Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

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Emeril Lagasse turned me on to gumbo when I first saw him on TV years ago. I have since spent some time in Louisiana for work and some vacations and I am sorry that I didn’t find this dish sooner in life. New Orleans is one of the best food cities that I have ever visited, and their cuisine is definitely a stand out in the culinary world. You just know when you are having real Cajun cooking. Gumbo is a good place to start because once you get the base down, you can change up the proteins to you liking. This is basically veggies, smoked sausage and some other proteins of your choice, but it’s a specific process and blend of veggies and seasoning that makes it gumbo. The trinity (green pepper, celery and onion) is Louisiana’s blessed list of veggies that make things in that part of the world specific to their cuisine. I added some chicken thighs and garnished the whole dish with some cooked shrimp. Here’s what you need to get the chicken part started:

• 4 bone in, skin on chicken thighs
• 1-2 tbsp. of Cajun seasoning – try a few and find one you love
• 2 tbsp. of vegetable oil

Heat the oil up in a large deep Dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat. Season the chicken with your Cajun seasoning, and add salt depending on how salty your seasoning seems to be. Cook the chicken skin side down for about 15 minutes or so, until the chicken skin is crispy and releases from the pan. Turn it over and cook another 8-10 minutes, depending on the size of your pieces. Remove from the pan and set aside to cool. Remove the skin and pick the chicken from the bones. I try to remove as much fat a possible too. It will smell delicious!

Time to move on to the base for the gumbo. The veggie measurements don’t have to be exact, but I used about 1 1/2 cups of each, diced to fit on a spoon.

• about 1 cup vegetable oil – enough to add to the pan to make 1 1/2 cups total
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 green bell pepper – diced
• 3 stalks of celery – diced
• 1 large onion – diced
• I lb. smoke sausage – You can use any smoked sausage you like, I used turkey sausage sometimes even. I cut mine in 1/2 then into slices, like half moons.
• 2-3 cloves of minced garlic
• 1-2 tsp. Cajun seasoning – plus more for final seasoning
• 1/2 to 2 tsp. cayenne pepper – adjust to your preferred heat level here
• 3-4 bay leaves
• 1 tsp. salt – plus more for final seasoning
• 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper – plus more for final seasoning
• 8 cups low sodium chicken stock
• cooked rice for serving
• green onion, sautéed shrimp, hot sauce and crackers for garnish and serving

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Start by heating the additional oil and the chicken drippings over medium heat. Stir in the flour with a wooden spoon. This part takes patience and attention, but it builds the base of your dish. It’s called a roux, and it’s a little like making thick sauces and gravy with flour and fat. Stir the roux most of the time while you let it develop, scraping up the bits on the bottom as you go. It should start to brown and you are going for a peanut butter color here, but don’t go by color alone since the oil will probably be tinted by the Cajun seasoning from the chicken. A good rule is 20-25 minutes over medium heat. The roux will start to smell nutty, Time to add the veggies – celery, onion green pepper – and stir into the roux.

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Let the veggies simmer down in the roux until they start to soften, about 10- minutes. Add the garlic and the sausage at this point. Let that hang around a bit, 5-10 minutes or so. I like to add the seasoning at this point – Cajun, cayenne, salt, pepper, bay leaf. Combine the veggies and seasonings thoroughly. Pour in the stock – 8 cups of low sodium or whatever you prefer, chicken stock. Spend a few minutes making sure this gets mixed together well.

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Allow the gumbo to come up to a simmer then turn it down to low and cover. Cook for about 1 1/2 -2 hours, stirring every few minutes or so to make sure it’s not sticking. When you have about 30 minutes to go, stir in the pulled chicken. Taste it every so often and add seasonings to your taste. Sautee about 1/2 lb. or so of shrimp in a little butter and season with the Cajun seasoning as well to double down on the spicy flavor if you’d like to add a little extra something to the top of your gumbo. When ready to serve, remove the bay leaves and spoon the gumbo into a bowl, add a scoop or two of rice and garnish with shrimp (if using) , green onions and pass the hot sauce! A little corn break or crackers on the side never hurts either. Enjoy!

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