Creole Chicken Gumbo
Instructions:
- Gumbo gets much of its rich flavor from a deeply browned roux made with a generous amount of fat. Here, we’ve kept the same rich flavor but cut the fat by toasting the flour in the oven.
- 2â„3 cup all-purpose flour
- 12 large bone-in chicken thighs (about 31â„2 pounds), fat removed
- 12 ounces fully cooked andouille or kielbasa sausage, cut into 1â„2-inchthick slices
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
- 2 cups water
- 2 medium onions, thinly sliced
- 12 ounces okra, sliced, or 1 package (10 ounces) frozen cut okra, thawed
- 1 large yellow pepper, chopped
- 4 stalks celery with leaves, cut into
- 1â„4-inch-thick slices
- 3â„4 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 2 bay leaves
- 11â„2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon ground red pepper (cayenne)
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1â„2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 can (14 to 16 ounces) tomatoes, drained and chopped
- 1â„2 cup finely chopped green-onion tops
- 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
- 3 cups regular long-grain rice, cooked as label directs
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Place flour in oven-safe 12-inch skillet. (If skillet is not oven-safe, wrap handle with double layer of foil.) Bake until flour begins to brown, about 25 minutes. Stir with wooden spoon, breaking up any lumps. Bake, stirring flour every 10 minutes, until it turns nut brown, about 35 minutes longer. Remove flour from oven and let cool. Strain flour through sieve to remove any lumps.
- Heat nonreactive 8-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat until very hot. Cook chicken, skin side down first, in batches, until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer chicken pieces to large bowl as they are browned. Add sausage to Dutch oven and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. With slotted spoon, transfer sausage to bowl with chicken.
- Reduce heat to medium-low. Gradually stir in browned flour, about 3 tablespoons at a time, and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes.
- Immediately add broth, stirring until browned bits are loosened from bottom of pan. Blend tomato paste with water and add to Dutch oven. Stir in onions, okra, yellow pepper, celery, 1â„4 cup parsley, garlic, bay leaves, salt, thyme, ground red pepper, black pepper, and allspice. Add sausage, chicken, and tomatoes; heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer until liquid has thickened, about 1 hour.
- Add the remaining 1â„2 cup parsley, green onions, and vinegar; heat through. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 10 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Serve gumbo in bowls over cooked rice.
- P R E P 1 hour 10 minutes
- C O O K 1 hour 30 minutes
- MA K E S 18 cups or 12 main-dish servings