Gumbo Cookoff Winner - Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

St. Louie Suzie's Note:

I won first prize with this recipe at an annual Gumbo Cookoff for Mardi Gras in Soulard (St. Louis). I refuse to believe it won just because the cookoff/party happened to be at my house! It is a hybrid of several gumbo recipes I've tried, including one in the Southern Sideboards recipe book from the Junior League of Jackson, Mississippi. Note: cooking and prep time are listed as if you are preparing the different parts of the recipe simultaneously. You can certainly make the chicken/stock ahead and spread out your prep time for chopping/measuring spices over a couple days.

• Total Time: 2 hrs 40 mins
• Prep Time: 40 mins
• Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 12

• 4 1/2 lbs whole chickens
• 2 whole cloves
• 1 carrot, peeled and sliced
• 4 -8 sprigs fresh parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 celery rib
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 6 -8 black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 lbs fresh okra, chopped
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 medium sized yellow onions, chopped
• 2 small green bell peppers, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced Italian-style tomatoes, undrained
• 1 1/2 lbs cooked smoked sausage, sliced in 1/3-inch pieces
• 1 1/2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons file powder

Directions:

1. Place chicken and next 10 ingredients in large stockpot and cover with water (approx. 1 gallon) and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat and simmer until chicken is tender (approx. 1 hour).
3. Using tongs, remove chicken to a strainer and cool.
4. Strain chicken stock into a large container (discard whatever the strainer catches). Save stock for use in gumbo later.
5. Remove meat from bones in pieces and reserve to add to gumbo later.
6. Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in heavy skillet over medium heat.
7. Add okra to skillet and cook until no longer sticky, stirring frequently (about 20 minutes), then set aside to add to gumbo later.
8. Stir flour and 1/3 cup vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Stir frequently until it becomes a deep, golden brown roux (approx, 30 minutes). It should appear to be the color of peanut butter.
9. Add the chopped yellow onions, bell peppers, celery and garlic to the roux and stir until soft.
10. Add 4 cups of the reserved chicken stock and okra, tomatoes, sausage, and all herbs/spices except for file powder. Cover partially and simmer until thickened (approx. 1.5 hours).
11. Spoon off any fat from surface of gumbo.
12. Add chicken and file powder and simmer 15 more minutes.
13. Serve in bowls over steamed white rice.

Reviews

[Loves2Cook!]

Really great recipe. We all loved it, even the kids. I made it as written, except I decreased the cayenne pepper to 1/2 teaspoon, for the kids, allowing my husband to apply liberal amounts of hot sauce. I'm considering cooking the chicken in the crock pot the night before the next time I make this.

[Chef Curt]

Great recipe! I made some this afternoon and it was delicious. I added some fresh crab and shrimp to mine and it came out excellent. Thanks for sharing!

[wendylynn50]

This was fantastic and I will definitely be making it again!! I made as directed except for doubling the chicken broth. It was way to dry to even be considered a stew without the additional broth. That is the only reason I'm giving it 4 instead of 5 starts. Still a fantastic recipe that I will make time and time again.