File Chicken Gumbo Recipes

SUNNY'S BIG EASY CHICKEN AND ANDOUILLE FILE GUMBO

Steps:

• Add the oil, chicken and sausage rounds to a stockpot on medium-high heat. Sear the chicken to get color and sausage to get color and render fat, but not to cook fully. As the parts finish searing, use a slotted spoon to remove them and place on a plate, leaving the fat in the pot, about 10 minutes total.
• Add the butter, flour and Cajun seasoning to the pot. Cook on medium heat, constantly stirring, until the roux becomes a rich, dark caramel color, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Add the bell peppers, onions, celery, jalapenos and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, to coat, until everything gets tender, 5 to 8 minutes, then add the stock base and 8 cups water and stir to mix the base into the pot. Add the bay leaves and cover the pot to simmer until the gumbo is thickened, 30 minutes to 1 hour.
• Add the reserved chicken and sausage, then stir in the file powder. Simmer, uncovered, for another 30 minutes.
• Shred the chicken in the pot. Serve over rice with a shake of hot sauce and file powder.

CLASSIC CHICKEN GUMBO RECIPE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Peel and chop the onions .
• Cut the bell pepper in half lengthwise; remove the seeds and stem. Cut the pepper into 1/4-inch dice.
• Chop the celery. Set the vegetables aside.
• For the roux , melt the shortening in a large Dutch oven over low heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring, until medium brown-about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir the roux constantly to avoid burning. If it burns, you will have to start over.
• Add the chopped vegetables to the roux, adjust the heat to medium-low to medium, and continue to cook, constantly stirring, until the onion is translucent.
• Slowly add the chicken stock and bring it to a boil, stirring constantly.
• Add the diced tomatoes, okra, salt, pepper, thyme, oregano, cayenne, and bay leaf; bring to a boil.
• Reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook the rice following the package directions. Set aside and keep warm.
• Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces.
• Add the chicken to the soup and cook, covered, for 6 to 8 minutes longer, or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked. Taste the soup and adjust the seasonings with more salt and pepper, as needed.
• To serve, scoop a mound of rice into the center of each of the four large, shallow bowls. Ladle the soup around the rice. Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley and/or green onion tops, if desired.

LOUISIANA CHICKEN FILE GUMBO

Steps:

• Season chicken with salt, thyme, pepper, and cayenne.
• In an iron soup pot, heat oil over medium high heat until hot, then fry chicken until golden brown.
• Pour excess oil out of pot, and reserve for roux.
• Add onions, celery, and garlic to the pot with the chicken, and cook, uncovered, over low heat until onions are wilted.
• Season flour with Creole seasoning.
• In a heavy iron pot, heat the reserved oil over medium heat to make roux.
• When oil is hot, stir flour in gradually.
• Lower heat to very low, and cook to desired darkness - golden brown to chocolate brown, stirring constantly (It is VERY important that you continue stirring constantly).
• Pour excess oil off the top to prevent the gumbo from being too rich.
• Slowly stir in water, dissolving roux.
• Add the water to the chicken mixture.
• Allow to boil over medium low heat until meat is tender.
• Serve in soup bowls with rice.
• Just before serving sprinkle parsley and a dash of file on each serving.

CHICKEN & SAUSAGE FILE GUMBO

Steps:

• Put the chicken in a pot and add enough water just to cover. Boil just until done.
• Remove the chicken from the pot, reserving the liquid. When the chicken cools enough to handle, remove the skin, take the meat off the bones and cut into bite sized pieces. Set aside.
• Melt the butter and oil in a large pot over medium high heat, then add the flour. Cook, stirring constantly, until it is a medium brown, lowering the heat to avoid burning, if necessary.
• Add the sausage, ham, onions, bell pepper, and garlic. Cook over low heat for 10 minutes.
• Add about 2 cups of the reserved chicken broth, the chicken, and all seasonings except the file powder. Stir in the rest of the reserved chicken broth.
• Bring to a boil, then simmer for one hour, uncovered.
• Remove from the heat, stir in the file powder, then let stand for 5 minutes.
• Serve over steamed rice.

FILE GUMBO

Steps:

• Heat some vegetable oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat and cook the chicken in batches until it is golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside. Add the flour to the chicken juices and stir continuously. Add the butter and cook the roux until it is brown.
• Add the peppers, onion, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper, cayenne, bay leaves, thyme, and 1 quart of water. Stir well and bring to a boil. When the vegetables are soft, put the chicken back into the pot and add the remaining water. In a skillet over medium heat, cook the sausage and ham until they are browned. Add them to the pot along with the shrimp and stir well. Let the gumbo simmer for 1 hour, then add the okra. After 20 minutes, turn off the heat. Ladle a couple of cups of the liquid into a mixing bowl. Add the file powder and whisk until well blended. Pour back into the stock pot and mix well. It's ready to serve!

EMERIL'S COUNTRY FILE GUMBO

Steps:

• Heat the roux in a medium-sized heavy stockpot over medium-high heat. When hot, add the onions, celery and bell pepper. Stir mixture until onions begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook for 1 minute. Slowly pour in stock, whisking constantly to prevent lumps from forming. Add the browned sausage, bay leaves, Worcestershire, hot sauce, cayenne, salt, and pepper.
• Bring gumbo to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer until gumbo is slightly reduced, about 50 minutes. (Gumbo should cook long enough for the roux flavor to mellow and for any floury taste to dissipate.)
• Season the shrimp with the Essence in a small bowl. Stir in the seasoned shrimp, crabmeat, green onions, parsley, thyme and basil. Cook until shrimp are cooked through, about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary. Sprinkle in file powder and cook, stirring, 2 minutes more, or pass file at the table for guests to thicken as desired. Remove bay leaves before serving.
• Serve in warmed soup bowls over steamed white rice.
• Place a heavy, iron Dutch oven, (or iron skillet with deep sides) over medium heat and heat the oil until just smoking. Whisk in flour, a little at a time and cook, whisking constantly, until roux becomes smooth and thick. Continue to cook, constantly stirring with a wooden spoon and reaching all over bottom of pan, until roux darkens to desired color. Be careful not to produce specs of black. The roux must remain an even color throughout process. If specs appear you must start over.
• For a Light Brown Roux, cook the mixture, over medium heat for 1 1/2 hours, or until the color of peanut butter. Remove about 1 cup of the light colored roux, cool completely, and set aside for the Delmonico's Seafood Okra Gumbo.
• For a Medium Brown Roux, cook the mixture, over medium heat for an additional 30 minutes, or until the color of a copper penny when ready. Remove about 13/4 cups of the medium colored roux, cool completely, and set aside for Emeril's Country File Gumbo.
• For a Dark Brown Roux, cook the mixture an additional 35 to 45 minutes. The color should resemble dark chocolate when ready. Remove all of the remaining dark roux from the pan and cool completely. Set aside for the Chicken and Sausage Gumbo. (See Cook's Note)
• Combine all ingredients thoroughly.
• Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch, published by William and Morrow, 1993.

EASY CHICKEN GUMBO

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add chicken and sausage; cook until browned, about 8 minutes.
• Add vegetables, tomatoes and water; bring to boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium; cook 3 minutes.
• Serve over hot cooked rice.
• Note: If you wish, peeled, cleaned shrimp could be added for the last few minutes of cooking. You may want to add a bay leaf with the vegetables.

CHICKEN-ANDOUILLE FILE GUMBO

Steps:

• Heat a medium, heavy duty skillet over medium-high heat. Add andouille sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer sausage to a large bowl. Add 1/2 cup water to skillet and scrape bottom to release any browned bits. Set this liquid aside.
• Heat oil in an 8 quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper and saute until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to bowl containing sausage.
• Add the flour to the remaining oil in Dutch oven, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon over medium-high heat until roux turn caramel-colored, about 6-8 minutes. Add onion, stirring constantly until roux becomes the color of milk chocolate, 2-3 minutes. Add celery, bell pepper, and garlic, and cook, stirring often, until vegetables are softened, about 4 minutes. Stir in chicken broth, 1 qt of water, the reserve sausage liquid, and the andouille, chicken, bay leaves, and thyme.
• Bring to boil, reduce heat, and simmer uncovered until chicken is falling off the bone, about 45 minutes.
• Transfer chicken pieces to a plate and allow to cool. Once cooled, remove skin and bones from chicken, pull meat into bite size pieces and return to gumbo. Season to taste with salt and pepper if needed.
• Serve in large bowls over 1/4 cup of hot cooked rice per serving. Add scallions and hot sauce to taste. Pass file at the table for everyone to add to taste.

CHICKEN GUMBO FILE SOUP

Steps:

• Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper, then slowly brown them in the lard (or oil). When brown, remove the chicken pieces, pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the oil and whisk in the flour, making a roux.
• Add the chopped onions, parsley, and thyme and fry for several minutes. Pour in the boiling water, whisking hard, then add the bay leaf, cayenne, and country ham cubes. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for about an hour, until the chicken is tender.
• Pick out the chicken pieces, let cool a bit, then take off the bone -- stirring the meat back into the soup and discarding the bones and skin. Taste for seasoning again, and add as much salt and pepper as you like.
• When ready to serve, pour in the oysters with their juice and stir in the cooked rice. Turn up the heat and continue cooking for about 3 minutes. Don't let the oysters overcook. Remove gumbo from heat, and add filé powder just before taking to the table.

FILé GUMBO

Steps:

• Cook chicken if it's not already cooked. Leftovers work fine for this. Set aside.
• Place sausage in a large stockpot over medium high heat, and cook until lightly browned, and some oil is released. Set aside with chicken.
• Add 2 tbsp oil to pot, and saute onion, bell pepper, and celery until soft. Add garlic in the last few minutes. Set vegetables aside with chicken and sausage, wipe stockpot to remove any vegetable pieces.
• Add 1/4 cup oil to pot, and allow to heat over medium until it starts to "shimmer". Add flour, and cook, stirring constantly until the flour and oil mixture takes on a rich brown color. If I'm using sausage or ham, I like to do a chocolate colored roux, for seafood and poultry, I like a caramel color. Use your own judgment.
• When your roux is as you like it, add the chicken broth (You may sub seafood broth, or turkey stock, depending on your ingredients) stir constantly while adding broth to avoid lumps. You should have something resembling a thin gravy.
• Add meats and vegetables back to pot, add cajun seasoning. (I like Tony Chachere's, but you can use any kind you like. If this ingredient is not available in your area, several good ones have been posted to Zaar.).
• Simmer your gumbo for half an hour, or more if you like, keeping the heat low to avoid breaking the roux. This gives time for the flavors to mingle. If you're using a delicate shellfish, like shrimp, add it later in the simmer to avoid toughening it.
• When ready to serve, add hot sauce and filé, stir well, and ladle over a bowl of rice. Keep the filé, hot sauce, and Cajun seasoning out on the table, so diners may add more of any they like. This is wonderful accompanied by a loaf of crusty French bread and a crisp salad.