I thought it might be fun to share some family recipes in this newsletter. After all, culinary history is part of family history — everyone who’s ever lived has had to eat, including our ancestors!
In today’s newsletter, we’re featuring Chicken + Sausage Gumbo.
This recipe comes to us by way of Tamara Mitchell, who is a member of the Chapman and Longenecker families and married into the Mitchell fam.
She tells me that this version of the dish is loosely based on a recipe from Cajun Country Cookbook by Tony Chachere of Opelousas, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana. Her mother, Belva Louise “Billye Lou” Longenecker, usually made gumbo with chicken or small game meat like rabbit or squirrel that had been hunted by her father, Elroy Chapman.
Get the downloadable + printable version of this recipe (PDF)
About Gumbo
Gumbo may just be the most well-known dish to come out of Louisiana. There are many, many recipes for gumbo — possibly as many recipes as there are families in the state’s parishes — but the two general categories of gumbo are Cajun and Creole.
Cajun gumbo, which we’re making today, tends to feature terrestrial or freshwater meats + shellfish or sometimes no meat at all, has a roux made with the cheapest fat available, and is usually thickened with filé — that’s powdered sassafras.
Creole gumbo more frequently features saltwater seafood and usually includes tomatoes, often starts with a fancier roux made with butter, and is typically thickened with okra.
However, both kinds can have a wide variety of meat or veg and can include either or both filé + okra.
What almost all gumbo recipes have in common is that they start with a roux; most will include the classic trinity of bell pepper, celery, and onion.
But please note… I am not here to tell anybody that their favorite gumbo recipe is “wrong” or claim that this recipe is the most “traditional” — this is just the version that I like to make!
Ingredients + Equipment
Dutch oven or similar substantial pot
Fat of choice, at least 1/2 cup or about 4.5 oz / 130 grams [see notes]
All-purpose flour, 1 cup or about 4.5 oz / 130 grams
Onion, 1-2 whole or about 1 to 1 1/2 cups – diced
Green bell pepper, 1/2 to 1 whole or about 1/2 to 1 cup – diced
Celery, 1-2 ribs or about 1/2 to 1 cup – diced [see notes]
Garlic powder, 1/4 tsp
Chicken, boneless-skinless thighs preferred, 1 lb – sliced
Sausage, 1 lb – sliced [see notes]
Bay leaf, 2 dried pieces
Water or stock or mix, 4 - 6 cups
Salt, 1/2 tsp + more to taste
Filé, 1/2 tsp + more to taste
Rice, to serve
Instructions
First, make a roux.
Start the fat over medium heat; if it’s solid fat like lard or bacon drippings, it needs to be melted — but don’t let it smoke. Then stir in the flour a bit at a time. It needs to start with the texture of wet sand, something that is just viscous enough to stir but thick enough to leave a trail across the bottom of the pot when a spoon is dragged through it. Add a little more fat if needed to get this consistency.
Do not walk away from the roux! DO. NOT. WALK. AWAY. FROM. THE. ROUX.
Just keep stirring until the roux is caramel-colored. For a stronger-tasting roux, cook it until it’s a a little bit darker. It should smell well-toasted but not burnt. This will take approximately 20 minutes, but the timing is highly variable; it is wiser to depend on the appearance and smell rather than a clock.
Add the onions. Stir them into the roux for about 5 to 10 minutes, at least until translucent but not to the point that the onion is starting to caramelize.
If the roux is already kinda dark, add about a cup of liquid at this point to prevent it from burning.
Stir the green bell pepper, celery, and garlic powder into the pot with the onions and roux. Keep stirring and help them get to know each other for about 2 minutes.
Browning the chicken and sausage is also an option at this stage, if the cook feels like it; just stir the meat pieces into the pot with the veg and let sit for about 2 minutes. Otherwise, add meat in the next step.
Add the bay leaf and water or stock and bring to low boil. If not planning to serve over rice, add 4 cups of liquid; if planning to serve over rice, add up to 6 cups of liquid.
After 10 minutes, taste the stew and add salt 1/2 tsp at a time to preference. If using salty ingredients like bacon drippings or salted stock, it shouldn’t need much, so definitely taste-test — but only after the chicken has been cooked long enough for safety.
Turn the heat to low and simmer for at least 45 minutes, up to 2 hours. Stir it every once in a while.
Turn off the heat, then thicken with filé. Start with 1/2 tsp and add more if needed, but don’t go overboard or the stew will turn to slime. Let it sit for a few minutes before eating.
Serve over rice and, if desired, top with more filé.
Notes
Fat options:
Lard or other rendered animal fats would be the most historically accurate fat option simply because a couple of centuries ago that’d be the cheapest and easiest to obtain. I highly recommend saving bacon drippings and using that for at least part of the fat in a roux.
However, in the spirit of “cheap and easy”, a neutral veg or peanut oil is by far the most common choice for modern gumbo.
Just keep in mind that you want the amount of fat to be about equal to the weight or ounces of flour, which for most fats is at least 1/2 cup but less than 1 cup.
Celery options:
Unfortunately, I do not enjoy eating cooked celery. I have found that celery seed can provide a nice, subtle flavor in its place.
If you also suffer from this aversion — or if you hate buying a whole bunch of the stuff to use just 2 ribs and let the rest wither sadly away in your fridge — use a couple of pinches celery seed and add it to the pot at the same time as the bell pepper.
Sausage options:
Andouille is obviously the traditional choice for gumbo, but the farther away from Louisiana one gets the harder it can be to find.
Luckily, almost any mild-to-medium spicy smoked pork sausage will do just fine. Kielbasa or Spanish-style (not Mexican) chorizo are decent options.
If the sausage is not at all spicy, consider adding a couple of pinches of ground cayenne pepper or a chili powder or a couple of shakes of hot sauce to the mix, to taste.
Get the downloadable + printable version of this recipe (PDF)
Call for Comments + Family Recipes
Do you make a version of this dish?
Visit this post on Substack to comment about variations or ask questions, or just send me a note via email!
Do you have an inherited recipe to share?
If there’s a dish that’s extra special because it always made an appearance at family events or because the recipe was taught to you by an older relative, I’d love to hear about it. If you’re comfortable with sharing, I’d be happy to make the dish in my own kitchen and write it up in a shareable format, like this one — just respond to this email to reach out!