Chicken Gumbo

This is my standard Gumbo. Alton Brown posted a recipe for inspiration, but I really just do whatever I feel like. I feel like I can deviate a bit because I don’t have a Bayou Grandma to yell at me. I’m not about to go hunting for filè powder when I’m cooking for the week.

Make your roux first with the red ingredients. I like to warm up the pot and throw the butter in. When it starts melting I start adding flour. I like a ‘runnier’ roux that will flow across the bottom of the pot. When it smells like toasted nuts, you’re getting there. Gumbo requires a very dark roux. Don’t burn it but keep going, be brave.

Then throw the green ingredients in the pot and stir and soften them up a bit. You want all the veggies covered in the roux. Give them about 10 minutes. Orange ingredients next and mix. Inhale deeply. Let them party for another 10 minutes.

Then dump in your blue ingredients. I like to start with a bit of the stock to deglaze and start the gooey mixture going. Then the rest of the stock. Then tomatoes. Stir and simmer covered. 1± hour.

After your hour, taste and season accordingly. Today I needed a dash of rice wine vinegar to brighten it up. Hit it with your yellow ingredients and let those go for 10 minutes. Let it rest a bit and then serve.

You’ll notice there is no protein here. I like to cook all of my proteins on the side and weigh them before serving. If I had a rough gym day, more. If I sat on my ass and blogged, even more.