Authentic Chicken and Smoked Sausage Gumbo is a delicious NOLA Cajun or Creole stew recipe. The soup is made with traditional gumbo flavors and a dark roux for lots of flavor. A perfect cold weather or football game day recipe, including Mardi Gras. Straight from New Orleans.
2smoked sausages(I use around 8 ounces total, but use as much as you want!)
8ouncesfrozen okra
Instructions
Make the roux: Combine the 1 cup of flour and 1 cup of vegetable oil in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for approximately 30 minutes. You want to turn it off when the mixture gets to the color of milk chocolate as it will continue to cook and darken. Ultimately you want it to be a dark chocolate brown color, but be careful that it does not burn and start turning black. (It helps to remove the roux from the pot and pour it into a bowl to get it away from the hot pot and help stop the cooking process). Keep an eye on the roux and if it is starting to brown too quickly, turn the heat down to medium low.
1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 cup vegetable oil
Add 2 Tablespoons of vegetable or olive oil to a large pot. Heat over medium heat. Season both sides of the chicken with salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the oil in the pot and brown on both sides, approximately 5-7 minutes per side. Remove chicken and set aside.
2 Tablespoons oil
To the same pot, add the bell pepper, onion, and celery. Cook vegetables for 5 minutes until they begin to soften. Add the garlic and cook an additional 2 minutes.
1 bell pepper,, 1 large yellow onion,, 5 stalks celery, 5 cloves garlic
Add the chicken, still whole, back to the pot as well as the chicken stock. Turn up the heat to medium-high and cook until the chicken is cooked through.
3 split chicken breasts, 64 ounces chicken stock
Remove the chicken and add the roux, bay leaves, tomatoes, and seasonings (including the file). (Be careful when adding the roux as it may bubble or splatter if it is still hot).
Pull the chicken off of the bones and shred. Discard the bones and add the chicken back to the pot.
Slice the sausage into coins and add to the pot. Reduce heat to low and cook for 1.5-2 hours.
2 smoked sausages
In the last half hour, add the frozen okra.
8 ounces frozen okra
Season to taste with salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Serve with rice and/or french bread.
Notes
To make the spicier version, use the following spice measurements instead of what is listed above for the same items:
1 Tablespoon Cajun seasoning
1 Tablespoon Cayenne pepper
1 Tablespoon hot sauce
I use skinless split chicken breasts. The bone-in gives it more flavor. You can also use boneless chicken breasts or any other cut of chicken that you prefer.Worried about heat? Completely skip the hot sauce and cayenne pepper, and then add more heat if desired at the end or when serving.