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Description
This recipe came to The Times in 1983 from the influential New Orleans chef Paul Prudhomme. It is a hearty, rich Creole stew generously seasoned with black and white pepper, cayenne, paprika and filé powder, a spice made from the leaves of the sassafras tree. Filé powder is readily available in most grocery stores and online, and while it's not 100 percent necessary, it lends a distinctive, earthy quality to the dish. Mr. Prudhomme intended this to be made with chicken, but we've had excellent results using leftover turkey from Thanksgiving, too.
Ingredients
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1chicken, 3 to 4 pounds, cut into serving pieces Salt to taste if desired 1teaspoon finely ground black pepper 1 1/4teaspoons finely ground white pepper 1teaspoon powdered mustard 1 1/2teaspoons cayenne pepper 1 1/2teaspoons paprika 1teaspoon granulated garlic 1teaspoon file powder, optional 1 1/2cups flour 2 1/2cups corn, peanut or vegetable oil 3/4cup finely chopped onion 3/4cup finely chopped celery 3/4cup finely chopped green pepper 9cups chicken broth 1 3/4cups chopped or thinly sliced smoked sausage such as andouille or kielbasa 1bay leaf 1teaspoon finely minced fresh garlic 2cups cooked rice
Directions
Put chicken pieces in a bowl. Blend salt, peppers, mustard, cayenne pepper, paprika, granulated garlic and file powder. Rub four teaspoons of the mixture over the chicken. Set rest of spice mixture aside. Put the flour in a bowl and add two teaspoons of the reserved spice mixture. Blend well. Heat a 10-inch skillet and add the oil. Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour mixture to coat well, shaking off excess. Reserve the leftover flour. When the oil is hot and almost smoking, add the chicken pieces skin side down. Cook about two minutes on one side until golden brown. Turn and cook about three minutes on the second side until nicely browned. Do this in batches so as to not crowd the pan. Drain thoroughly on paper towels. Pour off all but one cup of fat from the skillet. Heat this oil over high heat until it is almost smoking and add the reserved seasoned flour. Stir rapidly and constantly with a wire whisk until the mixture is golden brown. Do not burn. This is a roux. Add the chopped onion, celery and green pepper to the roux and stir to blend well. Remove from the heat. Meanwhile, bring the broth to a boil in a large saucepan. Add about half a cup of the roux mixture to the broth, stirring rapidly with the whisk. Continue adding the roux mixture, half a cup at a time, always stirring rapidly and constantly. Add the smoked sausage and stir. Cook over high heat, stirring often from the bottom, about 15 minutes. Add the chicken pieces, bay leaf and finely minced fresh garlic. Cook about 40 minutes, on medium-low, stirring occasionally. Remove the chicken pieces. Cut the meat from the bones and discard the bones. Cut the chicken into cubes or shred it and add it back to the pot. Serve with white rice or potato salad (or both) spooned into the gumbo.
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