Chicken and Sausage Gumbo Recipe

Recipe By: Beryl Stokes

Gumbo is a quintessential dish in Cajun cuisine. But, what is Gumbo? The word Gumbo actually refers to Okra. Okra is used as a thickening agent to this Cajun soup; thus the name of the soup became Gumbo. An Okra Gumbo can contain chicken, sausage or any kind of seafood. My favorite Gumbo is Chicken & Sausage Gumbo or a Seafood Gumbo containing shrimp, crawfish, crabmeat and oysters.

"A jambalaya, a crawfish pie, a file' gumbo..."

Who hasn't heard that song? It must be the first Cajun song that a baby learns in Acadian Culture.

Typically, Acadians lived off the land they had been banished to and Cajun cooking involved whatever meat they could catch or kill. In tonight's episode we are going to show you a simple way to make a Chicken and Andouille sausage Gumbo from scratch.

If you think that a wonderful tasting Gumbo comes out of a box on the supermarket shelf, you are dead wrong.

The best meals are made with real ingredients and from your own hands. This recipe has several steps, but I will show you an efficient way to prepare the Gumbo in a matter of less than 2 hours.

Let's get to cooking!

Equipment Needed:

• Large Stock Pot
• Stainless Steel Skillet
• 6-8 quart Dutch oven or Large Pot (non-stick okay)
• Flat wooden spatula or flat Wisk
• Cutting board
• Knife

Ingredients:

• 2 Fresh Chicken breasts
• 2-3 links Andouille sausage or any quality sausage

• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 stick of butter
• 1 T Cajun Seasoning
• 3 Bay Leaves
• 4-5 cups Cajun Trinity (chopped onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic and parsley)
• 2 1lb bags cut Okra

• 2 cans Rotel tomatoes
• 6-8 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup Long Grain White Rice
• Chopped Green Onions for garnish

Prepare all your ingredients and have ready to go.

Fill the stock pot with water. Leave enough room for the chicken breasts. Season the water with salt and Cajun seasoning. Bring to a Boil. Place the chicken breasts in the boiling water and boil for 50-60 minutes.

Meanwhile, spray a non-stick skillet with canola oil. Turn the heat on medium #6. Cook the Andouille sausage turning often for about 20 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels. Cut into ½ inch slices and set aside for later.

Next, in the Dutch oven, heat 2 Tablespoons of canola oil and sauté the Cajun Trinity until onions and celery are translucent. Set aside.

In the stainless steel skillet, melt the 1 stick of butter. Once bubbly and hot, gradually add the ½ cup of flour. Sprinkle in a little flour and stir well. Add a little more flour and stir and so on. The Roux should be smooth with no lumps of flour. Continuously stir until the Roux becomes a dark caramel color.

Carefully, pour the Roux into the Cajun Trinity. Stir well. Return the pot to the heat and place on medium. Now mix in the Rotel tomatoes. Ladle out 3-4 cups chicken stock from the boiling chicken pot. Add to the mixture and stir well.

Add 1-2 bags of cut Okra. Make sure all is covered well with stock. Add Cajun Seasoning, Bay Leaves, dashes of Tabasco. Simmer for about 30 minutes. Occasionally stir and add additional stock if needed.

The chicken breasts should be done after 1 hour. Remove the chicken from the stock pot. Let sit a few minutes, and then cut into bite size pieces. Add the chicken and sausage to the gumbo. Stir well and add more stock to cover all ingredients. It should be a thick soup consistency.

Make a pot of rice for 4 people by bringing 2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add 1 cup rice. Stir. Cover and lower the heat to medium #3. Cook for 20 minutes and do not disturb the pot.

Serve the Chicken and Andouille Sausage Gumbo over rice in a deep plate or bowl.. Garnish with chopped green onions or bell pepper and sprinkle on Gumbo File'. A small salad and toasted French bread are excellent accompaniments for a complete meal.

Serves 6-8. Also, Gumbo freezes well for a quick supper during the workweek.

Bon Appetite!