Photo: Gumbo Ya Ya Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 hen, about 6 pounds
- 8 cups water
- 2 medium yellow onions, quartered
- 2 ribs celery, each cut into 6 pieces
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
- 1 1/2 cups bleached all-purpose flour
- 2 cups chopped yellow onions
- 1 cup chopped green bell peppers
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1/2 pound andouille or other smoked sausage, finely chopped, plus 1 pound smoked sausage, cut crosswise into 1/4-inch thick slices
- 2 tablespoons chopped green onions or scallions
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
- Cooked white rice, for serving
Directions
In a large, heavy pot place the hen, water, quartered onions, celery pieces, bay leaves, 1 tablespoon of the salt, and 1 teaspoon of the cayenne pepper and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, partially covered, until the hen is tender, about 2 hours. Remove the hen and set aside. Strain and reserve the broth.
In a large, heavy pot or a Dutch oven over medium heat, combine the oil and flour. Cook, stirring constantly, until the roux is a dark, chocolate brown color, about 20 to 25 minutes. Add the chopped onions, bell peppers, celery and chopped sausage. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are very soft, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add the reserved chicken broth and stir until the roux mixture and broth are well combined. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 1 1/2 hours.
Meanwhile, remove the skin from the hen and pick the meat off the bones, discarding the skin and bones. Coarsely chop or tear the meat into bite size pieces. Add the chicken and the sliced sausage to the gumbo. Cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit for 5 minutes before skimming any fat that has risen to the surface.
Stir in the green onions and parsley and serve the gumbo in individual soup or gumbo bowls over hot, steamed white rice.
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By florangeblossom
Florida
on February 18, 2013
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I give this recipe 3 stars for instructions, 5 stars for taste. Following are some helpful hints:
1. You MUST stir your roux at all times until you add the chicken stock (I recommend using a whisk. If you are using cast iron (enameled or not, turn the heat a little below medium. If you start seeing black specks in your roux, throw it out and start over - it will ruin the taste.
2. My gumbo came out VERY thick. Just add some water to loosen the gumbo to the consistency of the photo. You won't lose any flavor.
3. If this gumbo is still missing something for you, take the flavor up a notch by adding a bit of garlic powder and Tony Chachere's to taste at the end before adding salt.
I was disappointed at how much modification this one took, since Emeril can usually be depended on to deliver consistent results, but it really is delicious in the end.
By lrgator76
on February 13, 2013
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This was the worst recipe I ever made. I had to throw it out after spending a lot time in the preparation. I decided to dump it before adding the chicken so that was salvaged. This is the first time since I can remember that I threw out what I had made without eating it. My daughter, her husband and I found all were in agreement on this too that it tasted horrible. At first I thought Parade magazine had a misprint but it matches what is on this website. The recipe has too much oil. The cook time to get the dark brown roux should be doubled and the heat changed to low. Frankly I am surprised that some of the reviewers liked it so much. I would recommend going to other sources to find a good gumbo recipe.
By OlderThanThat
Fulton, MO
on February 08, 2013
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I'm with tearalongthedottedlion - surprised with an Emeril recipe there was no okra, shrimp, fish - not even any GARLIC! I added some, but even with all the ingredients, the chopping, and the stirring, the result was curiously...tasteless. Well, there was SOME taste - mostly HOT - but not as much as you'd expect with all that stuff in it. I chopped and stirred and chopped some more, but no BAM! And the roux made it too thick - I had to keep adding liquid. Sorry to say, but Red Lobster's gumbo is way better.
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