This chicken andouille seafood gumbo has it all: the Trinity of onion, celery, and bell pepper, and plenty of Cajun spice, crawfish tails, shrimp, andouille, and chicken. Beginning with a deep, dark roux, and served with rice, it's a celebration.
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs or chicken breast
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup plus 3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 fresh bay leaves
2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning, plus more to taste
6 cups seafood broth, plus more as needed
1 pound andouille sausage, sliced into coins
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 pound crawfish tails
3 cups rice, cooked according to label instructions
If using chicken breast, butterfly or cut in half horizontally to make it thinner and cut down on cooking time.
Season chicken lightly with salt and black pepper.
Heat 3 tablespoons vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet. Cook chicken until lightly browned, remove from heat, and set aside to cool. It will finish cooking in the hot gumbo broth.
Place the andouille sausage in the same skillet flat, and cook until lightly charred. (I do this because I like a little charring on the sausage, but you can skip this step).
Using a Dutch oven on medium to low heat, heat 1 cup vegetable oil. Be very careful not to scorch or burn the oil. Once oil is hot, slowly whisk in 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons flour.
Continue whisking or stirring flour and oil mixture until your desired color. This is the roux and is the most important part of making a good pot of gumbo. I prefer a very dark chocolate color roux, which requires constant stirring for about 35 to 40 minutes.
