Not Your Average Gumbo…

 

So for my first new recipe of 2013 the Perry’s are kicking it Cajun style !  This recipe rocked and everyone ate it which = SUCCESS !  I was very cautious with the spices, but the hubster thought it could have been spicier.  I think it was pretty close to perfect if you’re serving little mouths.  It is a bit time consuming, but worth it.  I actually cooked this Saturday afternoon and reheated for tonight’s dinner. The recipe said it could take up to 30 minutes for the roux to develop into a brown color, but I found my light weight cookware to bring it up to temperature in about 10. This is just where you will have to experiment and watch carefully.  That would be my only caution.  Try it out…this of course is a SEAFOOD FREE Gumbo… but I’m sure you could try different varieties of “protein” in it. Also, as far as the “veggies” went, I basically turned them into a puree before cooking so nothing could be identified….(it’s what I do)… I halved this recipe as it originally yielded 9 servings.  I will print it in its entirety and you can adjust as needed.  We served it over rice and like I said, it was very delicious.  I’m not usually a Cajun food fan so was pleasantly surprised at this little gem.  Fish or no Fish…I definitely think it’s a keeper ! 

CHICKEN AND ANDOUILLE GUMBO

2 TB Cajun seasoning, divided 

1 tsp salt, divided

1/2 tsp pepper, divided

3 lbs skinless chicken

1/2 cup  plus 2 TB  canola oil, divided

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 large onion, finely chopped

1/4 cup finely chopped green pepper

1/4 cup finely chopped red pepper

2 celery ribs finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

4 cups water

2 cups chicken stock

1 1/2 lb fully cooked andouille sausage sliced

2 TB Worcestershire sauce

2 bay leaves

 

1. In a small bowl, mix 1 TB Cajun seasoning, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 pepper; rub over chicken. In a Dutch oven, brown chicken in 2 TB oil in batches; remove chicken from pan and set aside. 

2. Add remaining oil to same pan; stir in flour until blended. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until browned. (Can take up to 30 minutes…be patient and keep stirring!) Add onion, peppers, and celery; cook and stir for 2-3 minutes until tender. Add garlic and cook 1 minute longer.

3. Gradually add water and stock. Stir in the sausage, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, chicken, and the remaining Cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper (I did not add any more seasoning to mine at this point).  Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for one hour or until chicken is very tender.

4. Remove chicken from pan and shred and then return to pot. Serve over rice.