Chicken & Andouille Gumbo
Louisiana in a pot: a deep, dark roux cooked the color of chocolate, the Cajun 'holy trinity' of onion, celery, and pepper, smoky andouille sausage, and chicken, simmered into a rich, soulful stew and served over rice. The roux is everything — and it cannot be rushed.
Make a roux: cook equal parts flour and oil over medium heat, stirring constantly, 30–45 minutes until it's the color of dark chocolate. Add the holy trinity (onion, celery, bell pepper) and cook down. Add andouille, chicken, stock, and Cajun seasoning; simmer 1 hour. Finish with scallion and parsley; serve over rice with filé or hot sauce.
- The roux is the soul of gumbo — cook it slow and dark (chocolate brown) without burning, stirring nonstop.
- The 'holy trinity' (onion, celery, green pepper) is the Cajun aromatic base, like a mirepoix.
- Don't rush the roux. If you see black specks, it burned — start over, because burnt roux ruins the pot.
Equipment
- Heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven
- Wooden spoon or whisk (for the roux)
재료
Roux
- 120 ml neutral oil
- 65 g plain flour
Gumbo
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 300 g andouille sausage, sliced
- 600 g bone-in chicken thighs
- 1.5 L chicken stock
- 10 g Cajun seasoning, plus more to taste
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 g dried thyme
- Salt to taste
To finish & serve
- 3 scallions, sliced
- Handful parsley, chopped
- Cooked white rice
- Filé powder and/or hot sauce, at the table
조리법
- 단계01
In a heavy pot, whisk the oil and flour together over medium-low heat. Stir constantly — really constantly — for 30–45 minutes as it goes from blond to peanut butter to deep chocolate brown. This is the heart of gumbo. If you see black flecks, it's burnt; start over.
- 단계02
When the roux is dark, add the onion, celery, and bell pepper all at once (it will sizzle and stop the roux cooking). Stir 5 minutes until softened, then add the garlic.
- 단계03
Add the sliced andouille and the chicken thighs, stirring to coat in the roux for a few minutes.
- 단계04
Slowly stir in the stock, then add the Cajun seasoning, bay leaves, and thyme. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered, 1 hour, until the chicken is falling off the bone and the gumbo is rich and thickened.
- 단계05
Lift out the chicken, discard skin and bones, shred the meat, and return it. Taste and adjust salt and Cajun seasoning — it should be boldly seasoned.
- 단계06
Stir in the scallions and parsley. Serve in bowls over a scoop of white rice, with filé powder and hot sauce at the table for everyone to add their own.
Make ahead
Make it a day ahead on purpose — the roux flavor and seasoning round out overnight. You can also make the dark roux in advance and refrigerate it (it keeps weeks), turning gumbo into a quicker weeknight build.
Storage
Gumbo is famously better the next day. Keeps 4 days refrigerated and freezes 3 months. Reheat gently; the flavors deepen with time.
Variations
Seafood gumbo
Add shrimp, crab, and oysters in the last 10 minutes instead of (or with) chicken; use seafood stock.
With okra
Add sliced okra with the trinity — it adds flavor and natural thickening (gumbo is named for okra, 'ki ngombo').
Smokier
Use a darker roux and add a smoked ham hock to the simmer for extra depth.
Serve with
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition values are estimates based on the metric measurements. Adjust as needed.
자주 묻는 질문
How dark should the roux be?
For a chicken-and-sausage gumbo, aim for the color of dark chocolate or an old penny. The darker the roux, the deeper and nuttier the flavor (though it thickens less). It takes 30–45 minutes of constant stirring over medium-low heat — there's genuinely no shortcut.
What if my roux burns?
If you see black specks or smell acrid burning, it's scorched — and a burnt roux makes the whole pot bitter and inedible. There's no saving it; throw it out and start again. This is why you stir constantly and keep the heat moderate.
What's the 'holy trinity'?
Onion, celery, and green bell pepper — the aromatic base of Cajun and Creole cooking, the Louisiana cousin of the French mirepoix. Added to the dark roux, it forms the flavor foundation of gumbo, jambalaya, and étouffée.
What is filé powder?
Ground dried sassafras leaves, used to season and thicken gumbo. It's stirred in at the end or added at the table (never boiled, which makes it stringy). It's optional but traditional — okra is the other classic thickener.
Cajun or Creole gumbo?
Both exist and overlap. Creole gumbo (city/New Orleans) often includes tomatoes and seafood; Cajun gumbo (country) typically skips tomatoes and leans on a darker roux and smoked meats. This chicken-and-andouille version sits comfortably in the Cajun-Creole middle.
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