- 10 large chicken breasts or 12 thighs (bone-in)
- 4-5 links of Andouille sausage (no substitutes)
- 1 cup of minced green bell pepper
- 4 large minced onion
- 2 cups of minced green onions
- 2½ cups of minced celery
- 2 tablespoons of minced garlic
- 8 16 oz. cartons of chicken stock
- ⅓ cup of canola oil
- 5 chicken bouillon cubes
- 20 oz. of water
- ½ cup of either Big Fat Belly Good Original or Hot Cajun Seasoning
- Roux
- Gumbo Filé
Fill a large, heavy soup pot with the stock, bouillon cubes, and water. Add either Big Fat Belly Good Original or Hot Cajun Seasoning and minced garlic. Place the pot on a back burner over high heat. Remove the casing from the Andouille sausage and slice the links diagonally into ¼ inch pieces. Heat a skillet with the oil. Brown the chicken well on all sides and add it to the soup pot. In the same pan, brown the sausage and add it to the soup pot. Add onions, bell pepper, and celery to the skillet and sauté until brown. This will enable the veggies to pick up the flavors in the skillet. Ladle some hot liquid from the soup pot into the skillet. Allow it to bubble and pour it into the soup pot. Make a nice, dark caramel color roux. One spoonful at a time, add the roux to the soup pot, being sure to stir well after each spoonful is added. Reduce heat to a high simmer and let the gumbo cook for an hour. When the chicken starts to pull away from the bone, remove all chicken from the soup pot to cool. Allow the rest of the gumbo to keep cooking. After the chicken has cooled, remove the bones from the chicken and return it to the pot. Allow gumbo to cook for another hour over medium heat, stirring every 15 minutes. Add the green onions. Turn off the burner and add the filé, being sure to add a little at a time. Let the gumbo sit for 30 minutes before serving in a bowl over white rice.
Disclaimer: Proper culinary standards should be met when preparing any recipe. Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish, or eggs may increase your risk of foodborne illness, especially if you have a medical condition.
