Chicken Andouille Gumbo
1 chicken (2 ½ lbs)
3 quarts water
1 1/2 lbs fresh okra
½ cup flour
1 large onion, chopped
1 large bell pepper, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 sixteen oz can tomatoes (I use 28 oz can of diced tomatoes)
1 lb Andouille (smoked) sausage, sliced
1 bay leaf
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp basil
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp file powder
Cut chicken into eight pieces; cover with water and simmer for approximately one hour, until chicken is tender and easily removed from the bones. Pour off stock and set aside. Allow chicken to cool; remove from bones and set aside. Meanwhile, slice okra and sauté in about two tablespoons of oil until all ropiness is gone (about a half an hour). In a heavy Dutch oven, combine ½ cup of the oil and ½ cup of flour. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently to make a dark brown roux patience here as it takes about 15 minutes. Add onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic and sauté until vegetables are tender. Add sautéed okra, tomatoes and sliced sausage. Cook for about fifteen minutes. Add bay leaf, thyme, basil, pepper and salt. Add the chicken stock, mix well and bring to a slow boil. Simmer for approximately one and a half hours with the pot loosely covered, stirring occasionally. Add cooked chicken and simmer for an additional fifteen minutes. Remove from the heat. Skim off excess fat. Slowly stir from heat. Skim off excess fat. Slowly stir in file. Do not reboil after adding in file as this tends to make the gumbo stringy. Serve over steamed rice.
Notes:
1 chicken (2 ½ lbs)
3 quarts water
1 1/2 lbs fresh okra
½ cup flour
1 large onion, chopped
1 large bell pepper, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 sixteen oz can tomatoes (I use 28 oz can of diced tomatoes)
1 lb Andouille (smoked) sausage, sliced
1 bay leaf
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp basil
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp file powder
Cut chicken into eight pieces; cover with water and simmer for approximately one hour, until chicken is tender and easily removed from the bones. Pour off stock and set aside. Allow chicken to cool; remove from bones and set aside. Meanwhile, slice okra and sauté in about two tablespoons of oil until all ropiness is gone (about a half an hour). In a heavy Dutch oven, combine ½ cup of the oil and ½ cup of flour. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently to make a dark brown roux patience here as it takes about 15 minutes. Add onion, bell pepper, celery and garlic and sauté until vegetables are tender. Add sautéed okra, tomatoes and sliced sausage. Cook for about fifteen minutes. Add bay leaf, thyme, basil, pepper and salt. Add the chicken stock, mix well and bring to a slow boil. Simmer for approximately one and a half hours with the pot loosely covered, stirring occasionally. Add cooked chicken and simmer for an additional fifteen minutes. Remove from the heat. Skim off excess fat. Slowly stir from heat. Skim off excess fat. Slowly stir in file. Do not reboil after adding in file as this tends to make the gumbo stringy. Serve over steamed rice.
Notes:
-
- Difficult to find Andouille sausage here so we used smoked
or Cajun smoked sausage
- I have used left over turkey, or chicken breast instead of a whole chicken.
I use 3 containers of Chicken Stock (generic is good) instead of water and this
cuts down on prep time
- Hard to get file powder here so we leave it out; it’s a thickener but find you really don’t
need it thicker