Gumbo Recipe

THIS gumbo. There are no two ways about it. You need it in every way possible.

Cooking time: 2hrs 30minutes

Serves :10

Ingredients

• 1 2-3 pound whole chicken
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 medium onions diced
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 2 medium bell pepper deseeded and diced
• 2 cups sliced okra
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 pound smoked Polish sausage cut into 1-inch slices
• 1 cup diced smoked ham
• 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, with juices
• 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes with peppers, with juices
• 1 10-ounce can Navy beans
• 2 tablespoons Ole Bay seasoning
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 pound raw small shrimp peeled, deveined, and cleaned
• 4 cups cooked rice optional

How To Prepare

1. Wash chicken and place into a large Dutch oven. Cover with water plus about 2 inches. Bring to a boil over medium heat and simmer for about 2 hours. Remove chicken from water and set-aside to cool. Add butter, onion, celery, bell pepper, okra, and garlic to chicken stock.
2. Pull chicken from the bone and add back to the stock. Add in Polish sausage, and ham. Cook for about 10 minutes to allow all the juices to incorporate.
3. Pour in diced tomates and diced tomatoes with peppers. Smash Navy beans with a fork while in the can and then pour into the Gumbo along with Ole Bay seasoning and bay leaves.
4. Bring Gumbo to a boil and stir in additional chicken stock. Cook for 10-15 minutes and then stir in shrimp. Cook until shrimp has turned pink, about 5 more minutes.
5. Remove bay leaves from the Gumbo and the Dutch oven from the heat. Serve Gubmo over rice (optional) or by itself.

Notes

Alternately, you may use a rotisserie chicken rather than cooking a whole chicken, if desired. If doing so, I recommend the following changes to recipe: Heat Dutch oven over medium heat. Melt butter and add onion, celery, bell pepper, okra and garlic. Saute until tender, about 3-5 minutes. Continue with remaining steps of the original recipe and add 4 cups of chicken stock to Gumbo when recipe calls for 2 cups. Using rotisserie chicken will reduce cooking time by 2 hours.