Chicken and Andouille Gumbo

Name: Chicken and Andouille Gumbo
Prep time: 75 min
Total time: 150 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Cajun
Ingredients: ¾ cup neutral oil, divided; ¾ cup all-purpose flour; 2 lb boneless chicken thighs, in 1 1/2 inch pieces; 1 lb andouille sausage, sliced into coins; 2 tbsp Dirty South Crack cajun seasoning, divided; 1 large yellow onion, diced; 1 green bell pepper, diced; 3 celery ribs, diced; 6 garlic cloves, minced; 8 cups low-sodium chicken stock, warm; 2 bay leaves; 1 tsp dried thyme; ¼ tsp cayenne; 4 scallions, sliced; ¼ cup parsley, chopped; 6 cups cooked long-grain rice, hot

A dark roux cooked slow to the color of milk chocolate, the trinity, browned chicken thighs and smoky andouille, simmered an hour and spooned over rice.

Chop the trinity before the roux starts and keep it next to the stove. When the roux hits milk chocolate, the vegetables go in all at once and stop it cold. Thirty seconds looking for a knife is how roux burns.

Chef's shortcut: Dirty South Crack is the Cajun seasoning here: half on the chicken before it browns, half in with the trinity, and hold the salt until the end. Get it at Crack Spice

Ingredients

Roux
¾ cup neutral oil, divided
¾ cup all-purpose flour
Gumbo
2 lb boneless chicken thighs, in 1 1/2 inch pieces
1 lb andouille sausage, sliced into coins
2 tbsp Dirty South Crack cajun seasoning, divided
1 large yellow onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
3 celery ribs, diced
6 garlic cloves, minced
8 cups low-sodium chicken stock, warm
2 bay leaves
1 tsp dried thyme
¼ tsp cayenne
4 scallions, sliced
¼ cup parsley, chopped
6 cups cooked long-grain rice, hot

Method

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a 7-quart Dutch oven over medium-high. Brown the andouille, about 5 minutes, and move it to a bowl.
Toss the chicken with 1 tablespoon of the Crack Spice. Brown it in two batches in the sausage fat, about 3 minutes a batch, and add it to the bowl. It does not need to cook through.
Add the rest of the oil and lower the heat to medium-low. Whisk in the flour, then switch to a flat wooden spoon and stir constantly, scraping the corners, until the roux is the color of milk chocolate, 35 to 45 minutes. Black flecks mean it burned. Start over.
Add the onion, pepper and celery all at once. The roux will hiss and stop darkening. Cook, stirring, until soft, about 8 minutes.
Stir in the garlic, thyme, cayenne, bay leaves and the rest of the Crack Spice for 1 minute. Ladle in the warm stock a cup at a time, stirring smooth before the next.
Return the sausage and chicken with their juices. Simmer uncovered, skimming the fat off the top now and then, until the chicken is tender and the gumbo coats a spoon, about 1 hour.
Taste and salt only now. Pull the bay leaves, stir in the scallions and parsley, and ladle over rice. Pass hot sauce at the table.