUballs


Dead on, balls accurate.
Posted by Gris Gris
OTIS!NO RULES FOR SAUCES ON STEAK!!
Member since Feb 2008
47368 posts
Posted on 11/6/13 at 8:34 pm to
My chicken meat is always cooked in some way whether fried ala Paul Prudhomme style, smoked, boiled or roasted. Just add it toward the end of simmering.
Posted by andouille
A table near a waiter.
Member since Dec 2004
10703 posts
Posted on 11/6/13 at 10:08 pm to
This is where I cheat, Sam's roasted chickens, I remove all the meat, then use what's left to make a stock.
Posted by Kim Jong Ir
Baton Rouge
Member since Jan 2008
52574 posts
Posted on 11/6/13 at 10:10 pm to
quote:

This is where I cheat, Sam's roasted chickens, I remove all the meat, then use what's left to make a stock.


Same here. Any grocery rotisserie chickens work.
Posted by Gris Gris
OTIS!NO RULES FOR SAUCES ON STEAK!!
Member since Feb 2008
47368 posts
Posted on 11/6/13 at 10:24 pm to
I've used Sam's chickens as well, but one time there was a strange off putting flavor that transferred to the gumbo. Don't know if they used a different seasoning or what, but it wasn't good.

Sometimes I pick up some smoked chickens from the local BBQ joint as well.
This post was edited on 11/6/13 at 10:25 pm
Posted by FootballNostradamus
Member since Nov 2009
20509 posts
Posted on 11/7/13 at 2:39 am to
quote:

This is where I cheat, Sam's roasted chickens, I remove all the meat, then use what's left to make a stock.


When I was in school and had no time this was my go-to move. You can make a plenty respectable gumbo this way.
Posted by LSUPHILLY72
Member since Aug 2010
5356 posts
Posted on 11/7/13 at 2:43 am to
SERVES 6 TO 8

This recipe is engineered for efficiency: Get the roux in the oven and then prep the remaining ingredients. A heavy, cast-iron Dutch oven yields the fastest oven roux. If a lightweight pot is all you’ve got, increase the oven time by 10 minutes. The chicken broth must be at room temperature to prevent lumps from forming. Fish sauce lends an essential savory quality. It’s sold in most grocery stores in the section with the Asian seasonings; if you can’t find it, see the box at bottom right for substitution information. Since the salt content of fish sauce varies among brands, taste the finished gumbo before seasoning with salt.

INGREDIENTS

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup vegetable oil
Salt and pepper
1 onion, chopped fine
1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 celery rib, chopped fine
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained
3 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth, room temperature (see note)
1/4 cup fish sauce (see note)
4 bone in chicken thighs (about 2 pounds), skin and excess fat removed
8 ounces andouille sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced thin
2 cups frozen okra, thawed (optional)
2 pounds extra-large (21-25) shrimp, peeled and deveined
INSTRUCTIONS

1. MAKE ROUX Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Toast ¾ cup flour in Dutch oven on stovetop over medium heat, stirring constantly, until just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Off heat, whisk in oil until smooth. Cover, transfer pot to oven, and cook until mixture is deep brown and fragrant, about 45 minutes. (Roux can be refrigerated in -airtight -container for 1 week. To use, heat in Dutch oven over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until just smoking, and continue with step 2.)

2. COOK AROMATICS Transfer Dutch oven to stovetop and whisk cooked roux to combine. Add onion, bell pepper, and celery and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in remaining flour, garlic, thyme, and cayenne and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes and cook until dry, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in broth and fish sauce until smooth. Season chicken with pepper. Add chicken and bring to boil.

3. SIMMER GUMBO Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until chicken is tender, about 30 minutes. Skim fat and transfer chicken to plate. When chicken is cool enough to handle, cut into bite-size pieces and return to pot; discard bones.

4. FINISH GUMBO Stir in sausage and okra, if using, and simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes. Add shrimp and simmer until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve. (Gumbo can be refrigerated in airtight container for 1 day.)

MAKE AHEAD: Gumbo can be made through step 3 and refrigerated in an airtight container for 3 days. To serve, bring gumbo to simmer, covered, in Dutch oven. Remove lid and proceed with recipe as directed.

quote:

I don't use "Fish Sauce or Thyme"...this is a great Gumbo!!!
This post was edited on 11/7/13 at 2:46 am
Posted by Trout Bandit
Baton Rouge, LA
Member since Dec 2012
13234 posts
Posted on 11/7/13 at 6:31 am to
Boil chicken
Debone chicken
Roast bones
Use bones for stock
Add meat toward the end of cooking
Posted by OTIS2
NoLA
Member since Jul 2008
50103 posts
Posted on 11/7/13 at 7:07 am to
I like fish sauce...never knew it was essential to a chicken and sausage gumbo.
Posted by oldcharlie8
Baton Rouge
Member since Dec 2012
7806 posts
Posted on 11/7/13 at 7:16 am to
quote:

Can I get away with boiling the entire chicken (meat on) for the broth and using the cooked meat in the gumbo?


meh yeah. but, what's the diffence if you boil the chicken first or put it in after you start boiling your roux?

Posted by barbarajones
Member since Oct 2013
10 posts
Posted on 11/7/13 at 7:21 am to
make it grilled and later put sausage and with leafy vegetables .
Posted by NOX
Member since Dec 2009
5917 posts
Posted on 11/7/13 at 8:11 am to
I have used treedawgs gumbo for the past 4 years now for the LSU / Bama game... at this point I have to double the recipe I have so many people coming.

thanks for sharing treedawg...
Posted by Motorboat
At the camp
Member since Oct 2007
22671 posts
Posted on 11/7/13 at 8:15 am to
quote:

Can I get away with boiling the entire chicken (meat on) for the broth and using the cooked meat in the gumbo?


Yes. Then roast the bones and boil with stock for extra rich flavor. Remove bones before adding roux.
Posted by TIGERFANZZ
THE Death Valley
Member since Nov 2007
4057 posts
Posted on 11/7/13 at 8:49 am to
Buy a hen, make your roux, throw raw hen in and boil everything for a couple of hours. The hen will give off a rich and buttery stock. I never cook my hen/fryer before I put it in a gumbo and when cooking with a hen, you don't need to add stock, big fat hens are stock making machines.
This post was edited on 11/7/13 at 8:50 am
Posted by BugAC
St. George
Member since Oct 2007
52785 posts
Posted on 11/7/13 at 8:53 am to
quote:

(John Besh book)


I have one of his cook books, and i tried his recipe for stuffed bellpeppers. It was awful. So i wouldn't rely on Besh's instructions to cook anything.

quote:

calls for cooking the raw chicken in the pot after the roux is prepared.


That's some backward arse shite, right there. When i have time, i like to smoke it for a couple hours, then boil it to make a stock. If i'm just doing a quick gumbo (relatively quick) i brown the chicken and use chicken broth.
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