Gumbo Recipe

I like to make a roux in the oven like described in Alton Brown’s Gumbo recipe. You can do it on the stove top or even in the microwave, but I’ve had mixed results trying to get the roux dark enough for a rich gumbo and not burning it (who needs that stress). The oven takes longer, but it’s fool resistant. The 4 ounces of oil and flour works great to make a rich roux base for my size pot

Ingredients

• 4oz flour
• 4oz vegetable oil
• 1 large onion (about 2 cups chopped)
• 1 large bell pepper (about 2 cups chopped)
• 2 celery ribs (about 1 cup chopped)
• 1lb chicken thighs (I prefer bone in, but boneless is easier)
• 1lb smoked sausage
• 3 quarts of water (I just top off the pot once all the ingredients are in)
• 1Tbsp Tony Chachere’s Creole Seasoning

At the table

• File powder
• White Vinegar
• Tabasco
• Chachere’s

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350. Mix flour and vegetable oil in an oven/stovetop safe pot big enough to hold at least 4 quarts. I like a cast iron dutch oven for this, but stainless is fine. Place pot in the oven and stir every 30 minutes for at least 90 minutes. At the end of this 90 minutes is about as good a time as any to start a rice pot.

This is a good time to chop your veggies and sausage. You’ll add all the veggies at the same time so feel free to put them in one bowl once prepped.

Once the Roux is somewhere between caramel and chocolate color stir in the veggies and saute them on the stovetop for a couple minutes until the onions turn clear. The roux will darken up as you cook down your veggies.

Next, add the chicken and let the toss it around in the roux and veggies to brown up a little. When satisfied with the darkness of the roux, add water and seasoning and bring it to a boil. Boil for at least 20 minutes to make sure the chicken is cooked through adding the sausage in for the last 10 minutes.