When you live on the Gulf Coast, you start eating Gumbo at a very young age. All the local restaurants serve homemade Gumbo and all the Women can make it. You grow up stirring roux and smelling the delicious scent of Gumbo warming on the stove. You learn that just about anything can go into a pot of Gumbo to make it yummy. You also learn that if it doesn’t have some type of seafood in it, the folks around here don’t really consider it Gumbo! However… if like me, you are severely allergic to shellfish of all types you don’t get to have this fantastic concoction of the Gulf Coast. So, you have to learn to make a pot of gumbo that people still consider Gumbo – even if it has no Seafood!
Tips for Make-Ahead Chicken and Sausage Gumbo:
- Do not put the Gumbo into the fridge with it hot! Wait until it cools completely before refrigerating it
- Do not heat it back up quickly. Do a low heat to get it to the right temperature.
- If you are making the Gumbo a day or two before, then wait to put the sausage into it. Adding later keeps the sausage grease from leaching into the gumbo and distorting the flavor (Trust me, this is the voice of experience talking!)
- You need a gumbo pot
or you are NOT going to have room for all this goodness… you are talking at least 12-15 servings depending on how much veggies and “stuff” you add.
Serve over white rice with potato salad and saltine crackers – oh so yum! And, “some like it hot” so be sure to have some of your favorite hot sauce on hand.
- 16 pieces chicken thighs
- 2 pounds of spicy sausage in Southern Alabama, we prefer Conecuh
- ½ pound of fresh okra sliced
- 2 cups of minced celery
- 2 cups of minced onion
- 2 cups of minced green bell-pepper
- 2 cups of minced red bell-pepper
- 2 cups of minced orange bell-pepper
- 2 cups of minced yellow bell-pepper
- 1 cup of minced green onion
- 1 gallon of chicken broth you will get this from preparing the above chicken
- salt
- black pepper
- chicken bullion cubes
- 1 T Worcestershire
- 1 teaspoon of cayenne
- white rice
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Boil chicken pieces and celery in enough water to leave 1 gallon of broth.
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Remove chicken from broth when tender.
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Cool, remove skin, and debone.
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Return to broth and add bell-pepper & bullion cubes sallow to simmer.
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In a large skillet, combine roux, onions, and okra
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Cook over medium heat until tender, then add to chicken and broth.
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Bring to a boil then reduce heat and cover.
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Simmer for 30 minutes.
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Add chopped sausage (I ½ into discs and the other half into little chunks – basically cut each dish into fourths.), salt, pepper, Worcestershire, bullions, salt, peppers, and other seasonings and return to boiling.
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Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes – check consistency. If it is too thick, add broth. If too thin add more roux.
Here are a few of my favorite Gumbo making goodies!
Remember, things are different if you want to make it a Seafood Gumbo!
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