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I can hardly believe I've never shared this recipe with you, but perhaps, with the holiday season almost on top of us, it was supposed to be saved until now. Maybe we'll just call it an early Christmas present.
I've been making this delicious gumbo for, what seems like, eons. A co-worker of mine attended cooking school in New Orleans many years ago. One fine day, not long after she returned, my friend brought a large container of this classic Creole dish to work as a treat. It was one of the recipes she'd learned in her class. Up until then, the only gumbo I knew about, was the kind in the red and white can, so I wasn't expecting anything super exiting.
Wow, I couldn't believe how fabulous it was! I begged her for the recipe and didn't waste any time re-creating it for my family to try.
"Candy", that's what my husband called it as he ate the first bowlful. It's a funny description, but it's the adjective he uses for something so superlative that there are no other words. Although Scott is my greatest culinary fan, there are only a handful of recipes that he describes as "candy".
I've served this gumbo many times over the years for family get togethers and dinner parties. It's always a huge hit.
I love that all the work can be done in advance allowing me to enjoy my guests instead of slaving in the kitchen. When it's time for dinner, I dish up bowls of steaming hot rice ladled with this fabulous Cajun-style gumbo.
A scatter of thinly sliced scallions and finely chopped parsley is the fresh, finishing touch. Sighs of delight often accompany each savory bite.
- 2 pounds boneless chicken breast cut into bite size pieces
- 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup canola oil or other mild flavored oil
- 1 pound Andouille* sausage if you can't find Andouille, use your favorite smoked sausage. (I like to use Andouille chicken sausage.)
- 3 medium onions peeled and cut in ½-inch pieces
- 4 medium bell peppers cored and cut in ½-inch pieces
- 4 large cloves garlic minced
- 6 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 pounds shrimp medium or large, shelled and deveined
- green onions scallions, thinly sliced for garnish
- fresh parsley finely chopped, for garnishing
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The night before, or at least several hours before starting the gumbo, sprinkle the chicken breast with Cajun seasoning. Massage the meat to incorporate the seasoning. Refrigerate until ready to use.
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Preheat oven to 375˚F.
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Add the flour to a large heavy-duty Dutch oven cook over medium heat on the stovetop. It will take about 5-10 minutes for it to begin to toast. Stir flour continuously. You'll notice a nutty aroma first, then flour will start to smoke just a bit and turn a pale golden brown color. As soon as you see the smoke, remove pot from burner.
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Add oil and stir until mixture is nice and smooth. Cover Dutch oven and transfer to the preheated oven for about 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. The time will vary a bit, depending on your oven. I like the roux to be a deep golden brown color, darker than peanut butter but not as dark as chocolate. You can go a bit darker for more intense flavor, if desired.
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When roux is the right color, transfer pot from the oven back to the stovetop. With heat on medium, add sliced sausage, peppers and onions. Cook, stirring occasionally for 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another 30 seconds, continuing to stir.
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Add 2 cups of the chicken stock, salt and pepper. Stir well. Slowly add the remainder of the broth, stirring continuously. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, uncovered, or until peppers and onions are tender.
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Add chicken, stir to combine, then return gumbo to a boil. Add shrimp, stir, cover pot and turn off the heat. Let gumbo sit, covered for 10 minutes before serving. The chicken will finish cooking and the shrimp will cook perfectly during this 10 minute resting time. Taste and season, if needed.
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Serve in bowls over jasmine rice. Garnish with sliced green onions and chopped parsley.
Notes:
~ *
Andouille
sausage is a spicy smoked sausage originally made in France. It's common in many Cajun dishes as well and is classically made from pork. Now days you can find chicken
Andouille
which tends to be lower in fat.
~ The recipe's been tweaked a bit over the years, utilizing beautiful bell peppers in hues of yellow, red and orange in lieu of the plain green peppers in the original recipe.
Cook's Illustrated
taught me the "oven roux" method, eliminating a lot of tedious stovetop stirring, a traditional step in classic gumbo recipes.
~ The gumbo can make it a day in advance and rewarmed before serving. We always comment that the flavor just keeps getting better and better as the gumbo ingredients have time to make friends (aka melding).
~ This makes a large pot of gumbo. Feel free to cut the recipe in half, but you may be disappointed when you go to the fridge and find out that someone's snitched the last little bit!
Serves 12-14 with jasmine rice (basmati is great with this too!)
Julia | JuliasAlbum.com says
What an amazing dish! Chicken and shrimp is always such a winning combination especially coated in a sauce like this one! YUM!
Beth says
I've got a few of those recipes, too - the ones I've made many times but not yet posted on my blog. Your gumbo ('candy') looks awesome!
Angie Schneider says
Looks mouthwatering! The sauce is irresistible!
Pam says
I've never made gumbo before... it looks fairly easy and so delicious!
Anonymous says
Any idea how many this will serve?
Chris Scheuer says
It serves a crowd and makes great leftovers, easily feeds 12-14 with rice.
Chris Scheuer says
I just updated the recipe, thanks for pointing that out! 🙂
Cindy Martin says
Stupid question time-
Do you throw chicken in raw or cook ahead of time? ( I've not made gumbo before.)
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Cindy, that's a really good question, not stupid at all. You do throw the chicken in raw. It's cut into bite size pieces so the heat will cook it as it sits covered for the ten minutes. It will be completely cooked but still very tender, not dry.
Jeanette | Jeanette's Healthy Living says
Your gumbo looks so good! After we went to New Orleans about ten years ago, my kids fell in love with gumbo - it's such comfort food. I make a lightened up version these days.
Veronica Miller says
I like the idea of gumbo but never really had a great one. I must must must try this one. It's got my mouth watering!
Mr. & Mrs. P says
Beautiful dish!!! Bet its a hit!!! Thanks for sharing!!!
Rosemary Wolbert says
Mr. Rosemary, too, calls things he likes "candy" although those things usually involve either sausage or chocolate; thankfully, not together. This is a beautiful gumbo. I once, long ago, attended a cooking class in New Orleans, fell in love with the food, bought a cookbook, and made a few things once or twice. I'm reminded how good it all was.
Joyce Olson says
Oh Chris,
You have done it again! I would love a warm bowl right now-you know I just had to pin it too!
xx-
Jemma
Liz Berg says
Oh, my gosh, does this look amazing! I guess an arctic chill will arrive by Sunday...wonder if Bill can have this whipped up for my arrival home? Nah, I better just make it myself!
Anne@FromMySweetHeart says
OMG Chris...I can't believe you've been holding out on us with this luscious recipe, either! It looks AMAZING! Definitely on my must make list. I love shrimp and love finding new recipes to showcase it. This one is a beauty! : )
Sandra Lee says
My parents were from Louisiana and gumbo was a staple when I was growing up. I make it a couple of times a year and I make a lot of it. I love how bright and colorful yours is, this is the ultimate comfort food!
La Table De Nana says
I can't wait to try this:)
If Candy came to mind..:)
Is this one of the new spoons?:)
I always love that cast iron pan..it made me make that first recipe!
Is it a full 1 1/2 cup of flour?
Chris Scheuer says
Hi Monique, it is 1 1/2 cups of flour. It's a roux and the sauce gets nice and thick from the browned flour.
Sandy Leo says
Hi, I would love to make this for my boyfriend, but he is gluten free. Can you tell me if it would be ok to substitute a rice flour for the regular or would that not work?
La Table De Nana says
Thanks Chris..
Kitchen Riffs says
Your garnish of scallions and parsley looks so good! Heck, this whole recipe looks so good. I love gumbo, but it's been ages and ages since I've made any. Need to soon, I think. Thanks for the inspiration!
Lynn@Happier Than a Pig in Mud says
Sounds like a very tasty winner Chris! And I see my favorite cast iron pan too:@)
Gloria Baker says
Look beautiful Chris!!
Patty at Home and Lifestyle Design says
Looks delicious! Love gumbo!
Patty at Home and Lifestyle Design
Eha says
A lovely rich and flavourful cajun dish - I have just learned from the very knowledgeable REMCooks that this would be classed cajun [ie Louisiana country style] not creole as it does not have tomatoes in it. Living half a wolrd away I did incorrectly exhange the two at times. Loving a reasonably spicy taste methinks when I try this I'll put the cajun seasoning up a notch: perhaps 1 Tb? 🙂 !
Chris Scheuer says
Thanks Eha, living right here in the South (but not in Louisiana) I did't understand the distinction. Hope you enjoy this dish, let me know how you like it!
Eha says
Hope I am not leading you astray, but Richard is awfully good at crossing the Ts and dotting the i's 🙂 ! He just did a fabulous seafood jambalaya on his blog and gave us a very welcome lesson to boot 🙂 !
Georgia | The Comfort of Cooking says
This is such delicious comfort food, Chris. I love how colorful, warm and comforting it looks!
Jennifer@ Peanut Butter and Peppers says
Your gumbo looks amazing!!! I had combo for lunch today from our cafeteria and it was not that good. I should show them your recipe! Yours look delish!!
Claire @ Claire K Creations says
Looks like the kind of recipe that would please everyone in my family and that's a rather large task Chris. Yum!
Laura (Tutti Dolci) says
What a comforting meal and I love that it can be made in advance - so perfect for the hectic holiday season!
Denise Browning@From Brazil To You says
What a gorgeous gumbo, Chris!!! I love your chicken dishes...