How to make a Louisiana Cajun Gumbo Recipe with a dark roux
Cajun dishes don't have to be intimidating! And the good news is, I'm here to show you How to Make a Louisiana Cajun Gumbo recipe with a dark roux that any home cook can master! My gumbo is not only scrumptious, but it is also incredibly easy! I'll teach you how to get your homemade roux to the right color without the fear of burning it while also guiding you through the cooking process of the best gumbo you've ever had! We can even explore how to take this chicken and sausage gumbo recipe and tailor it to fit your family's needs while maintaining its Southern hospitality! I'll even show you a few twists of my own for a truly unique experience. The most important thing to know is that even YOU can have a great dish from Southern Louisiana on the table in no time!
Equipment
- 1 Instant Pot
- 1 Stock Pot or dutch oven
Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 1 medium sized green bell pepper
- 2 1/2 cups of fresh okra sliced thinly 1 cup sauteed and cooked in the gumbo and 1 1/2 cups cornmeal fried
- 2 cups of boiled chicken
- 14 ounces of smoked cajun sausage
- 1 10 oz can can diced tomatoes
- 2 quarts of chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons of butter
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon of file seasoning
- 1/2 tablespoon of Tony Chachere's seasoning
- 2 tablespoons of chicken powder
- 1 1/2 tablespoons of garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons hot sauce
Instructions
- Prep Work:
- Boil chicken with the chicken powder and then pick off the bone.Chop onion and bell pepper.Slice smoked sausage into bite size pieces.
- Prep Cooking Begins:
- Saute the smoked sausage in a pot with 2 tablespoons of butter.Once the sausage has gotten some color then take it out of the pot and put it on a plate for later.
- Add the onion and bell pepper to the pot (There should be some residual fat in the pot from the sausage and the butter. This is what you will be sauteing your vegetables in.)When the vegetables become translucent, add the garlic powder and file seasoning and be sure to stir until it becomes fragrant. Then take the vegetables out and place them on the same plate as the sausage.
- Add your cup of fresh okra to the pan. Cook the fresh okra until it gets some color. Avoid moisture before cooking with fresh okra because it will become slimy. The purpose of the sauteing is to keep that from happening.Now that the okra has some color, you can remove it and put it on the plate with the sausage and vegetables.
- Making the roux:
- Add 2 tablespoons of butter into the pot.When the butter has melted, which shouldn't take long because the pot is already hot, then add your 2 tablespoons of flour to make the roux. Constantly whisk the butter and flour together as it starts to brown. The heat needs to be on medium for this because you don't want to burn your roux.Bring your roux to a very dark stage for gumbo. It will get so dark that it will almost resemble chocolate.
- Putting it all together:
- Pour in the chicken stock.Whisk the roux and the chicken stock together until it's fully incorporated.Add the chicken, sausage, vegetables, Tony's seasoning, hot sauce, bay leaves, and diced tomatoes to the pot. Bring to a boil.Reduce the heat to medium low.Cover with a lid and simmer for at least 30 minutes.Then remove the lid and let the gumbo simmer for another 30 minutes on medium so that it can reduce. Be sure to stir the gumbo during the entire hour every 10 minutes or so to make sure that nothing is sticking to the bottom.
Video
Notes
What are the Macros for the Louisiana Cajun Gumbo Recipe with a dark roux:
Makes 11 servings (Nutritional information below is for 1 serving = 1 cup)
Calories – 156
Protein – 10.8 grams
Carbs – 5 grams (net)
Fat – 14 grams