63
Submitted by Malriah
"I have had several people ask me for an authentic chicken gumbo recipe. This is my attempt at a recipe. I didn't realize it until I sat down the try to type this, I don't know HOW I make gumbo!Gumbo isn't about recipes. I never saw my Maw Maw's recipe because she didn't have one. Gumbo is cooked with instinct and heart. Gumbo is a dish you are taught not something you can make by reading a recipe. My gumbo won't taste like yours and yours won't taste like mine, altough mine tastes pretty similar to Maw Maw's but that is probably because she taught me how to make it when I was about 8. If you have the ability to cook with pinches, dabs and shakes, if you can season, then taste, then season a little more until it tastes right to you, then you can make gumbo using this "recipe". If you can't, you might want to find someone to show you how."
photo by MagnoliaFly 
- Ready In:
- 2hrs
- Ingredients:
- 12
- Yields:
-
1 Big Pot
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ingredients
- 1 whole chicken, cut up (Save the gizzards and stuff for your dirty rice)
- sausage, as much as you feel like cutting up
- water or chicken broth, how much depends on how big your chicken is and how much gumbo you want
- butter
- flour
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 large green pepper, diced
- 1 head garlic, diced (as many cloves as you'd like)
- 2 stalks celery, cut up
- salt
- pepper
- cajun seasoning (I use Tony Chachere's, it is available on the internet) or creole seasoning (I use Tony Chachere's, it is available on the internet)
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directions
- 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.
Questions & Replies
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Reviews
-
Outstanding gumbo! We used to live in Louisiana and this the definitely the taste I remember well. It was easy to prepare, filling, rich in flavor, and abosolutely delicious. My husband imediately ladled out a second helping. I garnished with a shake of file at the table, and provided hot sauce for those who wanted fire. Wonderful!
HeatherFeather
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this is a more than 5 star recipe my familey is from southern louisiana (st. Tammy's Parish)this is the way my MoMa makes it. the flavors blend together and for me its a true comfort dish. so when you try this dish take your time in the cooking dont rush it.this is a love dish
southern chef in lo
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GOTTA LOVE IT it's honest Gumbo.Da Woof does a 3 brew rouxdance for Kari.You put the File' powder on the table, doncha {Grynn}.
T. Woolfe
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Great "recipe" but had to comment in response to the File comment - File is added at the TABLE not to the cooking pot!!! FYI from a Louisiana Girl married to a Tru Cajun Boy!!!
Katmenew
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Wow!! This is the first time that I have ever tasted gumbo, let alone made it. I will be making it over and over again. The recipe was not hard to make at all, just time consuming to make the roux, but well worth waiting for.
See AlsoPaleo Shepherd's Pie RecipeSidd9260
see 56 more reviews
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Tweaks
-
This looks like a decent recipe, BUT...it's not the "real stuff" if you leave out the okra or file powder (powdered sassafrass leaves) to thicken the dish. Add 1 1/2 cup of chopped okra to this and 2 Bay leaves...and you'll have great meal. Also, sprinkle some dried parsley flakes for an extra facet of flavor. It's called 'gumbo" because of the use of okra, aka gombo. It's called file gumbo, if you use file to thicken the dish. Without either one, it's not really gumbo. That's a fact. It's like this. Chocolate chip cookies without the chocolate chips maybe good. But they're not really chocolate chip cookies.
Joe A.
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I added some if my canned tomatoes. That's it. Just fabulous.
Kristal H.
-
Great Gumbo!! The butter in the roux gives a rich flavor to the gumbo. I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of a whole chicken, but I cooked everything according to the recipe. So good and so worth the time!
sscolbert
-
This was very good but as one reviewer stated I think the next time I make this I will substitute the butter for oil. The taste of butter in the gumbo was a bit much...
bluelou247
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
Malriah
212
- 123 Followers
- 101 Recipes
- 11 Tweaks
<p>Not much to tell. Love to cook, love to eat!</p>
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