Chicken and Smoked Sausage Gumbo with White Rice
Total Time: 4 hr 0 min
Prep 30 min
Cook 3 hr 30 min
Yield: 6 to 7 cups, 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 pound smoked sausage, such as andouille or kielbasa,
cut crosswise 1/2-inch thick pieces
- 4 pounds chicken thighs, skin removed
- 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning, recipe follows
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chopped onions
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup chopped bell peppers
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
- 3 bay leaves
- 9 cups chicken stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup chopped green onions
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
- 1 tablespoon file powder
- White Rice, recipe follows
- Hot sauce
Directions
In a large enameled cast iron Dutch
oven or large pot, heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil over medium-high
heat. Add the sausage and cook until well browned, about 8 minutes. Remove the
sausage with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Set aside.
Season the chicken with the Creole
Seasoning and add in batches to the fat remaining in the pan. Cook over
medium-high heat until well browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the chicken from
the pan, let cool, and then refrigerate until ready to use.
Combine the remaining 1/2 cup oil
and the flour in the same Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook, stirring slowly
and constantly for 20 to 25 minutes, to make a dark brown roux, the color of
chocolate.
Add the onions, celery, and bell
peppers and cook, stirring, until wilted, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the reserved sausage,
salt, cayenne, and bay leaves, stir, and cook for 2 minutes. Stirring, slowly
add the chicken stock, and cook, stirring, until well combined. Bring the
mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered and
stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.
Add the reserved chicken to the pot
and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, skimming off any fat that rises to the surface.
Remove the pot from the heat. Using
a slotted spoon, remove the chicken thighs from the gumbo and place on a
cutting board to cool slightly. Remove and discard the bay leaves. Pull the
chicken meat from the bones and shred, discarding the bones and skin. Return
the meat to the gumbo and stir in the green onions, parsley, and file powder.
Spoon rice into the bottom of deep
bowls or large cups and ladle the gumbo on top. Serve, passing hot sauce on the
side.
Creole Seasoning:
2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme
Combine all ingredients thoroughly.
Yield: 2/3 cup
White Rice:
2 cups long-grain white rice
4 cups water, chicken stock, or
canned low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 bay leaf
In a 2-quart saucepan, combine the
rice, water, butter, salt, and bay leaf and bring to a boil over high heat.
Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed,
about 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let sit, covered and
undisturbed, for 5 minutes.
Uncover and fluff the rice with a
fork. Discard the bay leaf and serve.
Yield: 7 cups
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 5 minutes
