Fumbling Toward Culinary Talent: Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

I haven't made gumbo in a long time. My first attempt last week failed because I let the roux go too long. So I learned from my mistake and made it today for supper. 

Ingredients

1 cup of vegetable oil

1 cup of all purpose flour

1 lb. of boneless chicken thighs, with fat trimmed

1 lb. of andouille sausage, cut into half-moon pieces

1 large yellow onion, chopped finely

1 bell pepper, chopped finely 

3 stalks of celery, chopped finely

8 cups of water

Healthy amount of Cajun seasoning

Healthy amount of cayenne pepper

Healthy smidge of roasted garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

Process

In a large Dutch oven or soup pot, put a little oil at the bottom and put to medium heat.

With the chicken, I trimmed the fat and cut it up into small, bit-size pieces. Then I sprinkled a good deal of Cajun seasoning to coat the meat. Place the chicken in the pot and brown on both sides. Pull out the chicken and set aside on a plate. 

Add the cup of vegetable oil and flour and continuously whisk the roux for approximately an hour until it gets a nut-brown color. I started at medium heat and backed it down gradually to still medium but a bit on the low side. 

Once you have the color you want (and the roux should smell nutty), add in the aromatics for about a minute and then add the water a cup at a time while whisking. 

When the water is incorporated and the liquid is a thick soup, add the partially cooked chicken and sausage. Add a good amount of seasoning. Bring to a healthy simmer with the lid mostly covering the pot.  

Reduce the heat a bit, so it's a leisurely simmer and simmer for about an hour. Check the seasoning from time to time to make sure you have the right level of flavor and heat you want. 

For example, because my andouille sausage was bought here in Illinois, it wasn't the greatest, so I had to add a strong amount of Cajun seasoning and cayenne. 

Next time I need to get andouille from somewhere in the Deep South.