Louisiana Chicken Gumbo

This is our take on the Louisiana classic

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• ½ cup butter
• 1 ½ lbs. chicken breast, cut up into bite-sized pieces
• ½ lb. sliced andouille, chorizo or other smoked sausage
• ½ cup all purpose flour
• ¾ cups sliced okra
• ½ cup sliced celery
• 1 chopped onion
• 1 chopped green or red pepper
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 quart (4 cups) chicken stock
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground red pepper
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• Garnish
• Salt
• Hot sauce
• Chopped scallions
• Filé powder

Method

1. Combine in bowl or bag:
   1. Salt
   2. Ground red pepper
   3. Black pepper
   4. Garlic powder
   5. Onion powder

2. Combine or shake with:
   1. Chicken pieces

3. Add in and combine or shake:
   1. ¼ cup of flour

4. Heat a Dutch Oven or large pot
   1. Add ¼ cup butter and heat
   2. Brown seasoned chicken on all sides and remove to plate

5. Add more butter if necessary to the pot

6. Add and sauté:
   1. Sliced okra
   2. Sliced celery
   3. Chopped onion
   4. Chopped green or red pepper

7. While vegetables are sautéing make the roux in a separate saucepan:
8. Heat:
   1. ¼ cup butter
   2. Whisk in ¼ cup all flour slowly to avoid lumps
   3. Turn heat to very low and stir constantly until roux turns mahogany brown )5 minutes or less)

9. Add to sautéing vegetables:
   1. Chopped garlic and cook 2 minutes more

10. Slowly add roux mixture to sautéing vegetables in the Dutch oven

11. Whisk or mix into the vegetables in the Dutch oven:
    1. Chicken stock and bring to boil

12. Add the chicken back in and simmer until chicken is cooked through 15 to 30 minutes

13. Add:
    1. Sliced andouille, chorizo or other smoke sausage and cook about 10 minutes more
    2. Stir and allow to thicken (can be thinned water if too thick)

14. Serve immediately

15. Garnish with in a bowl or plate:
    1. Salt
    2. Hot sauce
    3. Chopped scallions
    4. Filé powder – shake this unto the served gumbo on the plate. This is ground sassafras leaves and it gives it the “gumbo” taste. Add it to a served plate rather than to the pot because ground Filé powder does not reheat well so only put it in the portion being served

16. Serve with cooked rice