Gumbo YaYa
Ingredients
- 1 small chicken, broken down into parts (you can do this yourself or buy a chicken already cut)
- Salt and pepper
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus extra for dredging chicken
- 1/4 cup grapeseed oil (or any oil with a high smoke point such as vegetable or canola)
- 2 large onions, medium dice
- 2 bell peppers, medium dice
- 4 stalks celery, medium dice
- 10 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 Tablespoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
- Pinch of dried oregano
- Pinch of dried basil
- Pinch of dried thyme
- 4 bay leaves
- 4 quarts water
- 12 oz andouille or other smoked sausage, sliced 1/4 inch thick
- 1 pound large shrimp (you can omit this if you want)
- 15 oz (1 bag) frozen cut okra
- 1 Tablespoon file powder
- Tabasco sauce, to taste and for serving
- Boiled rice, for serving
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced
Steps
- 1
Season both side of the chicken with salt and pepper.
- 2
Dredge chicken with flour and shake off excess flour.
- 3
Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot (I use my Le Creuset 7.5 quart bouillabaisse pot) until very hot, almost smoking. Sear the chicken in the hot oil until it is golden brown, about 5 minutes on each side. You will likely have to do this in batches, depending on the size of your pot. Remove the chicken from the pot. I like to put it on the lid of the pot turned upside down because you don't have to dirty another dish, and it will collect all of the juices from the chicken.
- 4
Add the flour to the oil, stirring constantly over a medium-high heat with a wooden spoon until the roux is the color of chocolate. Scrape the sides and bottom of the pot constantly as you stir, trying to break up any bit of chicken that are stuck to the pan. It's better to cook your roux at a medium heat for a longer period of time instead of high heat because you run the risk of burning the roux. If you do burn it, you'll see black spots which will be bitter and ruin the roux. Be patient: getting a roux to the finished color took me about 10 minutes.
- 5
When the roux has reached the desired color, add the onions and cook for 1 minute. Add the celery and bell pepper and cook for another minute. Be sure to continue to scrape the sides and bottom of the pot as the Holy Trinity cooks.
- 6
Add the garlic and stir. Add the cayenne, oregano, basil, thyme and bay leaves and season with salt and pepper.
- 7
Slowly add the water, stirring constantly to avoid lumps.
- 8
Add the chicken back to the pot with the sausage and stir. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer for about 2 1/2 hours.
- 9
Skim away any fat that appears on the surface of the gumbo as it simmers.
- 10
When the chicken is falling off the bones, remove it from the pan again. Add the shrimp (if using) and frozen okra.
- 11
Once the chicken is cool enough to touch, remove the skin and bones and shred the meat and return to the pot.
- 12
Add the file and stir well to avoid clumping. Adjust the salt and pepper and finish with Tabasco sauce to taste.
- 13
Serve over boiled rice and garnish with green onions.
Source: thechoppingblock.com·Own this recipe or photo? Request removal