Cajunchickenandsausagegumbo Recipes

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. When hot, whisk in flour. Continue whisking until the roux has cooked to the color of chocolate milk, 8 to 10 minutes. Be careful not to burn the roux. If you see black specks in the mixture, start over.
• Stir onion, bell pepper, celery, and sausage into the roux; cook 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook another 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and Creole seasoning; blend thoroughly. Pour in the chicken broth and add the bay leaf. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Stir in the chicken, and simmer 1 hour more. Skim off any foam that floats to the top during the last hour.

Steps:

• The most important thing is to use the right equipment and I would suggest the following: a 2-gallon cast iron Dutch oven, a high BTU gas stove, and a large stainless steel chef's spoon.
• Use high heat to preheat the Dutch oven and add the sausage. Using a chef's spoon or large spoon, constantly move the sausage from the bottom of the pot. Be careful not to burn the meat. (Normally I use Manda's sausage because it has little fat, however at this point you may want to drain off all of the excess grease to reduce the fat content from the dish.)
• Add the thigh meat and brown the chicken on all sides. Again use the spoon to scrape the meat from sticking and burning to the bottom of the pot. Browning the sausage and chicken meats should take 20 minutes. Be careful not to over cook the thigh meat to the point that it shreds.
• Lower the heat to medium and add the onions and garlic; saute for about 15 minutes or until the onions are very limp and "clear". Scrape the bottom of the pot to remove all the "graton". This is where the jambalaya gets its distinct brown color and taste.
• Add the tasso, thyme, basil and black and white pepper. Simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. This will give the seasonings time to release their oils and flavors.
• At this point the jambalaya concentrate can be transferred to smaller containers, cooled to room temperature, covered and refrigerated for future use. (This is what we do commercially; it allows the seasonings to marry.)
• When you are ready to cook the jambalaya, add the stock to the concentrate and bring to a rolling boil. Add the rice, reduce the heat to medium and gently break up the rice. Using the stainless steel paddle, continue to insure that the rice is not sticking to the bottom of the pot; this is very important!
• After about 5 minutes, fold in the parsley. Continue to scrape the pot to insure that no rice sticks to the bottom. When the jambalaya returns to a boil, reduce heat to the lowest possible setting and simmer, covered, for at least 25 minutes. Do not remove the cover while the rice is steaming.
• If Manda's brand sausage is not available, any lean smoked sausage can be substituted. You may have to remove any excess grease from the pot after frying down an unknown sausage.
• For a richer jambalaya substitute turkey stock for the chicken stock called for above.
• If no stocks are available, then chicken soup base can be used. Be careful with your seasoning, as bases are usually full of salt.
• Alternate Method:
• The jambalaya is best when served directly out of the cast iron pot. While the rice is steaming, the sausage and meat will have a tendency to float to the surface of the jambalaya. Therefore, after the rice has steamed for 25 minutes, use the paddle to gently fold in the meat and seasonings into the cooked rice. This should only be done once or twice, the rice will loose a lot of heat and the rice will break apart.
• Also note, I do not add salt to my jambalaya. This is because I like to use herbs, tasso and seasonings to satisfy the need for salt. I would suggest having the table set with salt shakers and a selection of hot pepper sauces.
• Plate Presentation:

Steps:

• Make the roux: Heat the canola oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat until hot, about 5 minutes. Whisk in both flours and cook, whisking constantly, until the roux is dark brown, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand 10 minutes, then stir in the finely chopped onion.
• Meanwhile, bring the broth and 20 cups water to a boil in a large pot. Add the roughly chopped onion, the celery and bell pepper; cook over medium-high heat, 15 minutes. Stir in the roux in 3 batches; cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 30 minutes. Add the cayenne, garlic powder, 2 1/2 tablespoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Stir in the smoked sausage and tasso. Reduce the heat to low; simmer 1 hour.
• Return the mixture to a boil. Add the chicken thighs and breasts and cook 30 minutes. Remove from the heat. Skim the fat off the surface, then stir in the scallions.
• Serve over rice.

Steps:

• Combine the oil and flour in a large cast iron or enameled cast iron Dutch oven over medium heat. Stirring slowly and constantly for 20 to 25 minutes, make a dark brown roux, the color of chocolate. Add the onions, celery, and bell peppers and continue to stir for 4 to 5 minutes, or until wilted. Add the sausage, salt, cayenne, and bay leaves. Continue to stir for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the chicken broth. Stir until the roux mixture and water are well combined. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.
• Season the chicken with the rub and add to the pot. Simmer for 2 hours. Skim off any fat that rises to the surface. Remove from the heat. Stir in the parsley, green onions, and file powder. Remove the bay leaves and serve in deep bowls.
• Combine all ingredients and store in an air-tight container.

Steps:

• Lightly brown chicken thighs in a tablespoon of oil in a cast iron dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Remove chicken from pot and set aside to cool. Add the sausage slices to the same pot and cook until lightly browned on both sides. Remove to paper towels to drain. Add the vegetable oil to the pot over medium-low heat. Using a wire whisk, blend in the flour. Continue cooking and whisking constantly until flour is a dark reddish brown/dark brown. Whisk constantly or it will scorch; this step will take about 1 hour. Once the roux has finished cooking, quickly stir in chopped onions, bell pepper, and celery. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the chicken broth and enough water to fill the pot about half full. Bring to a bubble, then reduce heat to low/medium-low and simmer uncovered for 30 to 40 minutes. Add chicken and sausage to the pot. Removed the skin and as much fat as possible from the chicken before adding to the pot. If needed, add a little more water just enough to cover the chicken. Add the garlic, salt, cayenne, black pepper, and BeaZell's seasoning. Let simmer gently for about an hour. Remove chicken from gumbo and de-bone, if desired. Then add the meat back to the gumbo. Stir in the green onions and parsley and continue simmering for another 15 minutes. With a large spoon or a couple wadded up paper towels, skim as much fat as possible from the top of gumbo. Serve gumbo in shallow bowls with a scoop of hot cooked white rice. Add a sprinkle of gumbo filé. Garnish top with additional green onions, if desired. Serve with potato salad on the side and toasted French bread. Enjoy!

Steps:

• Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and Creole seasoning, and brown quickly in large heavy pot.
• Brown the sausage, pour off fat, and reserve meats.
• In same heavy pot, heat the oil and cook the flour in the oil over medium to high heat (depending on your roux-making skill), stirring constantly, until the roux reaches a dark reddish-brown color, almost the color of coffee, or milk chocolate for a Cajun-style roux.
• If you want to save time, or prefer a more New Orleans-style roux, cook it to a medium, peanut-butter color over lower heat if you're nervous about burning it.
• Add the vegetables and stir quickly.
• This cooks the vegetables and also stops the roux from cooking further.
• Continue to cook, stirring constantly, for about 4 minutes.
• Add the stock, seasonings, chicken and sausage.
• Bring to a boil, then simmer for about 1 hour, skimming fat off as needed.
• Add the chopped onion tops and parsley, and heat for 5 minutes.
• Serve over rice in large shallow bowls.
• Great with hot crusty bread!

Steps:

• Melt some butter in your heavy bottomed pot.
• Sprinkle your chicken with a lil bit of flour.
• Brown in the butter (about 5 minutes?) Remove.
• In the same pot, using equal parts butter and flour, make your roux.
• (see my recipe list, if you don't know how to do this, it is posted under gumbo base, aka roux) Once the roux has reached the dark chocolate stage, add the onion, bell pepper and celery.
• In Louisiana, this is known as the Holy Trinity, almost every cajun/creole dish begins with this.
• Add some salt, some pepper and a lot of garlic and saute all the veggies for a little while.
• It doesn't matter how long of a little while as long as you don't let it burn.
• Add chicken back into the pot.
• Start adding your water or broth slowly, stirring the whole time.
• You will know when you have enough by how thick or thin your gravy is.
• If you want thinner gravy, more stock, if you want thicker gravy, less stock.
• Season with more salt, more pepper and the cajun seasoning blend.
• Bring just to a boil and lower heat to a simmer.
• Add sausage.
• Allow to cook long enough for the chicken to began to fall of off the bones or until people are hovering over you trying to snitch spoonfuls of it behind your back.
• (about an hour and a half?) Serve over rice.

Steps:

• Put chicken pieces in a bowl. Blend salt, peppers, mustard, cayenne pepper, paprika, granulated garlic and file powder. Rub four teaspoons of the mixture over the chicken. Set rest of spice mixture aside.
• Put the flour in a bowl and add two teaspoons of the reserved spice mixture. Blend well.
• Heat a 10-inch skillet and add the oil. Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour mixture to coat well, shaking off excess. Reserve the leftover flour.
• When the oil is hot and almost smoking, add the chicken pieces skin side down. Cook about two minutes on one side until golden brown. Turn and cook about three minutes on the second side until nicely browned. Do this in batches so as to not crowd the pan. Drain thoroughly on paper towels.
• Pour off all but one cup of fat from the skillet. Heat this oil over high heat until it is almost smoking and add the reserved seasoned flour. Stir rapidly and constantly with a wire whisk until the mixture is golden brown. Do not burn. This is a roux.
• Add the chopped onion, celery and green pepper to the roux and stir to blend well. Remove from the heat.
• Meanwhile, bring the broth to a boil in a large saucepan.
• Add about half a cup of the roux mixture to the broth, stirring rapidly with the whisk. Continue adding the roux mixture, half a cup at a time, always stirring rapidly and constantly.
• Add the smoked sausage and stir. Cook over high heat, stirring often from the bottom, about 15 minutes.
• Add the chicken pieces, bay leaf and finely minced fresh garlic. Cook about 40 minutes, on medium-low, stirring occasionally.
• Remove the chicken pieces. Cut the meat from the bones and discard the bones. Cut the chicken into cubes or shred it and add it back to the pot. Serve with white rice or potato salad (or both) spooned into the gumbo.

Steps:

• Brown chicken thighs and sausage in a cast iron dutch oven. If you don't have a cast iron dutch oven, just be sure to use a heavy pot, such as a Magnalite or something similar. Remove from pot and let cool.
• Add oil to the pot. With wire whisk, blend in flour. Continue stirring constantly over medium to medium-high heat until flour is the color of chocolate syrup. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO CONSTANTLY STIR THIS! If the roux burns, there's no fixing it. You'll have to start over, completely. This step will take a while to achieve the chocolate color and is the most time-consuming part of the recipe. Once the flour has browned to this point, quickly add onions, bell pepper, and celery. Cook until onions are transparent. Add enough water or chicken broth to fill the pot about half way. Simmer.
• Meanwhile, debone chicken. Add sausage to the pot.
• Add minced garlic, salt, and cayenne.
• Let simmer for about an hour. In the last 20 minutes, add deboned chicken. If needed, add enough water or broth to cover the chicken.
• With a large spoon, skim as much fat as possible from the top.
• Serve in a soup plate, over hot cooked rice.
• Sprinkle green onions, parsley, and file in the bowls.
• MMMMMMMMMM -- good stuff!

Steps:

• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Sprinkle both sides of chicken breast with 1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning, or to taste.
• Grill chicken breast and pork sausage on the preheated grill until browned and no longer pink inside, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and let rest for 5 minutes. Cut chicken and sausage into bite-size pieces.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook the farfalle pasta at a boil, stirring occasionally, until cooked through yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes; drain.
• Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir green bell pepper, red bell pepper, onion, and garlic in hot butter until slightly softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir chicken and sausage pieces into vegetables, reduce heat to medium-low, and pour 1 cup half-and-half into skillet. Stir to combine.
• Mix cornstarch into remaining 1/2 cup half-and-half in a small bowl until smooth; pour into skillet and stir until sauce simmers and thickens, about 5 minutes. Toss cooked farfalle pasta into mixture until coated; season with additional Cajun seasoning and dried basil.

Steps:

• Mix 1/4 cup of flour with the seasonings and toss the chicken in the mixture until well coated.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet and sauté the chicken over medium-high until browned. I usually do this in batches draining the cooked chicken on paper towels. If the flour in the pan starts to really burn and smoke, turn down the heat or, discard and start with fresh oil. However, I usually can get it all done with one batch.
• Once the chicken is done, combine 1 cup of flour and lard over medium-high heat to make a dark, dark, roux. Stir constantly while it cooks. It should look like burnt peanut butter, this is tricky because the darker the better. But if you go too far and scorch it, it's over.
• When the roux has reached the right color remove from heat and add the chopped vegetables. Stir to remove some heat from the roux.
• Return the roux to the stove over medium-high heat and add the stock, stirring until well blended.
• Bring this mixture to a boil, and add the chicken, sausage, and garlic. Reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.
• Taste and adjust salt, and cayenne pepper (although it's usually plenty hot, it's a personal preference).
• Serve over hot cooked rice.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place the vegetable oil and flour into a 5 to 6-quart cast iron Dutch oven and whisk together to combine.
• Place on the middle shelf of the oven, uncovered, and bake for 1 1/2 hours, whisking 2 to 3 times throughout the cooking process.
• While roux is baking: Slice then brown the sausage; Brown then cube the chicken (I brown the chicken in the sausage drippings); and Dice the vegetables.
• Once the roux is done, carefully remove it from the oven and set over medium-high heat.
• Gently add the onions, celery, green peppers and garlic and cook, moving constantly for 7 to 8 minutes or until the onions begin to turn translucent.
• Add salt, black pepper, thyme, cayenne pepper, dripping from the skillet and stir to combine then add the bay leaves.
• Gradually add the broth while whisking continually.
• Decrease the heat to low, cover and cook for 35 minutes.
• Turn off the heat, add the chicken and sausage and stir to combine.
• Add the file powder while stirring constantly.
• Cover and allow to sit for 10 minutes prior to serving.
• Serve over rice.

Steps:

• Combine flour and oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until it forms a thick paste the consistency of cake frosting. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the flour turns dark golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. The darker the roux, the more depth of flavor, but don't burn it.
• Add onions, bell peppers, okra, celery, garlic, Creole seasoning, thyme, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Cook until vegetables are tender, 3 to 6 minutes.
• While vegetables are cooking, bring 4 cups water to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan. Add unopened bag of rice and boil, uncovered, until rice is tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove bag from water and drain. Cut open bag, pour rice into a bowl, and fluff.
• Stir chicken, kielbasa, diced tomatoes, and chicken broth into the cooked vegetables. Cook until thoroughly heated, about 10 minutes. Serve gumbo over warm rice.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Stir flour, oil, and butter together to form a paste. Transfer "roux" to the center of a large roasting pan and spread out into a rough rectangle about 1/2-inch thick, leaving enough room around the outside to place the chicken and sausage.
• Lay chicken thighs, skin-side down, and sausage pieces around the roux. Season chicken generously with salt.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Remove from oven and scatter onion, celery, and bell pepper evenly over the chicken, sausage, and roux. Briefly stir the roux in the center, then spread it back out. Continue baking for 20 minutes.
• Remove pan from oven; remove chicken and sausage to a plate and reserve until needed. Stir vegetables and roux together in the pan, spread back out into an even layer, and bake for another 20 minutes, or until roux is as browned as you like.
• Mix chicken broth, salt, pepper, thyme, bay leaf, and cayenne in a large bowl or pitcher. Refrigerate cooking liquid until needed.
• Pour the cold cooking liquid mixture into the gumbo and whisk until well combined. Stir in tomatoes and okra. Add the sausage and chicken back in, skin-side up. Continue baking, stirring gently and occasionally, until liquid is thick and chicken is very tender, 30 to 40 minutes more.
• Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Garnish with green onions.