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Chicken Gumbo
A Louisiana slow cooked chicken stew with celery, onions, and bell peppers and thickened with a Cajun spiced roux.
Recipe Keywords:
chickengumbodairyfreespicyfrenchstewspoultrycajunthighs
servings: 6
total time: 3 hours 30 minutes
recipe by: Frankie
Ingredients
- 1 TBSP plus 3 TBSP olive oil
- 4 pounds bone-in chicken thighs
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 TBSP Cajun seasoning
- salt & freshly ground black pepper
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 red onion, chopped
- 2 bell peppers, chopped
- 2 ribs of celery, chopped
- 4 cups water
- 1 bay leaf
- FOR SERVING:
- 6 cups steamed white rice
- 6 green onions, thinly sliced
- hot sauce
Directions
- Heat 1 TBSP of the olive oil in a dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels and lay HALF of the chicken thighs skin-side down in the pot and cook until the skin is browned, about 6 minutes. Transfer the seared chicken to a plate and set aside.
- Brown the remaining chicken thighs in the dutch oven the same way then transfer them to the plate with the other chicken keeping any fat in the pot.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining 3 TBSP of oil to the pot along with the flour, Cajun seasoning, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Stir until thoroughly combined scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release any stuck on bits of chicken skin. Continue stirring, constantly, until a dark brown roux is formed, about 15 minutes (Make sure you keep stirring during the entire 15 minutes to keep your roux from burning).
- Add the onions, bell peppers, and celery to the pot and stir to combine. Cook, stirring often, until vegetables have softened just a bit, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the water and bay leaf and bring to a boil.
- Return the chicken thighs to the pot then cover the pot and reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
- Transfer the chicken from the pot to a plate and shred the chicken off the bone using two forks. Discard the skin and bones and stir the shredded chicken back into the pot.
- Simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, about 90 more minutes or until thickened.
- Season with additional salt and pepper to taste then serve the gumbo with steamed rice, green onions, and your favorite hot sauce.
