Chicken Gumbo with Andouille Sausage

I love a good thick spicy gumbo. The restaurant I work at has the best gumbo ever. I wanted to recreate my own version to make and enjoy at home. In gumbo, roux is key and if burned or undercooked can result in not so good gumbo. Since my favorite gumbo from the restaurant is top secret, I searched around for something close I could follow. The finished product turned out really yummy and spicy. Enjoy!


A Classic Gumbo Recipe from Southern Living magazine

Ingredients
1 lb andouille sausage, halved and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into small pieces
vegetable oil
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 celery stalks, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups hot water
4 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 tablespoon creole seasoning
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 Tbl hot sauce
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
2 bay leaves

Instructions
Brown andouille sausage in a Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink. Remove sausage, reserving dripping in pan. Set sausage aside. Cut chicken breasts and thighs into 1-inch pieces, and brown in hot drippings over medium heat. Remove chicken, reserving drippings. Measure drippings, adding enough vegetable oil to measure 1/2 cup. Heat mixture in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until hot. Whisk in flour , and cook, whisking constantly, 10 to 12 minutes or until roux is caramel colored. Add chopped onion and next 3 ingredients; cook, stirring often, until vegetables are tender. Gradually stir in water and broth; bring to a boil. Add chicken, Creole seasoning, and next 4 ingredients; reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, 30 minutes. Add sausage and cook 30 minutes. Remove and discard bay leaves; serve over rice.