Serves 12
1 large rotisserie chicken, meat picked from bones and pulled into bite-size pieces, bones and skin reserved separately
1 quart chicken broth
10 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 large onion, cut into medium dice
1 large red or green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into small dice
2 large celery stalks, cut into small dice
6 medium garlic cloves, minced
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon each: dried thyme leaves and cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes
1 pound kielbasa sausage, sliced thin
3 pounds large peeled and deveined raw shrimp
Bring chicken bones and skin, chicken broth, and 6 cups of water to boil in a large soup kettle over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer until bones release their flavor, about 30 minutes; strain, reserving the broth. Wash
Meanwhile, heat 1/2 cup of the oil in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat. Add flour and cook, whisking occasionally after first and very frequently towards the end, until roux is chocolate colored, about 20 minutes.
While roux cooks, heat remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat in the soup kettle. Add onions, pepper, and celery; sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, bay leaves, pepper, thyme, cayenne, and oregano; continue to sauté until fragrant, about 1 minutes. Stir in roux, then add broth, tomatoes, sausages, and chicken; bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low and continue to simmer to blend flavors, about 45 minutes (Can be cooled, covered, and refrigerated for several days.)
When ready to serve, return soup to a simmer, add shrimp and cook until soup is heated through and shrimp are opaque, just a couple of minutes. Serve, with rice if you like.
I have to share this tip, which I tried when I was making leftover Thanksgiving turkey gumbo. You can make dark roux in the oven. It isn’t fast, but there is no stirring!
(Well, OK, you can stir a few times if you want).
The directions I used came from Alton Brown – mix equal parts flour and vegetable oil in a dutch oven, then put in a 350*F oven for 1 1/2 hours.
(I saw recipes on the web with a 2:1 ratio as well.)
He recommends stirring two or three times during the cooking process, but I…well…I didn’t read his recipe very carefully. I put it in the oven on time bake while we went to church. It worked perfectly. No stirring, and the best dark brown roux I’ve ever made.
Mike V,
I concur! It works and is much easier!
The oven method makes sense, Mike and Bob–especially if you’ve got the time. The stovetop method was pretty simple too. I got my roux going and then started chopping the onions, celery, and pepper. You don’t need to stir the roux much at the beginning, and by the time I needed to stir more frequently, I was at the stove sauteing the vegetables.
In any case, if I had to choose between that crazy microwave method and the oven, I’d certainly go with the latter. Thank you guys for the tip!
Thanks Pam. I think the Gumbo will be just the ticket for Christmas eve in Northern Minnesota. Merry Christmas to you and your family.
I’m from New Orleans and I must say I cheat and use Tony Chachere’s instant roux mix when I need a roux. My Mom always used Kitchen Bouquet!!
I have always wanted to make Gumbo and this looks just like the ticket, sounds simple enough and what a great idea to have on hand for people dropping by.
I made this last Friday night, but pretty much halved everything. I used chicken andouille instead of kielbasa. LIked it and will make again perhaps with a bit more heat. I think it is a great party dish!
I have always wanted to make Gumbo and this looks just like the ticket, sounds simple enough and what a great idea to have on hand for people dropping by.
I’m making this right now for Christmas Eve dinner! I don’t have any shrimp, so I am substituting halibut, and I had frozen turkey meat to use up instead of chicken. I just assembled everything and it hasn’t even simmered for 45 minutes yet, but I had to just taste it and it is already delicious!! The flavors are so rich. I’m so proud of my fist chocolate roux too! 🙂
I think I just found what I’m making for dinner on New Years Eve… Thanks!
I am confused with this portion….Reduce heat to low and simmer until bones release their flavor, about 30 minutes; strain, reserving the broth. Wash
What am I washing?
Thanks
That’s hilarious, Mary. I think a sentence must have gotten dropped at some point. You know those internet gremlins! Anyway, I meant for you to use the same pot for simmering the broth and making the gumbo, so the instruction was to wash the pot and return it to the stove.
Thanks so much….it is snowing to beat the band here in Solebury……
I made this, this past weekend my husband loved it wasn’t too spicy for him. I took the leftovers to work and it was a hugh hit. They all wanted the receipe. Thanks