It was SUNDAY FOOTBALL!! I wanted to make something that I wouldn’t take me all day in the kitchen. I been working all week…and was going grocery shopping today…which mean I had to meal plan…so I wanted to make something that was quick and easy. I wanted to make seafood gumbo but we had eaten up all the boiled crabs from last night and at the local grocery store…they didn’t have any oysters or crabs…so I decided to make chicken and okra gumbo instead. Everyone in my house eats GUMBO except my oldest!! She doesn’t eat red beans & rice, white beans & rice or GUMBO!! I love gumbo with potato salad or grilled cheese sandwich. Today, I didn’t have any potato so I had to settle on eating our gumbo with grill cheese. My 2 youngest girls…ate 2 grill sandwiches with just the gumbo juice hahaha
INGREDIENT
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup vegetable oil
1 large white onion, cut into 1/2 inch
3 large celery ribs, cut into 1/4 inch
1 green bell peppers, cut into 1/2 inch
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
6 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
1 lb hot sausage (Hill-shire Farm) thinly sliced about 1in thick
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon smoked hot paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 pound frozen okra, sliced 1/4 inch thick
One 3 1/2-pound rotisserie chicken—meat shredded (you can use just used cooked chicken breast)
1 teaspoon ground pepper
GARNISH
salt or Tony’s Chachere
Tabasco
Steamed rice
Sliced green onions
Chopped parsley
DIRECTION
In a large dutch oven pot over medium heat, whisk in the 1 cut of flour with 1 cup of oil until smooth. Cook the roux over moderately low heat, whisking often, until deep brown, about 15-20 minutes. BE CAREFUL NOT TO BURN THE ROUX!!! You don’t want to see any BLACK SPECKS!!! If you do…you need to start over. You have to pay close attention to the roux at this step!! Next, add in the onion, celery, bell peppers and garlic and cook over moderately low heat, stirring, until the onion is translucent, about 20 minutes.
Gradually add the stock to the pot, whisking until nicely incorporated. Add the bay leaves, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika and bring to a simmer. Cook over low heat for 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
In a separate skillet place the cut sausage into the pan with no OIL. Sautés until the sausage has a nice crust on the outside. Pour into the GUMBO POT.
Add the okra to the pot and simmer until tender, 30 minutes. Stir in the COOKED chicken meat and season the gumbo TO YOUR TASTE…with salt, pepper and Tabasco. Discard the bay leaves, ladle the gumbo over rice, garnish with chopped scallions and parsley. Add more Tabasco sauce for HEAT!!
*****I usually like to cook about 5-6 pieces of chicken breast in the gumbo pot…for about 30-45 minutes (depending on the thickness). Then I would take it out and shredded it ….then add it back into the pot. I only use the rotisserie chicken when I am press for time or I had a chance to stop by Sam’s or Costco to grab one. I like using the rotisserie chicken because they have a mixture of white and dark meat.
Cooked sausage separately
Shredded chicken
You can cook the chicken breast inside the gumbo..but after 45 minutes …take it out and shredded the meat.
Serve with some grilled cheese sandwich
