My father in law is the master at gumbo, so I’m in no way trying to compete. But my kiddo asked for gumbo over jambalaya the other day and I figured, why not? Chicken and Andouille gumbo has got to taste delicious, even if it’s not the authentic version. And boy was I right! Great flavor, pretty healthy, and perfect for the crockpot or dutch oven meal that no one has to watch. That’s exactly what I did. Prepared it and left. A few hours later, we came back to a house smelling oh so yummy. Perfect!
Chicken and Andouille Gumbo:
1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts (they’ve been on sale lately) – $3.97
1/2 to 1 lb Andouille sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces – $1.59 (Mgrs special. Make sure and check for those)
2-3 Tbsp lard or Olive oil (your preference) – pantry
1 medium onion, diced – $.35
1 cup largely diced zucchini (or substitute with Okra. You could even add both!) – $.60
2-3 stalks celery, diced – $.40
1/4 cup chopped green onions – $.30
1 can diced tomato (14oz) – $.69
1 small can tomato sauce (8oz) – $.29
1/4 cup flour – pantry
4 cups chicken stock (I add chicken bouillon to water, it’s cheaper) – pantry
2 tsp Salt – pantry
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper – pantry
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce – pantry
2 tsp crushed garlic – pantry
2 bay leaves – pantry
1/2 tsp fresh thyme – pantry
1 tsp cayenne and a few dashes of Louisiana Hot sause (hot sauce optional)- pantry
1 1/2 cups uncooked white rice – $.30COST: $8.19
In a large pot or dutch oven, brown Andouille over medium heat. Once cooked, remove the sausage, but leave the fat. Add additional lard or oil to the fat. My butcher makes their own sausage and I buy them on Manager special. They are very lean. If I use packaged, I notice it renders a lot more fat. So, for lean meat, I add 3 Tbsps oil and for fattier meats, only 2 Tbsps additional oil.
Next, heat the fat and oil up to medium/medium high heat and add flour, stirring constantly and until flour becomes brown in color. Once brown, turn heat down to low and add zucchini, onion, garlic, celery and okra.
Give a quick stir and slowly pour in chicken stock. Once stock is in the pot, give a nice, good stir to make sure the roux is incorporated with the liquid. Now add the tomatoes and tomato sauce, green onions, bay leaves, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, salt, Cayenne, black and hot sauce. Bring to a boil over high heat.
Cut chicken into large chunks and add to boiling mixture. Give a good stir, then add back the browned Andouille and reduce gumbo to slow simmer. Cover and cook for 2 1/2 hours.
After cooking is complete, you can remove chicken from gumbo and shred, then return to pot or just use the back of your ladle to break apart the chicken while it’s in the gumbo. Continue simmering while you prepare your rice and don’t forget to adjust the seasoning if necessary.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR PAN STEAMED RICE:
Pour rice into pot. Make sure your pot has a good lid. Add water to pot until it’s above the rice, precisely to your first finger tip knuckle line. Cover and bring to boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to slow simmer. Cook 20 mins and leave covered. DO NOT LIFT LID BEFORE 20 MINS!
GRAND TOTAL: $8.19 (I also made some quick corn bread muffins to accompany the meal. You could add a salad or french bread. It’s your choice! Add $1.53 if you do corn bread.
