Finally, we have an almost perfect Chicken & Sausage Gumbo! Three times I have made this recipe from Food Network by Emeril. It is a combination of this and this recipe by him. When I say it was a journey to make this gumbo for the third time, I would not be exaggerating one me!
For starters, the gumbo file is difficult to find in Dayton, OH. I went to Kroger, Walmart, and Meijer. Nada. Zip. Zero. In the end, I had to order it from Walmart.com and have it shipped to a local Walmart for pick up. However, it only came in a two-pack, more than I will need for a while! When I went to pick it up, can you believe the kiosk did not function? I knew I had to make this perfect.
Making the Roux
To make sure this dish was a success, I knew I had to nail the roux. For gumbo, only a chocolate roux will do. The key to getting that beautiful dark brown color is staying put in front of the stove and stirring. Once it starts browning, this is the point where it can burn quickly! Luckily for me, I was able to get the perfect roux for this gumbo.
Final Thoughts
I used chicken andouille sausage, which was perfectly spicy. Cajun and Creole use “the trinity” in place of mirepoix. The trinity includes onions, celery, and bell pepper (instead of carrots). There was a mix of beautiful spices and herbs, which gave the perfect flavor to the chicken stock base.
I love this dish so much. It reminds me of when my (grand) mother used to make it for the holidays. She would include chicken, shrimp, crab legs, and sausage. Even though I am not a big fan of shellfish, I still enjoyed it very much.
With school back in session and a harder semester ahead, this meal is comfort food, stress relief, and self-care! Next time I make it, I will try to make it more low carb using xanthan gum and less roux to thicken.
Equipment
- 2 6 qt stockpot
- 1 whisk
- 1 strainer
Ingredients
- 1 recipe poached chicken with stock reserved recipe here
- 1 cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chopped brown onions about 3 medium
- 3 tbsp minced garlic about 9 cloves
- 1 cup chopped green bell pepper about 2
- 1 cup chopped celery 2 to three stalks with greens
- 2 lbs andouille sausage or other smoked sausage sliced into ½ inch rounds
- 1 tsp kosher salt to taste
- 1 tsp black pepper freshly ground
- 2 each dried bay leaves
- 2 tsp creole seasoning blend see below
- 6 each green onions thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley finely chopped
- 4 cups cooked white rice see below
- filé powder
Creole Seasoning Blend
- 3 tbsp paprika
- 7 tsp kosher salt
- 4 tsp white pepper
- 5 tsp onion powder
- 5 tsp cayenne pepper
- 5 tsp dried oregano
- 5 tsp dried thyme
Instructions
Creole Seasoning Blend
- Mixed all ingredients and set aside.
Chicken Stock
- Make our poached chicken recipe. Remove chicken from the liquid and set aside, then strain the liquid and reserve. Once cool enough to handle, discard the bones and skin and chop the meat into bite-sized pieces. Refrigerate until ready to use. Cool the stock to room temperature before making the roux.
Make the Roux
- While poaching the chicken, make a roux in a heavy bottom stockpot or dutch oven and heat oil over medium-high heat. Slowly whisk in the flour until thoroughly combined. Be sure to continue whisking/stirring, paying close attention to the curves of the pot. When the roux starts to brown, drop the heat to medium or medium-low heat. Do not stop whisking until the roux is the color of milk chocolate.
Finish the Gumbo
- Stir in the onions, green peppers, celery, and garlic to the roux and cook until softened, about 4 to 8 minutes. Add cooled stock to the roux-vegetable mixture with bay leaves and two teaspoons of the creole seasoning blend while stirring. Simmer for 2 hours, removing any foam that rises.
- Serve over white rice and top with parsley, and green onion.
White Rice
- In a medium saucepan, combine the rice, water, butter, salt, and bay leaf and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until all the liquid is gone, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave covered for 10 minutes.
- Uncover and fluff with a fork, discard the bay leaf.