Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

I have never made gumbo before but have always wanted to try. I finally decided it was time! I was not dissappointed! I couldnt find any one recipe that sounded right, so I combined a few and made my own. Most gumbos that I found had a few of the following, but I decided to leave out for taste preferences: okra, celery, carrots, and bell pepper. Because I have little ones I didnt add as much cayenne, but it would have been even better with a bit more! I will say now that it is time consuming and you will be standing over the stove quite a bit, but the end result is worth it. Enjoy!











Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

3 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 lb smoked sausage- sliced
2 onions- diced
1T minced garlic
1/2c vegetable oil
2/3c flour
1.5T parsley
1t dried thyme
8c water
1/8t cayenne
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

-Start out by filling a large pot with water. Add salt, and the diced onion. Bring to a boil and add chicken. Cook until chicken is done. Once done, remove from pan and shred. Reserve the water and onions!!!
-While the chicken is cooking, in another pan brown sliced sausage, drain and set aside.
-In a large pot heat vegetable oil, once it's hot add flour and stir constantly. This is the roux. The darker the roux the more flavor you will get. Mine was a peanut butter color and took about 10 minutes to get.
- Once you get the desired color, add the cooked sausage, garlic and parsley. Next stir in 8 cups of your reserved water and onion mix. If you dont have enough just add water from the tap. Add shredded chicken.
-Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.
-Serve over hot rice!