This gumbo recipe is a Louisiana comfort-food classic, inspired by Shotgun Red but adapted for European tastes and ingredients by Mr Foodie himself. It uses a “baked roux” instead of a traditional roux, which is healthier as it uses flour plus stock rather than flour plus butter or oil. Serves 4.
Mike’s gumbo recipe
Gumbo recipe
Ingredients for the roux:
- 1 cup flour (pro tip: to make this recipe gluten-free, use organic brown rice flour instead of regular white flour)
- 2 cups chicken stock (add more if needed)
Ingredients for the gumbo:
- 4 chicken thighs
- Tony Chachere’s Creole seasoning
- Cayenne pepper (to taste)
- Smoked paprika (to taste)
- Garlic powder (to taste)
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 smoked sausage
- 1 onion
- 2 celery sticks
- 1 green bell pepper
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 small jalapeno chilli
- 5 sprigs of thyme
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 cups chicken stock
- Rice to serve
Instructions for the roux:
- Set your oven to 210 degrees C
- Evenly spread the flour in a baking tray (a thin layer in a large, shallow tray is better)
- Bake the flour for 40-55 minutes or until brown, stirring every 15 minutes to ensure it’s all cooked and evenly coloured
- Place the cooked flour into a large mixing bowl
- Slowly add the chicken stock, whisking it in to form a soft paste – set aside
Instructions for the gumbo:
- Season the chicken thighs with Tony’s seasoning, paprika, cayenne pepper and garlic powder to taste
- Set a large pot to medium high on the stove, add a splash of vegetable oil and brown the chicken thighs on all sides
- Slice the sausage and add it to the pot to brown
- Remove both the chicken and sausage to a bowl and set aside
- Dice the onion, celery and green pepper and fry off in the same pot for 10 minutes (no need to remove the meat juices – the more flavour the better!)
- Finely chop the garlic and jalapeno and add them to the same pot to fry off for a few minutes
- Add 2 cups of chicken stock, the thyme and bay leaves to the pot
- Add the chicken and sausage back to pot and simmer for 30 minutes
- Then remove the chicken and set it aside to shred later
- Add the roux little by little, until the right consistency is achieved (you’re looking for a thick soup)
- Shred the chicken and place it back in the pot
- Simmer on low heat for 1 hour
- Taste and add more seasoning if desired
- Serve with white rice