Happy Friday, peeps!
I snuck out of work early. It’s lovely here today so I should be out finishing up staining my deck. But, you know what? Productivity is overrated! Instead, I’m just sitting here eating cookies and planning things for the weekend.
Last weekend, we had some lovely cool weather. Coolish temps always make me want comfort foods…..read as gumbo and tiramisu. I know it’s a weird combo but that’s what I wanted, okay? The latter went straight into the garbage bin so no need to share that. As for the former, behold:

If you decide to make this, be sure to give yourself plenty of time. Like all afternoon. If you can snag someone to help stir, even better. Trust me.
Chicken and Sausage Gumbo, adapted from Emeril Lagasse
- 1 Tbs, plus 1/2 c. vegetable oil
- Package of andouille sausage, cut into 1/2 inch thick rounds
- 2 pounds of chicken thighs (I used bone in and boneless simply because it’s what I had on hand)
- 1 Tbs of Emeril Essence or Creole Seasoning (I made the former, recipe to follow)
- 1 c. Flour
- 2 c. Chopped Onions
- 1 c. each, chopped celery and bell pepper (I used a red pepper for a bit of sweetness)
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cayenne
- 3 bay leaves
- 9 c. chicken broth
- Optional: chopped green onions, parsley and file powder, for garnish or added flavor. I was lazy and hungry and skipped these. I did, however, add a large handful of frozen okra in the last hour of simmering.
In a Dutch oven or large pot, cook the sausage in a Tbs of oil over medium high heat. You want it nice and brown. Remove with slotted spoon and set aside.
Season the chicken with the essence or Creole seasoning (I season fairly heavily as M loves the spiciness). Add to your pot and brown well. Set chicken aside to cool (refrigerate) after browning.
In that same pot, make your roux by combining the 1/2 cup of vegetable oil and flour over medium heat. Stir, stir, stir! Seriously, you’ll have to cook and stir this for 20-25 minutes…..until it’s just a bit darker than milk chocolate in color. When you’ve got that, toss in your chopped veggies and keep on stirring until tender, about 5 minutes or so. Then add the sausage, salt, cayenne and bay leaves. Keep stirring another couple of minutes. See, why you want a stirring buddy?! Have the buddy slowly add the chicken broth while you’re stirring. When it’s well combined, you can just stir occasionally while bringing it all to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook, uncovered, for an hour (at this point just continue with the stirring occasionally).
After that hour, add your chicken and let it all simmer for another 90 minutes. Skim off fat as needed. At that point, your chicken should be cooked through. Remove chicken with a slotted spoon and shred it, discarding the bones and any skin. Add back to the pot. Stir! Serve with rice and garnish as you like. It’s a lot of work but it’s oh so good. It’ll freeze well, without the rice. Or pretend your me and share!
Emeril’s Essence Creole Seasoning
- 2 1/2 Tbs Paprika
- 2 Tbs each, Salt and Garlic Powder
- 1 Tbs each, Black Pepper, Cayenne Pepper, Onion Powder, Oregano and Thyme
Combine all the spices and mix thoroughly. The makes a good bit, save the rest in an airtight container or ziploc bag as it’s fabulous to blacken fish or scallops or whatever in.