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Chicken Sausage Gumbo
1 chicken, cut into 10 pieces.
salt
garlic powder
cayenne pepper
1 c. onions, finely chopped.
1 c. green bell pepper, finely chopped.
3/4 c. celery, finely chopped.
1 1/4 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
vegetable oil for deep frying
7 c. chicken stock, homemade or canned
1/2 lb. Andouille smoked sausage, cut into 1/4" cubes. (See note about this ingredient)
1 tsp. garlic
Cut extra fat from the chicken pieces. Sprinkle each generously on both sides with salt, garlic powder and cayenne, rubbing the spices in after all three have been applied. Let stand at room temperature while you chop the vegetables and heat the oil. Chop the onions, bell pepper and celery, combine in a bowl, and set aside.
In a large, heavy skillet, heat 1 to 1 1/2" of oil until very hot 375 F to 400 F Leave about 1/2" of space below the top of the pan, so it won't overflow when you add the chicken pieces later. Use a deep fry thermometer if you have one.
While the oil is heating, combine the flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp garlic powder and 1/2 tsp cayenne in a paper bag. When the oil is almost hot enough, add the chicken pieces one or two at a time and shake until they are well coated. Save 1/2 cup of the leftover flour.
Put the stock in a large kettle or Dutch oven, and begin heating it to a boil. Fry the chicken until the crust is brown on both sides and the meat is cooked. This takes about 6 minutes a side for light meat, a bit longer for dark. Drain on paper towels. You may have to fry the chicken in two batches.
Pour the hot oil into a glass measuring cup, being very careful to leave as many of the browned particles as possible in the pan. Pour 1/2 cup of the oil back into the pan and discard the rest.
Place the pan over high heat. Using a whisk, gradually stir in the leftover flour. Cook, whisking constantly, until this roux is dark red-brown (about 4 minutes). Be very careful not to scorch the mixture, or to splash any onto your skin as you stir.
Remove from the heat, add the vegetable mixture all at once and stir until the vegetables are all coated. Return the pan to low heat, and cook, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes. Check that the stock has reached a boil. Add the vegetable mixture to the stock in spoonfuls, stirring with the whisk after each addition. Return to a boil and stir in the andouille and the minced garlic. Simmer uncovered for about 45 minutes.
While the gumbo is cooking, remove the skin from the chicken pieces, and cut off as much meat as you can. Cut the meat into small pieces (about 1/2" cubes). When the gumbo is cooked, add the chicken meat.
The original recipe did not call for this, but I take time to spoon off the fat from the top of the gumbo. This is mostly oil, which does not solidify when you chill it. You should be able to take off at least 1/2 cup. To serve as a main course, mound 1/2 cup of cooked gumbo-style rice in a soup bowl, and ladle about 1 1/4 cups gumbo around the rice. For an appetizer, use 1 Tbspof rice and about 3/4 cup of gumbo.
Serves 5.
When I'm at a Chinese restaurant having a hard time with chopsticks, I always hope that there's a Chinese kid at an American restaurant somewhere who's struggling mightily with a fork. ~Rick Budinich
According to Hershey's Chocolate Company, Valentine's Day ranks fourth in candy sales, behind Halloween, Christmas and Easter.
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