Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

Spring grades posted: A in both classes. I looked at the grades on my phone in the break room at the daycare during my lunch break and sat there very still for a minute. Keisha came in and saw my face and said what happened and I showed her the screen and she said oh my god and hugged me and then said I told you so, which she had not actually told me but I let it go because the hug was good.

Two A grades. Working full-time at a daycare caring for eight toddlers every day while taking two college classes. I need to sit with that for a moment. I come from a childhood where the adults in my life told me, in various ways, that I was not worth much. Some of them said it out loud. Most of them just demonstrated it. I am now carrying two A grades and a promotion and a blog that people read and an apartment that is mine and a Sunday table that loves me. I am, empirically, wrong about what they told me.

Made my first gumbo this weekend. Chicken and sausage, which is the version I start with, using the dark roux I practiced, the holy trinity of onion, celery, bell pepper, and andouille sausage and chicken thighs. It took most of Saturday. The roux went right. The gumbo was rich and smoky and complex and tasted like something that had been made many times before even though it was my first time. I brought a pot of it to Gloria on Sunday.

She tasted it from the pot with a spoon and stood there in the kitchen for a moment and then she said: yes. One word. I know what that word costs from her. I know what it means. Yes.

So below is the gumbo — the one that took most of Saturday, the one Gloria tasted and answered with one word. Two A grades deserved a pot of something that asks you to stand at the stove and pay attention, something that builds slow and finishes deep. If you’ve never made a dark roux before, don’t rush it. Stir steady, keep the heat where you can manage it, and trust the process. It knows what it’s doing even when you’re not sure you do.

Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 2 hours | Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
1 pound andouille sausage, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 large green bell pepper, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
8 cups chicken stock
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 cup sliced green onions, for garnish
File powder, for serving (optional)
Cooked white rice, for serving

Instructions

Season and brown the chicken. Pat chicken thighs dry and season generously with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, sear the chicken in 2 tablespoons of the oil until golden on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Remove and set aside.
Brown the sausage. In the same pot, cook the andouille slices until browned on both sides, about 3 minutes. Remove and set aside with the chicken.
Make the dark roux. Reduce heat to medium. Add the remaining oil and whisk in the flour. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon or whisk for 30 to 45 minutes, until the roux reaches a deep chocolate brown color and smells nutty. Do not walk away — a burned roux means starting over.
Cook the holy trinity. Add the onion, celery, and bell pepper to the roux. Stir well and cook for 5 to 7 minutes until the vegetables soften. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
Build the gumbo. Slowly pour in the chicken stock, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Add the bay leaves, thyme, cayenne, and Worcestershire sauce. Return the chicken thighs to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer.
Simmer low and slow. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the chicken is tender and falling off the bone. Remove the chicken, shred the meat, discard skin and bones, and return the meat to the pot along with the sausage.
Finish and adjust. Simmer uncovered for another 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaves. Taste and adjust salt, pepper, and cayenne as needed.
Serve. Ladle the gumbo over cooked white rice in bowls. Garnish with sliced green onions and a pinch of file powder if desired.

Nutrition (per serving)

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo — The Word That Meant Everything