Chicken and Sausage Gumbo (w/ pics)

Cooler weather and a Saints game get together at my house meant it was time for gumbo. So, like a good Louisiana boy, I made it a day ahead!

As always, this is how I do mine. I’m sure yours and your grandma’s are fantastic, too.

Father, Son, Holy Spirit at the ready:


And prepped for once I start my roux. No time to stop and do anything then!



Next, I season some flour and my bone in, skinned and trimmed chicken thighs and dredge the latter in the former. Reserve the seasoned flour for your roux.




Heat up some canola oil and get to frying the bird...



Once your chicken is golden on both sides, remove from the oil and place on a rack or paper towels to drain.



I set my frying oil aside and have a beer (or two..or three) while the oil cools. Next, I’ll take two cups of the oil, along with the flour bits left over from the chicken, and heat it up in my roux pot. Once the oil gets around 350F, I’ll slowly add in 3 cups of the reserved flour I used to dust the chicken.







Once my roux is nice and dark, I add about 2/3-3/4 of my trinity to cook it down and cool the roux. I rarely do this inside and I’m really stinking up the joint!



Next, I start adding a ladle at a time of my simmering chicken stock (not pictured) to my roux, while continuing to stir and incorporate. I repeat this until I have a nice roux “slurry”, then add that slurry to the remaining, simmering chicken stock.





Once that’s all stirred in and happy, I add the rest of my trinity, the chicken, black, white and cayenne pepper, along with some garlic and onion powder, and bring to a boil. I’ll start to skim the foaming fat from the top, then add my first dose of herbs (dry oregano and fresh thyme), turn down the heat, and let simmer for about 30 minutes to get the chicken tender. It’s starting to look like gumbo now!





I’ll do a little more skimming throughout and add my andouille and a little more fresh thyme. I use Bailey’s and I don’t typically brown it first as there just isn’t a ton of fat to render. If you prefer browning it, have at it.



From there, I’ll continue to simmer and skim another 20 minutes or so, taste for salt and seasoning and add as necessary. Note that I don’t add salt to this point because of the andouille. If I do it prior to the addition of the sausage, I risk over salting. Once I get it the salt and seasoning where I want it, I add chopped green onion and parsley, and cut the heat. Cover it again, and in 20 minutes, it’s ready to serve!



I like mine with rice, or with a simple potato salad and a boiled egg as pictured. A couple dashes of Red Dot and I’m in heaven!