Bowl of Chicken Sausage & Shrimp Gumbo
(click to enlarge)

Chicken, Sausage & Shrimp Gumbo


USA, Louisiana Creole
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 8-1/2 cups
***
2 hrs
Yes		 A very popular Gumbo, also made without the Shrimp. This Gumbo is Creole, as it includes Tomato - for Cajun skip the Tomato and make the Roux darker - see Comments.

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Chicken Meat (1)
Sausage, smoked (2)  
Shrimp
Bacon
-- Roux (3)
Butter unsalted
Flour, allpurp
-- Trinity
Onion
Bell Pepper, green
Celery
-- Other
Garlic
Okra
Scallions
-- Seasoning
Bay Leaves
Creole Seasoning (4)
Worcestershire
Salt
Pepper
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can Diced Tomatoes
Chicken Broth
-- Option
Filé Powder (5)
Water cool
-- Serve With
Rice, Steamed (6)
Hot Sauce (7 )
Do Ahead   -   (Roux 30 to 45 min, Shrimp 20 min)
  1. Roux. This is best made ahead when you are not rushed, as it takes time and patience. For Creole, make it about Peanut Butter shade to Brown, for Cajun, Brown to Dark Brown, which takes a lot longer.
  2. Shell and de-vein SHRIMP.
Prep   -   (45 min)
  1. Place OKRA in a non-reactive bowl and tumble with Vinegar to coat. Let sit 20 minutes or so, tumbling a couple of times, then drain and slice crosswise 1/2 inch thick. The vinegar will help them stay intact while cooking.
  2. Cut CHICKEN into 1 inch chunks.
  3. Cut SAUSAGE 1/4 inch thick. Cut slices in half if large.
  4. Cut BACON into smallish pieces, 1/4 inch dice if Slab Bacon.
  5. Chop ONION small. Cap and seed BELL PEPPER and chop small. Trim CELERY and chop small. Mix all.
  6. Crush GARLIC and chop small.
  7. Slice SCALLIONS crosswise thin.
Run   -   (1-1/4 hrs)
  1. In a Dutch Oven (4 quart) or similar, heat 1/2 Tablespoon Oil, then stir in Bacon and fry over moderate heat until Bacon is crisp. Remove bacon, leaving the Bacon Fat behind. Just eat the Bacon.
  2. In the Bacon Fat, fry Sausage until lightly browned. Remove it and set aside. You should have at least 1 T oil left.
  3. Stir in Trinity mix and and fry stirring until Onions are translucent.
  4. Stir in Garlic and Chicken. Fry stirring until all raw color is gone and all exuded liquid has evaporated, then stir in all Seasonings and Sausage for a couple minutes.
  5. Stir in Roux until lump free, then Chicken Broth, Tomatoes (with juice), and Okra. Bring to a boil, turn to a simmer and simmer covered until Chicken is cooked tender, 20 minutes or so.
  6. IF using:   stir Filé with water to make a slurry, then stir into the Gumbo. Stir in Hot Sauce if desired (you do desire some for Cajun).
  7. Turn the heat up. Stir in Scallions for 2 min, then Shrimp. As soon as they change color, remove from the heat.
  8. Serve hot with Steamed Rice. If filé has not been stirred into the Gumbo, you can provide some at the table to be sprinkled over the gumbo as desired.
NOTES:

  1. Chicken Thighs / Broth:

      Weight is skinless and boneless. Some recipes use Chicken Breast, but many agree with me that Thigh is far superior. For recipes like this, I buy whole chicken thighs a day ahead. I remove skin, bones and fat and simmer those with water to cover well. After 2 to 3 hours, I strain and use my gravy separator to remove fat. This produces the Chicken Broth for the recipe. For more on making and storing Broth, see our page Soup Stock / Broth.

  2. Sausage:

      Traditional is Andouille Sausage, but it is imperfectly available outside Louisiana. Most recipes today just call for "smoked sausage" and many allow Polish Kielbasa. Some prefer Kielbasa if serving children, as Andouille has significant chili heat. The photo example was made with Bandi brand "Smoked Nightstick Sausage". It comes in "Hot", which I use for me, and Not Hot which I use if serving mixed company. It's a little stiffer in texture than Andouille, but the "Hot" is about the same heat.

  3. Roux:

    This is made by combining Butter and Flour in a heavy pan and cooking it over low heat with almost constant stirring with a flat spatula until the desired color is reached - for complete details see our recipe Roux. This recipe contains Tomatoes, so it is Creole, and a "Peanut Butter" to "Brown" Roux is fine. If Cajun (no Tomato), you would want "Brown" to "Dark Brown".

  4. Creole Seasoning:

      Many recipes call for the basic ingredients of a Creole seasoning, but that is almost as much trouble as making the seasoning per our delicious recipe Creole Seasoning, and then you'd have more for other recipes. Cajun Seasoning isn't much different.

  5. Filé

      This can be used two ways. It can be made into a slurry with water and stirred into the recipe near end of cooking, or it can be a sprinkle as desired by diners. This is dried and powdered Sassafras leaves. Originally it was used as a thickener when Okra was not in season, but today many recipes with Okra also add some Filé at the end of cooking for flavor. Do not add too much or it will make the Gumbo stringy.

  6. Rice:

      This should be long grain rice such as is grown in Louisiana and Texas. Thai Jasmine will work fine.

  7. Hot Sauce:

      Some is often added directly to the Gumbo, but I make this recipe deliberately mild for mixed company, so Hot Sauce must be on the table. Acceptable brands are Crystal, Tabasco, and Louisiana.

  8. Comments:

      This is a very traditional dish, so it will be made differently in each household, but the major ingredients remain the same. Most recipes fry the Chicken and set it aside, or use roasted Chicken, but a couple of the most authoritative recipes add the chicken raw. I use a compromise sequence and fry the chicken in the Trinity until all raw color is gone, as in Asian recipes (this is California). How Tomato is added varies a lot, but none I've seen uses raw tomatoes, always canned, and/or tomato paste or tomato sauce.
  9. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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