Chicken Sausage Gumbo



We love this dish.  Sometimes I make it chicken ham gumbo, or this time I had no sausage, so I just made chicken gumbo.  The addition of an andouille type sausage that you can cut into slices is very good but not an essential ingredient.  Be sure to buy good quality nitrate-free sausage or ham. 

The spices, especially the white pepper, thyme, and celery seed, are essential.  The essential vegetables are celery, green pepper, and onions.  Gumbo also needs a roux or thickener (a flour and water mix or okra, in the summer when in season is excellent choice).  To make a roux, melt 2 Tbl of butter in your pot and when hot add about 2 Tbl of flour and stir until thick and beginning to brown.  This batch I made the quick way and just dissolved the flour in water and added it to the pot instead of making a roux at the beginning.  Not a traditional Cajun version, but delicious anyway.

Ingredients:

2 - 3 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1 - 2 cups cooked, sliced sausage or ham
1 Tbl extra virgin olive oil (or 2 Tbl butter, see above)
1 yellow onion, diced
2 green onions, chopped
2 jalapenos, diced fine
1 green (or half green/half yellow) bell pepper
5 celery stalks, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups homemade chicken broth
1/2 cup filtered water
2 Tbl pastry flour
1 bay leaf
1 tsp parsley
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp celery seed
1/4 tsp thyme

Yellow Rice

Heat 1 Tbl olive oil in heavy pot (or 2 Tbl of butter with the flour to make a roux).  Add diced vegetables and saute for several minutes.  Add chicken broth and spices.  Bring to a slight boil.  (Mix flour with water and add to pot unless you started with the roux).  Add meats. Cover partially with lid.  Simmer for 1 to 2 hours.  Serve over yellow rice with a salad and sweet potato biscuits.