By Sandra Booher | May 29, 2016 | Comments Off on Cajun Chicken and Sausage Gumbo Recipe
There are different variations of Cajun Chicken and Sausage Gumbo. This version is authentic and created by my Grandmother “Cottin” who handed her recipe down to my Mom. Remember that not all gumbo’ are alike; and most of all, Cajun gumbos are different than Creole gumbo. You can learn more about the differences of a Cajun Gumbo versus a Creole Gumbo.
I have to laugh when I see all these pre-packaged gumbos and stews on the shelves in the grocery store. There is nothing like making a good Cajunchicken and sausagegumbo with fresh local ingredients right there in your kitchen. And if you haven’t had Cajun gumbo from south Louisiana, then you haven’t had real gumbo either. Not even the gumbo from New Orleans is Cajun gumbo; New Orleans is famous for their Creole gumbo.
Every Cajun owns a big pot, because its the only way to make a good gumbo. Oh and don’t worry about having to freeze the leftovers; it’s always better the next day or once you defrost it! Making gumbo is sometimes an event in itself; Cajuns even go to family members or friends home and everything is centered around making the gumbo.
If you’re not from Louisiana, you probably don’t know whatandouille sausageis. It’s a smoked sausage that has been coarsely chopped specifically for gumbos or sauces. The most popular cajun gumbos are chicken and sausage gumbo, shrimp gumbo, seafood gumbo and shimp okra gumbo. You have the choice of buying your roux or making home-made Cajun Dark Roux.
Ingredients:
- 1/3 pint dark rouxor home-made dark roux
- 8-10 skinless and boneless chicken meat (i prefer using dark and white meat)
- 1 lb andouille sausage
- 1 1/2 lb fresh sausage with green onions
- 3 quarts chickenstock
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 cups chopped onions
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup chopped bell pepper
- 1⁄8 cup diced or minced garlic
- 3/4 cup sliced green onions
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
- 1/4 cup Cajun Power Garlic Sauce
- 1/4 cup Worchestershire Sauce
- Redmond Real Salt (Sea Salt)
- Benoits Cajun Seasoning
- Cooked White Rice
Directions for cooking Cajun Chicken and Sausage Gumbo:
The bulk of the cooking time is spent on sauteing the Holy Trinity and mixing the roux together; therefore take your time on this first part. Don’t rush it! You’ll first work on the Holy Trinity, then you’ll work on cutting the chicken and sausage up whilethe vegetables are sauteing, then you’ll work on getting the water and seasoning levels just right.
Begin by slowly sauteingthe Holy Trinity vegetables in vegetable oil. You’ll want to use a very large gumbo/soup pot. The art of cooking the Holy Trinity is very important to how your gumbo will taste and how the taste will blend with the rest of the dish. These vegetables should cook for about 15 minutes to get them nice and transparent. (Note…You don’t have to sautee the vegetables quiet as long in a gumbo as you would if you were making a rice and gravy or some other type of gravy because you only need the vegetables for flavoring and not as a thickening agent.)
Slowly add roux to the mixture and stir well. Once everything is mixed well and the roux has thoroughly blended, add your hot chicken stock. Bring to a low boil, reduce to simmer and cook approximately 30 minutes. Add additional stock if necessary to retain volume.
While the Holy Trinity is sauteing, cut the boneless chicken into pieces. I use both white and dark meat for the gumbo because the white meat tends to come apart within the gumbo and that is good! VERY IMPORTANT… When adding the fresh sausage, put the entire links in the pot. This allows the sausage to thoroughly cook and will not fall apart once you cut the sausage in 2 inches pieces later. The andouille sausagecan be cut prior to adding to the gumbo mixture.
Raise your fire to a boil and Fold chicken, fresh sausage and andouille sausageinto the gumbo. Turn your fire up on high to reach a boil for approximately 15 minutes, then adjust seasonings. Return to a medium/low fire and cook approximately 60minutes.
When ready to serve, add green onions and parsley into the gumbo pot. Season to taste using salt and any type of Cajun seasoning. I use Benoits Seasoning. Serve over cooked white rice.
Cooking Tips
When cooking most Cajun dishes, it’s all about the flavors; it begins usually with our Cajun Holy trinity melody of SAUTEED onions, bell pepper and celery. The trick to making this melody perfect is to saute it in either butter or vegetable or olive oil (depending on the dish) on a low heat. You want to end up with your vegetables transparent and not crunchy. Your dish will not tastethe way it shouldif your melody of vegetables are crunchy.
The next tip is to use a Cajun seasoning that does not have salt in it. This allows you to add as much ofthe spices and herbs from the seasoning you want while havingfull control over the salt content. I use Benoits Cajun SeasoningandRedmond Real Salt (Sea Salt) for that reason.
More Recipes
Morerecipes from the Louisiana Cajun Mansion Bed & Breakfast.
