Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Serving Size: 16-20
8 lbs. halved skinless boneless Chicken Thigh fillets, pre-seasoned with 1 oz. Season-All & marinated in 4 oz. Italian Dressing and 4 oz. Lea and Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
2 lb. sliced Conecuh Hickory Smoked Sausage
1 lb. Andouille Sausage sliced ½ moons (if unavailable use another lb. of smoked sausage)
1 lb. Smoked Turkey Necks or smoked Pork Tasso
4 cans Swanson garlic seasoned chicken broth
4 chicken bullion cubes
2 lb. PictSweet Blend or Cajun Holy Trinity of onion, bell pepper and shallots
2 oz. Tabasco Chipotle hot sauce
1 gal. Water
Salt and/or more Season-All, to taste
2 oz. (by volume) parsley flakes
2 cups Flour
2 cups Oil
Brown smoked sausage then remove and set aside.
Sauté onion blend @ med/low heat till caramelized. Add broth, bullion and Tabasco along with andouille and turkey necks. Bring to a low simmer while making Roux separately.
In a separate shallow Magnalite pot make Roux of 2 cups ea. flour and oil.
Add ½ gal. water to stock pot and @ med/high heat bring to soft boil then reduce to med/low. Add Roux/base to gumbo. Add salt and further seasoning as needed. If needed, add water (4 oz. at a time) for desired thickness, consistency, color and taste.
Return sausage to gumbo and continue cooking on med/low.
About 1 hour later add chicken (about 1 hr. before finish) and cut down to low heat. Add (float) parsley flakes, don’t stir in.
If Filé is used add very little at very end and preferably in the actual served bowl of gumbo. WARNING: If unsure or not familiar with Filé, DON’T use.
Submitted By: Tony Guidry, EMT-Paramedic
Louisiana, USA
16 comments:
What's the difference between a gumbo and a stew?
Fair enough question.
Simple answer: Gumbo is a watered down/thin stew.
Well, although that's technically true > there are a few more differences;
1.) Gumbo uses a slightly lighter colored Roux usually prepared in a different pot then added to the stock later, therefore the meat and greens aren't smothered in it;
2.) Gumbo traditionally has a smokey flavor due to the use of smoked sausage, andouille, turkey necks and or tasso;
3.) Although I choose to brown the non-smoked meat such as chicken, rabbit etc. in my Gumbo it's generally not done, as it is in a Stew;
4.) Gumbo doesn't have the non-seasoning vegetables such as pototoes, carrots, mushrooms, etc. > yes, some people use Okra, but that's used as a thicking agent to assist with or as in a Creole Gumbo replace the Roux. A Stew actually doesn't have to contain meat (example: potato or turip stew);
5.) Gumbo is traditionally a Fall/Winter meal and actually taste better the next day, after taking out the ice-box and reheating.
Hope this helps, but > try them both > the taste is completely different. Tony
A stew is a meal and a Gumbo is an event:> "They doing a Gumbo next door" has the same meaning as "Hey, you going to the Crawfish Boil next Saturday". Both of these are famous for drawing large crowds.
File? You didn't have that listed in the ingredients.
I'm really getting into this cajun thing that I heard so much about and these recipes are better than anything else I've found on the net. I was so suprised at the fabulous aroma of this one, I expected it to smell like a soup, but my whole kitchen exploded with fragrance.
I know, me too (about getting into this Cajun thing)! I want to make this so bad today, I'm leaving for the grocery store in a min, I'm just afraid I won't be able to find the andouille or smoked tasso :(
If anyone is from my area and knows where to find these ingredients, let me know. I know S&S has andouille sometimes, but not others...I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Ms. Nichole; why the warning about file? I didn't use any but tried to pull it up on the net and all I could find was the tool, nothing to do with cooking.
Magnificant, Fabulous, Outrageous. Wait, going fix another bowl and will be back with some more words.
No conecuh or andouille out here. I used Bryan's smoked sausage and found some frozen smoked chicken and turkey. it was pretty good although I didn't get that nice dark color. After 30 min. with roux it started to smell different. I didn't want to burn it so I turned off the fire and added the liquid before lighting the fire back up and adding the onions. Fed 12 people and no complaints. 1 said it was way better than a recipe he tried from the Food Network that didn't have a roux.
Will be trying it this weekend.
Is there a reason to use boneless, skinless dark meat vs. a whole chicken? I had read elsewhere the skin and bones give more flavor.
Please answer ASAP, if I don't get a response by Sat. I will just use the thigh meat in case it was necessary. Thanks, Jacob
Why the "Roux"? Isn't Gumbo just a cajun name for soup?
@Jacob; Hey Podna, you can use whole chicken and/or white/dark meat, whatever you like; I use only boneless thighs because the meat breaks apart rather nicely and doesn't stay hard like white meat. Boneless, because I don't like to have to deal with the bones floating around and it's safer for kids. Skinless, because it makes the Gumbo more greasy.
Yes, traditionaly the whole chicken was boiled 1st to make the stock, and the skin and bones made the most flavor, but using canned Chicken Broth, Bullion Cubes or now the "Better Than Bullion" that step isn't necesaary.
Ah, I see the Roux Nazi struck again. Don't go hating what you don't understand.
FYI; A Cajun Gumbo using roux is far superior to that of a Creole roux-less that uses okra and tomatoes.
@Jacob > sorry, correction > I use skinless because the skin makes the gumbo more greasy. You can help eliminate excess oil by soaking it up laying Scott (paper) towels flat on the suface to skim it out a little at a time.
Making the Gumbo and Ham for Christmas. Was looking for something different this year. Also need something odd for dessert like a flan, pudding, mudd, etc. that's a change from the red velvet or fruit cake we usually do.
TJ
So how much rice and/or potato salad would you make with a pot like this
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