Cindy's Award-Winning Chicken Gumbo

*Photo by my honey bunny.

My friend's mother--also my high school teacher--Cindy gave me her recipe for her chicken gumbo, which was the winner at the Orange Gumbo Cookoff. (To be clear, I'm from a town called Orange, Texas.) Gumbo, if you're not familiar, is a cajun soup that is generally made with some combination of chicken, sliced link sausage, or seafood. I plan to try a seafood version sometime this winter.

Like many recipes of this type, I suspect that there's no "exact" way to make it, which is why mine has never turned out quite as good as hers, but I am getting better at it. Here's exactly how I prepared it last night, to positive reviews from my fiance and his family:

1 whole chicken
1 cup flour
1 cup oil (Use an oil with a high smoke point, such as grapeseed or peanut oil. Vegetable and olive oil will taste smoky before the roux gets brown.)
1 yellow onion
1 bell pepper
3 stalks of celery
64 ounces of chicken stock (8 cups)
1 tsp. garlic powder
4 bay leaves
1 tbsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tbsp. red pepper
Additional pepper, Cajun seasoning, or hot sauce to taste

*You can use a seasoning like Tony Chachere's or a blackening spice to substitute for some of the spices. I actually did that, but I realize those may not be available just anywhere. You will get generally the same result with what I listed. Keep tasting it as you go along!

1. Boil the chicken in water for an hour and a half. Cool it and pick the meat off. Tear into bite-sized pieces.

2. Chop all the vegetables and set them aside.

3. Pour the oil in a medium-large skillet and heat it on high. Whisk in the flour and keep stirring as the roux browns. This could take up to ten minutes, but when it starts browning, it will happen quickly. When your roux is the color of milk chocolate, add the vegetables and cook, with the heat turned down halfway to avoid overcooking the roux itself.

4. Place the shredded chicken, the roux and veggies, and the chicken stock in a large pot and turn to medium heat. Add the spices, stir well, and start tasting!

5. Once it's seasoned to your liking, cook it for about 45 minutes to 1 hour on low-medium heat.


Serve this over rice with saltines. It is also great with some potato salad in the bowl!