Here is a Cajun-style gumbo, a one-pot dish made with chicken and andouille from the farm, with the addition of salty oysters from the bays along the Gulf of Mexico. It is usually served with baked sweet potatoes or potato salad.
Ingredients
Makes 6 to 8 servings
Step 1
Season the hen generously with salt and cayenne pepper.
Step 2
Combine the oil and flour in a large, heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Stirring slowly and constantly, make a roux the color of chocolate. (When I attempted to make my first roux years ago, I remember calling Papa and asking him how long it would take, and he told me "the time it takes to drink two beers." Not being a beer drinker, I had to come up with my own system. I now put on two record albums, and when they have played out my roux is usually just about right.)
Step 3
Add the onions, bell peppers, and celery, and cook, stirring, until they are soft, 10 to 12 minutes.
Step 4
Add the chicken broth. (I usually warm it up in a pot just a bit before adding it to the roux mixture.) Stir to blend, and bring to a gentle boil.
Step 5
Add the chicken. (There are those who will tell you to brown the chicken first, but I put it in raw.) Add the bay leaves and thyme, and cook at a gentle boil for 1 hour.
Step 6
Add the andouille and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is very tender, an hour to an hour and a half longer.
Step 7
A few minutes before serving, add the oysters and simmer just until the oysters curl, about three minutes. Adjust seasoning to taste. (If the gumbo becomes too thick during cooking, simply add more chicken broth or water.)
How would you rate Chicken, Andouille, and Oyster Gumbo?
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Reviews (25)
Back to TopI loved this recipe but then I looked at the calories and fat!!!
ljennette
11/27/2016
Where is the gumbo file or okra? That's what makes a gumbo I use both. I like the Cayenne idea.
jpixley
Lubbock, TX
6/26/2016
Good base recipe. The only thing wrong is the mention of "low boil." Don't boil your soups ever unless you are actively reducing broth. Instead, think of it as a "tremulous simmer," with a occasional bubble. Anything resembling a rolling boil runs the risk of drying out the chicken and burning the roux.
charliefreundlich
Short Hills, NJ
9/29/2013
This was great, and it took only about two hours, and could have been less if I wasn't waiting for corn bread to bake. The only significant change I made to ingredients was adding garlic. I did use shimp since that's what I had but I'll try oysters next time. Couple of things that I think saved time: - you don't have to stir the roux "constantly", I was able to make a whole bunch of perp while cooking it - open a bottle of wine, stir, pour a glass, stir, wash veggies take a sip, stir, cut onion, take a sip, stir... etc... wasn't so bad at all. Don't know about two bottles of beer, I managed with one and a half glass of wine. - I did saute all the veggies before adding them to roux, while roux was cooking, not sure if it made a difference in taste but sure saved some time - I cut chicken into smaller pieces so it cooked faster. Added sausage about 15 min after chicken All in all it was an hour for roux and prep and another hour cooking. I though flavors blended just fine in that time.
akastacy
alexandria, va
3/9/2013
This is a very good recipe and a good base to build from. I used chicken thighs instead of a whole chicken, beer in place of the chicken broth and added sliced okra a few minutes before the oysters. I used chicken Andouille as well. It was better served over white rice than brown rice (too nutty) and makes for really good left overs.
2lizards
Paradise, Ca
10/29/2012
Here in south Louisiana, people can get a little ambitious (ridiculous) with all of the minutia that goes in to the 'right' way to make all of our wonderful culinary traditions. There may be more than one way to skin a cat, but there's plenty more ways to make a gumbo. This recipe keeps it short and sweet and delivers a solid base to start from. Spicing wise, I'd recommend subbing hot sauce for the cayenne (preferably Crystal or Tabasco). Making roux the traditional way can give you arthritis, so if you want to save yourself the workout here's a (not so) closely guarded cajun secret for a speedy roux. I'll use the proportions from this recipe to illustrate. Heat your oven to 400. Spread 1 cup of flour evenly across the bottom of a dry cast iron pan or dutch oven or magnalite and cook the flour for around an hour, stirring it around every 15-20 minutes or so for even cooking. Whenever the flour becomes the desired color, remove it from the oven and add 1 cup of fat (I generally use a combination of rendered chicken or bacon fat, butter, and canola oil) stirring until combined. Presto! A roux without the fuss, and you can use all of that passive cooking time to prep the rest of the ingredients. It'll save you a ton of time and joint tissue.
matthero33
New Orleans
3/10/2012
Easy and delicious. I used a roasted chicken from the deli case instead of browning my own. Also, I substituted scallops for the clams. Easy and delicious. It's great for a large group or a weeknight meal (that provides yummy leftovers for another night)!
sandrinec
Los Gatos, CA
1/4/2012
This was delish, and insanely easy, though time consuming because of the roux. Took my right at an hour to get the roux to the chocolate color, I took it off the heat and transferred it to a bowl until I was ready to use later in the day. Once you have the roux made, the rest is really easy to throw together. And the roux is not hard, you just need to stir constantly and make sure it doesn't get too hot. I made with shrimp instead of oysters, and chicken breasts instead of a whole chicken, and it was wonderful. It rivaled any restaurant. Hubby loved it and we are looking forward to leftovers tonight.
robinpart
3/31/2011
The recipe was easy and only took an hour to complete. I appreciated the simplicity of the recipe and how easy it was to made the roux, which I think it the key to good gumbo. I only made some slight substitutions using kielbasa, chicken breasts and shrimp in place of andouille and oysters. I added okra and just a TBS of Emeril Essence for a kick. Will definitely make it again.
Anonymous
Seattle
1/3/2011
这是很好的。我讨厌人们回顾recipes that they changed so much that they have made an entirely different dish. But, here I go. I did make the base exactly as written, except I cut it in half since it is just the 2 of us. Still, we each ate 2 servings, and there were 3 servings leftover for the next night. I used leftover cooked chicken, I used Chorizo Cantimpalo instead of Andouille, and I used shrimp since my market didn't have oysters. I added chunked ripe plantain since I had one that needed to be used up. I aprinkled file powder and cayenne pepper over the bowls just before serving. The first night I served with rice, the second night I spruced it up with some fresh lobster and served with cheese grits and crusty sourdough baguette. This was my first time making roux, but it was easy...just a little scary. I used my enameled cast iron dutch oven and it got nice and dark without burning. It was awesome, we loved it, and I will be making it again.
jabreu
south fla
7/28/2010
I love gumbo, but I think this recipe would have fallen quite short if I hadn't added a number of ingredients- oregano, paprika, white and red pepper, a couple of finely diced jalapenos, and several cloves of garlic. I also couldn't eat gumbo without okra- just slice & add it towards the end if you want to thicken the mixture, or fry in a pan for a few minutes (my favorite method). The real secret is the roux- If you are interested in Louisiana cooking, Donald Link has an excellent cookbook- "Real Cajun" that is entertaining and can be very helpful in understanding our local food culture (with great pictures!). The "Super Bowl Sunday Seafood Gumbo" is the best.
Anonymous
New Orleans, LA
6/2/2010
I made this without oysters as I'm in Michigan and couldn't get fresh, shucked oysters. Still, it was excellent. Mine wasn't too soupy yet still a soup. It was a beautiful brown, thick sauce. Just great!
LJennette
Grand Rapids MI
2/20/2010
hey, folks, gumbo is supposed to be soupy - IT IS A SOUP! Serve it with a big scoop of white rice in the middle and some sliced scallions on top - yum! This recipe is very versatile, by the way. Substitute shrimp if you don't like oysters. I often do this after Thanksgiving and use leftover turkey/turkey carcass, too. Oh, don't add file until after cause it gets stringy if cooked. Add it to your individual bowl if you want, but not the pot!
cleasi
2/8/2010
Wow! This gumbo was great. I was skeptical at first because there were less ingredients in it than I'm used to using. I followed the recipe exactly except that I browned the chicken and sausage. The oysters were a great touch and incredibly tasty.
kim5439
Burnt Hills, NY
2/2/2010
This was fabulous! I have to admit that I'm not really a fan of oysters. I ended up with about 20 fresh oysters and needed to use them. Since the oysters are added at the very end, the broth tastes like andouille rather than oysters. In fact, I only tasted oysters when I ate one. I made the recipe as described, except I also added okra at the end. I did find the consistency of the broth thinner than an average gumbo, but I didn't mind. I think adding wild rice would add to the recipe, but it's great how it is, too.
Anonymous
Bozeman, MT
1/7/2010
