New Orleans Style Chicken & Sausage Gumbo Topped with Okra & Shrimp
Gumbo
Gumbo. One of the deep south’s best dishes. You may ask yourself, how does someone from Kentucky, who lives in Tennessee make gumbo like that? Lots of practice. Making a great gumbo is all about one thing. Roux. If you’re comfortable with making a roux, then this dish is a no brainer. If not, just allot yourself a little extra time to dial it in. Those of you who know my wife, her family is from Picayune, Mississippi (those who don’t know, that’s the last stop in MS before NOLA). This is NOT their family recipe. This is years of playing with art of gumbo.This is a chicken and andouille sausage gumbo. I top mine with blackened shrimp, fried okra, parsley and scallions.
Ingredients
Roux
- 2 Sticks Butter Unsalted
- 1 Cup All Purpose Flour
The Trinity
- 2 Onions Large
- 4-5 Celery Stalks
- 1 Bell Pepper Large
The Meats
- 1 LB Andouille Sausage In a pinch smoked sausage works as well
- 1 LB Chicken Breasts Boneless Skinless
The Liquid
- 4 Quarts Chicken Stock
The Seasonings
- 1 TBSP Salt
- 1/2 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp File Powder
- 2 Bay Leaf
- 4 Cloves Garlic
The Toppings
- 1 LB Shrimp
- 1-2 TBSP Scallions
- 2-3 TBSP Parsley
- 2 Cups Okra
Instructions
- PREP: Start by small dicing all vegetables. Mince Garlic. Thinly slice scallions and separate the whites from the greens. Cut chicken breast into 1 inch pieces. Slice sausage on bias 1/4 inch thick. Finely chop parsley.
- Heat an 8 quart or larger dutch oven or stock pot on low and add butter.
- IMPORTANT!!! Once butter is melted, increase heat to medium. Have a long handled spoon and whisk on stand-by. Once butter begins to “crackle”, add flour. This is the beginning of your roux. Continuously stir, scraping the bottom to ensure that the roux does not stick or burn. Keep the roux moving to avoid burning. You will see a picture of the start, and the finish of the roux above. I typically take my roux to somewhere between a Cafe Ole and milk chocolate color.
- IMPORTANT! Once roux is to desired color, reduce heat to medium low and add sausage. Cook for 1 minute. Add onion, pepper, celery and garlic. Add salt and pepper. Cook 5-6 minutes or until veggies are softened. (Your roux will thicken up almost immediately in this process. Grab your spoon and stir, stir stir. Continually move the ingredients and roux mixture, while scraping the bottom of the pan to avoid burning.)
- Add 3 quarts chicken stock and bay leaf. Stir, stir, stir. Your roux should mix with the stock and distribute itself throughout.
- Add chicken, green onion whites, and file powder. Stir to combine. At this point you can take a breather. From this point forward you can stir occasionally. Still make sure to scrape the bottom so that the roux doesn’t stick and burn.
- Bring to a boil at the medium low heat level, then reduce to a simmer for 2 hours. Continue to stir occasionally.
- After the 2 hours has elapsed, add okra and last quart of chicken stock. Simmer for 30 minutes to an hour.
- For the Blackened Shrimp. Rinse and pat dry the shrimp. Generously coat with BLACK seasoning. Heat a tablespoon of butter in a cast iron or other heavy pan over medium high heat. Add shrimp. Cook 1 minute per side.
- Prepare parsley and scallions as a garnish. Serve on a bed of cooked rice. Enjoy!
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