Down here in the Crescent City, anything below 75 degrees qualifies as fall weather. With our recent "cool" spell, I got a hankering to make Chicken and Sausage Gumbo. It's super easy, and I thought I'd share the recipe with y'all. Get ready cher, cause we gonna eat!!!
SUPER EASY CHICKEN AND SAUSAGE GUMBO
1 cup oil
1 cup flour
2 large onions, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped
4 ribs celery, chopped
4 - 6 cloves garlic, minced
12 cups chicken stock
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons Creole seasoning, or to taste
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves (I used fresh)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste (I really didn't add any, since the andouille sausage is so spicy)
1 large chicken (young hen preferred), cut into pieces (I bought pre-cut and took most of the skin off)
2 pounds andouille sausage, cut into 1/2" pieces (If you can't find andouille, use whatever smoked sausage or kielbasa you like.)
2 pounds smoked sausage, cut into 1/2" pieces
1 bunch green onions, chopped
2/3 cup fresh chopped parsley
Chop sausage into 1/4" pieces.
If you don't like real spicy foods, you might want to play with the sausage ratio....maybe 1 lb. andouille (or cajun/spicy sausage) and 3 lbs. of regular smoked sausage.
Brown sausage in a little bit of oil and then drain on a separate plate.
Take skin off of breasts and sprinkle liberally with Creole Seasoning.
Place chicken into the same pot with sausage grease and brown quickly.
Remove chicken to a separate plate to cool.
When cool, remove chicken from bones.
While your sausage and chicken are browning, chop all seasonings.
You will need these in a hurry, so have them ready.
In the same pot (yes there will be little bits of debris in the pot, it's okay), heat the oil and cook the flour in the oil over medium to high heat (depending on your roux-making skill), stirring constantly, until the roux reaches a dark reddish-brown color, almost the color of coffee or milk chocolate for a Cajun-style roux. If you want to save time, or prefer a more New Orleans-style roux, cook it to a medium,
peanut-butter color, over lower heat if you're nervous about burning it.
As soon as your roux gets to its desired color, add the vegetables (I warned you that you'd need them quickly, so have them right by the stove while you're making the roux) and stir quickly. Adding the vegetables stops the roux from cooking.
Continue to cook, stirring constantly, for about 4 minutes.
Add the stock, seasonings and chicken (which has been picked from the bone). Bring to a boil, then cook for about 1 1/2 hours, skimming fat off the top as needed.
Add the sausage, chopped green onions and parsley, and heat for another 45 minutes.
Serve over rice in large shallow bowls with hot French bread.
Okay, I see you....wipe that drool from the corner of your mouth.
If only you could taste your monitor and get a good whiff of this....mmmmmmm.
Don't be intimidated by the roux. It's really not that difficult. This recipe is really good and, while a little time consuming, not difficult to prepare. It's easily doubled for a crowd and freezes well.
Hope you enjoy!!
I've already informed all of my guests to arrive around noon and we'll be seated for dinner as close to 1:00 p.m. as possible, so that by the time the pigskin starts to fly, we can all be assembled in the media room to partake of...um....a big old Cowboy butt whooping!
