Chicken, Sausage and Seafood Gumbo Recipe

There are some things people take very seriously: human rights, politics or God, for example.

Now I have opinions on all of these topics, but I can usually play devil’s advocate and see the other side. There are some things, however, that I am dead serious on. One of those things is gumbo.

My philosophy is if you’re gonna do gumbo, you gotta do it big. This means getting the best ingredients and making a big batch to share with friends, family and neighbors who are bound to come a-knockin’ once they smell what you’re cooking (please refrain from “the Rock” references).

Doing it big also means doing it right. Making gumbo from scratch is a time consuming labor of love (they don’t call it soul food for nothing!), so throw away your boxed seasonings and get ready to dive into a multi-hour endeavor.

Chicken, Sausage and Seafood Gumbo

cook time: approximately 2 hours, 25 minutes
yields: 10-12 servings

Ingredients
2 cups vegetable oil
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups chopped yellow onion
6 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 cups chopped celery
2 cups chopped bell peppers (Red, yellow or green bell peppers will work. Try a combination of these for a punch of color.)
half pound fresh okra, cut into 2 cm slices (Frozen okra will work also.)
3 pounds sausage, sliced diagonally into half-inch pieces (Andouille sausage or anything spicy usually yields the best results.)
12-14 chicken drumsticks
1 pound fresh shrimp, cleaned and deveined
2 jars of raw oysters, about 12-14 oysters in all
1 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon cayenne
1 tablespoon paprika
2 tablespoons dried oregano
3 tablespoons fresh thyme
a healthy dose of fresh ground black pepper
6 bay leaves
15 cups chicken broth
parsley, to garnish
2 tablespoons file powder
1 jar of sweet, mini pickles to garnish (Optional, but highly recommended!)

1) To make your roux, heat the oil and flour in a large pot. Stir the flour so no clumps remain in the oil. Once oil mixture begins to bubble, lower the heat so it is a medium-low. Constantly stir the roux. It will begin turning a caramel color and then into a peanut butter color. Continue to stir constantly, as the mixture can burn very quickly. If burning occurs, you will see dark or black colored specks in your roux. Once this happens, you must throw out your roux and begin again. Since starting over would be a pain in the butt, have patience my dears, and stir, stir, stir (this is the labor of love part).

After about 45 minutes, your roux should be a dark chocolate brown. If you dare, you can try “pushing” your roux to the darkest it can get without burning it. (The dark roux provides the gumbo’s depth and smokiness, so the darker your roux is, the more depth your gumbo will have.)

2) Once your roux is done, quickly toss in the onion, garlic, celery and bell pepper. Mix the contents of your pot until the roux evenly covers your vegetables. Cook until vegetables are wilted, about 6-8 minutes. Stir in the sausage, salt and bay leaves and cook for another 6-8 minutes. Add the chicken broth and stir until the roux is evenly distributed into the broth. Drop in the chicken drumsticks and season the broth with cayenne, paprika, oregano, thyme and black pepper. Bring the pot to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer the pot, uncovered, for an hour.

3) Add okra into pot. After five minutes, add shrimp and oysters. Let cook for 10 minutes. Turn off flame and add the filet powder. Mix the gumbo to ensure all ingredients are distributed evenly. Garnish with parsley.

Traditionally, gumbo is served with a scoop of white rice. However, french bread and/or creamy grits is another alternative.

To top everything off, I like to add a couple splashes of sweet pickle juice and have one or two pickles on the side. I know, I know — this may sound weird to some of you. But for me, the modest pickle completes the gumbo experience. Its juice adds a bit of tartness and brightens the gumbo’s flavors. The pickle, itself, adds a satisfying crunch to the soft, stewed ingredients. I don’t think it’s something one can truly describe, so just try it. At least once.