Cajun Gumbo
This recipe for Cajun gumbo is about dialing up the dark, earthy flavors without without being too chaffy. We're making tasteful choices and nailing the classic French techniques that serve as the foundation for this style of cooking.
Ingredients
- 225 g all-purpose flour
- 225 g neutral oil, (vegetable, canola, avocado)
- 400 g onion, small dice
- 250 g celery, small dice
- 250 g poblano peppers, small dice
- 200 g okra, sliced ¼–½ inch thick
- 25 g garlic, minced, about 6–8 cloves
- 900 g bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, about 2 lbs
- 380 g andouille sausage, quartered and sliced, about 13 oz
- 1500 g chicken stock
- 35 g Better Than Bouillon chicken base
- 3 packets unflavored gelatin
- 10 g paprika
- 3 g cayenne pepper, adjust to taste
- 3 g black pepper
- 10 g Louisiana hot sauce, or your preferred Louisiana-style hot sauce
- salt to taste
FOR SERVING:
- cooked white rice, (300g long grain rice, 350g water, 5g salt)
- sliced scallions , for garnish
Instructions
- Season chicken thighs with salt on both sides. Let sit for 10-30 minutes.
- In a nonstick skillet over medium-high, sear diced andouille until browned. Remove.
- In the same pan, brown chicken thighs over medium heat on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Remove and set aside.
- Medium dice onion, celery, and poblanos. Slice the okra into 1 inch rounds. Mince the garlic.
- To make the roux, in a large dutch oven over medium heat, combine 225g neutral oil and 225g all-purpose flour. Stir constantly, reducing to medium-low as color develops. Cook 45 minutes until the color becomes a deep chocolate brown (see photos and a more detailed description of the roux process above)
- Add onion, celery, & poblanos to the roux. Toast 5-6 minutes. At this point, the roux should begin to stick to the bottom of the pot. Add garlic and stir for another minute.
- While veggies toast, make a fortified stock by whisking together stock, Better than Bouillon, and gelatin. Gradually add it to the toasted roux and vegetables pot about 2c at a time, stirring constantly and allowing liquid to come to a simmer before adding more liquid.
- Dice the seared chicken thighs into 1" cubes, then add to the pot with the seared andouille, any resting juices from the meats and the okra. Bring back to a gentle simmer and cook for about 25 minutes. Stirring every 5 minutes or so.
- 15 minutes in, come back and skim off the okra scum and any roux oil that has risen to the surface.
- Continue to cook until the chicken is just starting to be shreddable, and the trinity veg/okra are tender but not mushy.
- Once the chicken is tender, add cayenne, paprika, black pepper, and hot sauce. Taste and adjust the salt if needed.
- Serve in bowls with a scoop of rice on top. Garnish with scallions.
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