Gumbo

I found this great version of gumbo over on the NOLA Cuisine site. I love the fact that it uses chicken thighs, my favorite part of the chicken. You can pretty much substitute thighs in any recipe that calls for using breasts instead.


Don't skimp on the Andouille. Get the real stuff.

The original recipe calls for serving this over Creole Boiled Rice, which we did, and it was awesome. You can substitute normal white rice, but the boiled rice recipe is very simple to make and is really flavorful.

Makes: 3-4 servings
Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 2 hours 30 minutes
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup oil
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 4 T Creole Seasoning (I used Tony Chachere's)
  
• 1 cup onion, diced
• 1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced
• 1/2 cup celery, diced
• 1 1/2 cups (or more) Andouille sausage, diced
• 3 T garlic, chopped
• 1 cup okra, trimmed and sliced (can use frozen)
• 6 cups cold chicken stock
• 3 fresh bay leaves
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into 1" cubes and seasoned with 2 T Creole seasoning
• 2 T Worcestershire sauce
• Hot sauce, to taste
• Salt, if needed
• 2 T parsley, chopped, for garnish
• 1/4 cup green onions, sliced thin, 1/2 for garnish
• White rice

Note: I used Tony Chachere's Creole seasoning. You can also try the Creole seasoning recipe on NOLA Cuisine's web site.

1. Mix the onion, celery and bell pepper (the Holy Trinity) together.

2. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat.

3. Whisk in the flour to make a blonde-colored roux.

4. Add the Andouille, 1 T Creole seasoning, and 3/4 of the onion/celery/bell pepper mixture. Cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes or until the vegetables are softened.

5. Add the stock, remaining Creole seasoning, okra, remaining onion/celery/bell pepper, garlic, and salt (taste to make sure you need it). Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Add the chicken and simmer for at least 2 hours, stirring occassionally.

6. Add the Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce (if desired) and 1/2 of the green onions. Heat and serve over rice.