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Chicken and Smoked Sausage Gumbo

Source of Recipe

From "Acadiana Table" by George Graham


Recipe Introduction

"I suspect you've never had a spoonful of gumbo like the chicken and sausage gumbo my wife makes�dark and smoky, with a velvet-like thickness enveloping tender browned chicken spiced with hickory-infused andouille. While most opt for rice only, Roxanne's bowl of gumbo is crowned with a scoop of creamy, mustard-stained potato salad and a hard-boiled egg�a South Louisiana tradition. Oh, and a generous sprinkle of fil� powder is a given."

List of Ingredients

◦� � cup canola oil
◦� 4 whole chicken thighs, bone-in and skin-on (about 1 � pounds)
◦� 2 whole chicken breasts, bone-in and skin-on (about 2 � pounds)
◦� 2 cups diced yellow onion
◦� 2 cups diced green bell pepper
◦� 2 cups diced celery
◦� 2 tablespoons minced garlic
◦� � cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
◦� 2 cups smoked pork sausage, sliced into bite-size pieces
◦� 12 cups chicken stock, plus more if needed
◦� 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
◦� 1 cup dark roux, plus more if needed
◦� Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
◦� 6 to 8 large eggs, hard-boiled and peeled
◦� Dash of hot sauce
◦� 8 cups cooked long-grain white rice
◦� 1 cup diced green onions tops
◦� Fil� powder



Recipe

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once sizzling hot, add the chicken pieces skin-side down. Brown the chicken on one side and then turn to brown the other side. Remove the chicken from the skillet and put in a large gumbo pot with a lid.

In the same skillet over medium-high heat, add the onions, bell pepper, and celery. Saut� until the onions turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and parsley and stir until combined. Add the smoked sausage and saut� just until it begins to brown. Add 1 cup of the chicken stock to the skillet and scrape the bottom of the skillet to the large gumbo pot.

At this point, add enough chicken stock to the gumbo pot to cover all the chicken and vegetables. Season with the cayenne and stir to combine. Add the roux and stir. Bring the pot to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot and let it cook for one hour.

Remove the chicken pieces. Skim the surface of any excess oil. Taste the gumbo. If you prefer your gumbo thinner, add more stock. If you prefer your gumbo thicker, add more roux. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover the pot and simmer for 30 minutes longer.

Uncover the pot and skim the surface again of any excess oil. At this point, you can leave the chicken on the bone or remove the bones and skin from each of the pieces. Add the chicken back to the pot to reheat, along with the whole peeled eggs. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes longer. Sample the finished gumbo and season with hot sauce to taste. Ladle the gumbo into large bowls over a mound of rice. Garnish with diced green onions and add a bit of fil� powder, if you like.

Serves 6 to 8



❧ Table Tip:
Eat gumbo like a Cajun: In addition to rice, most Cajun folks serve cold-and-creamy, mustardy potato salad with their dark chicken and sausage gumbo. A spoonful along the rim of the bowl provides a cool contrast to the hot gumbo. And the tradition of a few peeled hard-boiled eggs added at the final stage of cooking is still seen in many gumbo pots. Ice-cold beer and hot French bread are a given.