Chicken and Andouille Sausage Gumbo
This is a Creole style version of the classic.
Ingredients
- 1 cup each onion, celery, bell pepper we are using red pepper, green works too
- 2 T chopped garlic
- 2 ounce butter
- oil for cooking
- 1 Lb Chicken breast, cubed
- 1/2 lb Andouille sausage
- 1/2 cup sliced fresh okra
- 1 quart chicken broth/stock
- 1 pint tomato sauce
- 1 pint diced fresh tomato
- 1 T cajun seasoning
- 1 t gumbo file seasoning optional
- 1 each bay leaf
- 2 or 3 whole mini hot chilis fresh or dried
- salt and pepper to taste
- corn starch mixed into a slurry with water to thicken if needed
- 2 cup large diced zucchini optional
- For the rice
- 2 cups white rice pcik your favorite variety
- 4 Cups water
- 1 each cinnamon stick
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 T olive oil or butter
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large heavy bottom pan. Add in onions, celery and 1/2 of the bell peppers plus the garlic. Saute over high heat until translucent and add in the butter
- Slice the sausage into rounds and add to the vegetables along with the chicken cubes. Cook evenly on all sides, be sure to get some brown color into the proteins.
- Add in the okra and allow to cook for about a minute, stirring occasionally.
- Add the stock, seasonings, chilis, and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil.
- Turn back the heat to a simmer. Allow to simmer for about 10 minutes. Then add in the tomatoes and the rest of the peppers. Cook for 2 more minutes. If you are adding zucchini, saute it in a little oil and season. Then add in at this point.
- Check the flavor and consistency. Add salt and pepper. If it seems a little thin, bring to a boil and whisk in a little cornstarch mixed with cold water.
- Make the white rice by boiling water with a cinnamon stick, salt and pepper. Add in the rice and bring to a boil. Cut back to a simmer and cook until all the liquid has been evaporated. Add in a little olive oil or rice and stir in.
- Serve the gumbo in a bowl with rice on the side.
Notes
There are many versions of Gumbo out there. Most start with a roux base. This one is more of a stew than a soup and is thickened by the okra and optional addition of corn starch.
Since gumbo file isn't a spice one would generally keep in their pantry, I consider it an optional ingredient since it is so seldom used and would just take up space and eventually lose its potency.
There are many options for other ingredients. I put zucchini into this at the end because I feel it needs a textural and nutritional boost. This is not something traditional and it is not necessary. I just like the color contrast and the added dimension.
You can switch out ingredients as you like. Shrimp, crab, and crayfish are common ingredients. You can do different sausages, you could even do pork, lamb, beef, or other meat.
If meats aren't for you, substitute vegetables (I like squashes, snap peas, mushrooms, green beans, or others). and use vegetable stock instead of chicken. Since vegetables are more delicate, I would cook them separately and add them at the end.