← Nouns Cooking · American

Ingredients

• 1.2 kg skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 4 cm pieces
• 2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• 1 tsp Black pepper
• 1 tsp Paprika
• ½ tsp Cayenne pepper
• 120 ml vegetable oil
• 450 g andouille or other smoked sausage, sliced into 1 cm rounds
• 120 g plain flour
• 2 Onion, finely chopped
• 2 celery sticks, finely chopped
• 2 green bell peppers, finely chopped
• 6 cloves Garlic, chopped
• 2 l chicken stock
• 2 Bay leaves
• 1 tsp Dried thyme
• 200 g Okra, sliced into 1 cm rounds
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp Louisiana hot sauce, plus more to serve
• 4 Spring onion, sliced
• cooked long-grain white rice

Method

1. Season the chicken with the salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne. Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat and brown the chicken in batches for 6–8 min, until golden. Lift it out onto a plate.
2. Brown the sausage in the same pot for 5 min, then set it aside with the chicken.
3. Add the rest of the oil to the pot, lower the heat to medium-low and whisk in the flour. Stir constantly with a flat wooden spoon for 30–40 min, scraping the bottom, until the roux is the colour of milk chocolate and smells nutty. If you see black specks, it has burnt and you need to start again.
4. Add the onion, celery and pepper (the “holy trinity”); they will sizzle and stop the roux darkening. Cook, stirring, for 8–10 min, until soft, then add the garlic for 1 minute.
5. Slowly pour in the stock, stirring all the time so the roux dissolves smoothly. Add the bay leaves and thyme, return the chicken and sausage and bring to a simmer.
6. Simmer gently, partly covered, for 1 hour, stirring now and then and skimming off any fat that rises.
7. Add the okra and simmer for 20 min more, until the gumbo has thickened slightly. Season with the Worcestershire, hot sauce and salt to taste, and remove the bay leaves.
8. Ladle over scoops of rice and scatter with spring onions, with hot sauce on the table.

Tips

• Have every vegetable chopped before you start the roux; it needs your full attention and can’t be left.
• Gumbo tastes better the next day. Cool it quickly, refrigerate within 2 hours and reheat until piping hot.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Bon Appétit Once Upon a Chef BBC Good Food