The original, purist, real-deal chicken and sausage gumbo from a certified Cajun. Serve over cooked jasmine rice with hot French bread to dip.
Ingredients
- chicken drumsticks, with skin: 7 piece
- bone-in chicken breast halves, with skin: 6 piece
- Cajun seasoning blend (such as Tony Chachere's): 5 tsp (divided, to taste)
- olive oil: 0.75 cup (divided)
- dry white wine: 0.5 cup
- chicken broth: 4 cups
- yellow onion: 1 piece (chopped)
- green bell pepper: 1 piece (chopped)
- celery stalk: 1 piece (chopped)
- olive oil: 5 Tbsp (divided)
- all-purpose flour: 1 cup
- canola oil: 1 cup
- boiling water: 10 cups
- garlic powder: 1 tsp (to taste)
- cayenne pepper: 1 tsp (to taste)
- ½ pounds smoked sausage: 1 piece (cut into 1/2 inch slices)
- uncooked jasmine rice: 2 cups
- water: 3 cups
- bunch green onions: 1 piece (chopped)
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Peel back chicken drumstick and breast skin without removing it all the way; make several deep cuts in the meat. Sprinkle 3 teaspoons Cajun seasoning into the cuts and onto the meat, then replace the skin. Whisk 1/2 cup olive oil and white wine together in a large bowl. Add chicken, spoon marinade over top, then cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
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Remove chicken from marinade and shake off excess; discard remaining marinade. Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add chicken, working in batches if necessary, and cook until browned, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a large soup pot and pour broth over top. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until chicken is tender, about 20 minutes.
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While the chicken is simmering, cook onion, bell pepper, and celery in a skillet with 3 tablespoons of olive oil, stirring occasionally, until onion is transparent and pepper has softened, about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
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Mix flour and canola oil together in a nonstick pan to make a roux; stir until smooth and lump-free. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon and scraping the bottom of the pan to prevent burning. After about 5 minutes of stirring, the roux will begin to turn a pale golden color and gently bubble and foam. Stir roux until it turns the color of milk chocolate and gives off a nutty fragrance, 30 to 40 more minutes. Watch carefully so it doesn't burn. Remove from the heat and stir until roux cools and stops cooking, about 5 more minutes.
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Stir onion mixture and 1 cup boiling water into roux; be careful to avoid spattering. Heat over medium heat until mixture comes to a simmer. Whisk until roux and water combine and become thick, about 10 minutes. Add thickened roux to the chicken, stir together, and add remaining 9 cups boiling water. Season with remaining 2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning and bring to a rolling boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour.
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Sprinkle garlic powder and cayenne pepper over smoked sausage. Brown sausage in a skillet with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Transfer sausage to the soup and simmer for 30 more minutes. Remove chicken from the pot and take meat off bones; discard skin and bones. Return meat to the soup and simmer for 15 more minutes. Skim off the layer of oil that forms on the top.
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While the gumbo is simmering, bring rice and 3 cups water to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until rice is tender and liquid has been absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes.
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Serve gumbo over hot, cooked rice with a generous sprinkling of chopped green onions over each serving.
