“New Orleans music is like a pot of gumbo, where all of these different ingredients are thrown into the pot and what comes out is a s unique as the cook stirring the it. I play New Orleans music.”
this is a common analogy to describe New Orleans music. It’s overused but still very true. If you like gumbo, then you might enjoy my recipe for Chicken and Andouille with Chicken Wing Gumbo.
Chicken and Andouille Gumbo with Chicken Wing
3lbs of chicken thighs
1 lb of chicken wings
1 cup of flour
1 cup of vegetable oil or bacon fat
1 or 2 bottles of beer (your choice)
2 medium onions (chopped)
1 bell pepper (chopped)
3 stalks of celery (chopped)
1/2 head of garlic (minced)
1/2 cup of chopped parsley
2 lbs of Andouille sausage
1 gallon of chicken stock
1 medium onion quartered
2 stalks of celery (washed)
1 carrot (washed, unpeeled and cut in 1/2 longways)
1 tsp of oregano
1 tsp thyme
2 bay leaves
salt, black pepper, cayenne, paprika to taste
The Three Day Version
(It can be shortened anyway you like, but for the richest of flavors, this works great.)
Day 1
Season your chicken thighs and wings how you like it and let them sit overnight in a zip lock bag.
Make a dark roux. In a big cast iron skillet over medium high heat stir 1 cup of flour into a little more than a cup of vegetable/ canola oil (bacon fat works great too).
Cook slowly stirring with a wooden spoon with your right hand, with your left hand drink a beer. If you’re left handed, reverse the operation. Stir and drink, drink and stir. Do not leave the stove. It’ll take about 20-30 minutes for the roux to change to a dark chocolate color. The stirring keeps the flour from burning, the beer keeps you busy. Maybe you should have another beer ready to go.
When finished take off heat. Keep stirring another 5 minutes. Cover and go to bed.
Day 2
The next day slow grill the chicken on a low heat 275-300 degrees, turning every 5 minutes, about 45-60 minutes. You don’t want too many charred marks. Hickory or pecan chips work well for flavor. Put the wings aside till the end. Debone the thighs after they cool. Save the bones.
Make chicken stock
Add 1 gallon of water in a stock pot over high heat. Add all chicken thigh bones, the carrot, quartered onion, celery stalks, and black pepper. Bring to a boil then simmer uncovered for 90 minutes. When finished pour through a strainer to remove the bones and veggies.
Make 4 cups of the trinity by chopping onions, bell peppers, celery. I chop onions last so my wife doesn’t cry. Add garlic and parsley to that.
Cut 2 lbs of andouille sausage into circles then in 1/2’s or 1/4’s. If you don’t have andouille make sure you get some real good pork sausage, Nothing cheap.
In a large cast iron skillet brown the andouille over a medium heat till it renders oil. Remove sausage and drain on paper towels. Saute the trinity adding vegetable oil or bacon fat if needed to skillet. Season it well with salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika cook till veggies are soft.
In a stock pot over medium high heat, blend the roux into the chicken stock. Add the thyme, oregano and bay leaf then the sauteed veggies. Re-season. Bring to a boil, then simmer on medium low for an hour. Add 1/2 of the sausage, cook for another 30 minutes. If it’s too soupy, turn the heat up and let it cook down (this needs to be done before adding the rest of the sausage and chicken). Add the rest of the sausage and chicken and cook for another 30 minutes. If too thick add more stock. Turn off and let cool. Refrigerate overnight.
Day 3
Skim the oil from the top and discard. Heat gumbo on medium heat, add chicken wings, and stir often for 20 to 30 minutes till gumbo and wings are hot enough to eat.
Serve over rice and garnish with chopped green onions.
Yeah you right!!!