Chicken Gumbo mix Andouille Sausage

Gumbo is among my favorite stews in the world. There are Cajun variations, Creole versions, gumbo from Alabama and from Mississippi. I've attempted lots of gumbos in my journeys in the Deep South, and none have been bad. Some much better than others, but this is a stew made with great deals of persistence and great deals of love.

Gumbo almost always has a variety of spices in it, and a store-bought Cajun or Creole spice mix will do just great here. But in case you reside in a location where you can't get one, I've included a recipe for my spice mix below.

You have some freedom in making gumbo, as it is really just a melange of meats and veggies. Many gumbos utilize a great deal of the "Holy trinity," i.e., celery, green pepper and onion, however few other veggies. But there is no factor you can't make a vegetarian gumbo. When it comes to meats, any will do. I typically utilize a slew of game meats in my gumbo, but so long as you use more than one you'll be fine. Chicken, andouille sausage and shrimp are a common trio. Beef, for some reason, is uncommon in gumbo.

Chicken Gumbo mix Andouille Sausage Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/3 pound bacon, diced
• 2-3 pounds chicken thighs, skin on
• Salt
• 1-2 pounds andouille sausage
• 1/2 cup peanut or other vegetable oil
• 1 cup flour
• 2 green peppers, diced
• 4 celery stalks, diced
• 1 big onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 quart chicken stock
• 1 quart water
• 1/2 to 1 pound okra, sliced into discs
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Cajun spice mix

• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon celery seed
• 2 Tbsp sweet paprika
• 1 Tbsp garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp dried thyme
• 1 Tbsp dried oregano

Method

Cook the diced bacon until crispy in a big stew pot set over medium heat. Eliminate the bacon and set aside; you'll add it back in when you serve your gumbo.

Once the bacon is cooked, set the chicken thighs skin side down in the bacon fat to crisp. Salt the meat side, which will be dealing with up in the pot. Prepare the chicken, without moving, for a minimum of 4-5 minutes prior to aiming to turn the chicken over. Brown the other side of the chicken thighs. Incidentally, you start with skin side to render some fat, which you will need for the roux.

Remove the browned chicken thighs and set aside. Brown the sausages in the fat, get rid of and reserve.

If you want, measure how much fat is in the pot; it needs to have to do with 1/2 cup. Or, do what I do and include 1/2 cup peanut oil to the pot. Let this heat up a minute or two, then stir in 1 cup flour. Stir this practically continuously for the first couple of minutes, then every couple minutes or so afterwards.

Turn the heat to medium-low and cook this roux up until it turns dark. How dark? I like my roux the color of coffee with just a tiny bit of cream. You can go all the way to chocolate brown, but be careful! If you burn your roux you will need to start over and make it once again. This entire process can take 30 minutes.

While you are stirring and preparing the roux, bring the chicken stock and water to a boil in a different pot.

Add to the roux the onion, green pepper and celery and mix well. Let this cook, stirring frequently, for about 5 minutes. Include the garlic, stir once again and cook for another 2 minutes. Mix in the tomato paste.

Using a big ladle, include the hot chicken stock to the gumbo. It will sizzle and seize up as the roux takes in the liquid. Keep including more stock, stirring all the time and scraping the bottom of the pot, to integrate all the stock and all the roux. You may not require all 2 quarts, however include enough to make the gumbo a little more watery than you desire it to be at the end-- remember you are going to cook this down for a number of hours. Stir in half the Cajun spice mix, taste the gumbo, and add more if you want.

Lower the heat to medium-low and include back the chicken thighs. Now you can either eat the skin while it's still crispy, or toss it into the gumbo and chop it great later on. I tend to do half-and-half. Simmer this carefully, stirring from time to time, until the meat wants to fall off the bones of the chicken, about 90 minutes. Remove the chicken and let it cool a bit.

While the chicken is cooling, cut the andouille sausage into thick discs and drop them in the gumbo. Include the okra. Choose the chicken meat from the bones and slice it roughly. Add it back to the gumbo. At this moment you can prepare the gumbo for another hour, or approximately a number of more hours, depending on how cooked down you want the last stew to be.

When you are ready to consume, include the green onions, parsley and bacon and stir well. Serve over rice, or with good French bread.

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