Cullen's Whole Chicken Sausage Gumbo
1 lb Linguica sausage, cut in 1/4-inch-thick rounds
Vegetable oil
1 x (2 1/2- to 3 1/2-pound) chicken, cut in pieces
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 cup Flour plus 6 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 cup (about 2 bunches) finely chopped green onions, green and
White parts
1 cup Finely chopped celery
1/2 cup Finely chopped green pepper
1/4 cup Finely chopped parsley
3 x Garlic cloves, minced
9 cup Chicken stock
Cayenne pepper and/or Tabasco sauce to taste
2 x To 6 teaspoons file powder, according to taste
4 cup Hot, freshly cooked rice
Finely chopped green onions for garnish
Method :
Cook the sausage in a large, heavy ungreased skillet over low heat, turning the
slices frequently with a spatula until there is a film of fat over the bottom of
the pan.
Increase the heat to medium and, turning the slices occasionally, continue to
fry the sausage until the slices are browned, about 6 minutes. Remove the
sausage to paper towels to drain. Add vegetable oil to the fat in the skillet to
a depth of 1/2 inch.
Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. Place 1/2 cup of the flour on a
plate. Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour and shake of the excess.
Heat the oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. fry the chicken pieces in the
hot fat until they are golden brown on both sides and the eat is cooked through,
about 12 to 15 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the skillet and drain
on paper towels. Reserve 6 tablespoons of fat from the skillet an discard the
rest. Whisk the reserved 6 tablespoons fat with the remaining 6 tablespoons of
flour in a large, heavy pot until smooth. Cook, stirring frequently, over medium
heat until the fat-flour mixture (called a roux) is nut brown.
This will take several minutes. Do not allow the roux to burn.
Add the green onions, celery, green pepper, parsley and garlic to the roux. Cook
the mixture, stirring over medium-low heat until the vegetables have softened.
Then, stirring constantly, slowly add the chicken stock. Bring the mixture to a
boil, then reduce the heat. Add the sausage to the gumbo. Season to taste with
salt, pepper, cayenne and/or Tabasco sauce. Simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes,
stirring occasionally.
While gumbo is simmering, bone the cooked chicken and, using your fingers, shred
the meat into pieces. Add to the gumbo and simmer for 15 minutes longer,
stirring occasionally.