Chicken Sausage Gumbo

My father and mother had an open door policy for holiday celebrations (well, any meal really) and if you were hungry, you were welcome in our house. Even if you weren’t, though, you were still welcome, but you better have brought your appetite. True to his Italian roots, my father would tirelessly refill plate after plate (even if you were stuffed) and would take it as an insult if you didn’t eat up! Thankfully, the food was always worth it…

Now with a family of my own, Holidays were the perfect excuse to spend extra time in the kitchen and prepare a meal for family and friends that is so unforgettable that everyone is begging you to make it again the next year.

Mardi Gras (or Fat Tuesday) was a day to fill and refill your plate before Lent began and that is exactly what we did! My father made the best gumbo and muffuletta sandwiches around, finished off with a traditional King Cake from the local bakery that made you want to fill your plate even if he didn’t fill it for you. If that wasn’t enough, there was plenty of purple, green, and gold beads and mask making and wearing to keep the party going!

I couldn’t let another Mardi Gras go by without convincing my dad it was time to have me over to follow him around the kitchen to take notes and pictures and properly document and share his recipes.

When asked what Mardi Gras meant to my father this is what he had to say,

“My family has been celebrating the food of New Orleans for many years. We have a history there. That’s where my mom’s parents landed when they came to this country from Sicily more than 100 years ago. New Orleans is where my parents honeymooned.

My wife, Karen, and I took our kids there for vacation a couple of times. I surprised her with a trip to New Orleans for our fifteenth anniversary.

We subsequently returned to the city together and with friends more than a half-dozen more times exploring sites, architecture, music and, especially, the food of New Orleans. We brought those experiences back home to share with family and friends. The food is always central to our celebrations.”

Without further ado, here is what you have been waiting for…..

HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN AND SAUSAGE GUMBO

Prepare the enriched chicken stock, reserving the shredded chicken meat removed from the bones.

Roast the chopped okra.

Add the vegetable oil and sausages to a 4–6-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When browned remove the sausages with a slotted spoon leaving about two tablespoons oil. 

Add onions, green pepper and celery and the “Slap Ya Mama” seasoning. Sauté until vegetables begin to brown. Add garlic and sauté for another minute. Add 3 quarts of the stock, the okra, crushed tomatoes, my homemade creole spice blend, filé powder and bay leaves. (There will appear to be a large amount of okra seeds. They will melt into the gumbo as it cooks.) Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. 

Make the roux: 

In a separate heavy bottom sauté pan, heat ¾ cup vegetable oil over medium-high heat until ripples form. Whisk in the cup of flour and continue stirring carefully and constantly as the roux darkens. Adjust the heat level if the roux begins to darken too fast. Remove from heat when it attains the color of milk chocolate. Continue stirring until roux is no longer darkening. Do not allow to burn. When cooled, pour off the oil that has separated out and risen to the surface.

Whisk cooled roux into simmering broth. Return the reserved chicken and sausages. Continue to cook for about an hour, skimming oil from the surface as needed. The consistency of the gumbo should be between a soup and a stew. You can adjust the consistency to your likening by adding some of the remaining quart of broth.

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Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

John Caravelli

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Prep Time 2 hours hrs

Cook Time 3 hours hrs

Course Main Course

Cuisine Cajun

Servings 10 People

Equipment

• Dutch Oven
• Large Pot
• Sauté Pan
• Slotted Spoon
• Parchment Paper
• Baking Sheet
• Measuring Cups and Spoons
• Whisk

Ingredients

  

• 3-4 quart chicken stock
• 2 lbs frozen chopped okra
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 3/4 lb andouille sausage sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
• 3/4 lb smoked sausage sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
• 2 medium yellow onions diced
• 1 medium green bell pepper diced
• 2 stalks celery diced
• 2 large garlic cloves minced
• 4 whole canned tomatoes drained and crushed by hand
• 1 1/2 tsp ”Slap Ya Mama” Cajun Seasoning used in place of salt (or “Tony Chachere’s” or your favorite)
• 2 tbsp ”My Creole Spice Blend” (See notes)
• 1 tbsp file powder
• 2 whole bay leaves
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 scant cup flour
• 1 Chicken reserved from store bought rotisserie chicken bones used for enriched chicken stock
• 1 bunch green onions thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup Italian parsley chopped
• 1 cooked white rice for serving
• 1 hot sauce for serving

"My Creole Spice Blend"

• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp dried leaf oregano
• 3/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp white pepper

Instructions

 

• Prepare the enriched chicken stock, reserving the shredded chicken meat removed from the bones. Set aside. (See Notes.)
• Roast chopped okra on sheet pan lined with parchment paper at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until starting to brown and dry out
• Add the vegetable oil and sausages to a 4–6-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. When browned remove the sausages with a slotted spoon leaving about two tablespoons oil.
• Add onions, green pepper and celery and the “Slap Ya Mama” seasoning. Sauté until vegetables begin to brown. Add garlic and sauté for another minute. Add 3 quarts of the stock, the okra, crushed tomatoes, homemade spice blend, filé powder and bay leaves.

  (There will appear to be a large amount of okra seeds. They will melt into the gumbo as it cooks.) Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.

Make the roux:

• In a separate heavy bottom sauté pan, heat ¾ cup vegetable oil over medium-high heat until ripples form. Whisk in the cup of flour and continue stirring carefully and constantly as the roux darkens. Adjust the heat level if the roux begins to darken too fast.
• Remove from heat when it attains the color of milk chocolate. Continue stirring until roux is no longer darkening. Do not allow to burn. When cooled, pour off the oil that has separated out and risen to the surface.
• Whisk cooled roux into simmering broth. Return the reserved chicken and sausages. Continue to cook for about an hour, skimming oil from the surface as needed. The consistency of the gumbo should be between a soup and a stew. You can adjust the consistency to your likening by adding some of the remaining quart of broth.

Notes:

• For the enriched chicken stock…

  Remove the meat from the rotisserie chicken and reserve for the gumbo. Put the carcass in a stock pot along with a quartered onion, two chopped carrots and two chopped stalks of celery. Add two quarts of low-sodium chicken broth and two cups of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for an hour.
• Because store-bought Cajun spice mixes are heavy on sodium, I use it in the place of salt in this recipe with the added benefit of the spice flavoring. To boost the spiciness of the gumbo, you can add a homemade spice blend made without salt as below:

  1 tablespoon paprika

  1 tsp garlic powder

  1 tsp onion powder

  ½ tsp dried leaf oregano

  ¾ tsp dried thyme

  ¼ tsp cayenne pepper

  ¼ tsp black pepper

  ¼ tsp white pepper