Cajun Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
Growing up on the rural outskirts of Ville Platte, Louisiana (the 鈥淐ajun Prairie鈥�), LSU in Alexandria Chancellor Paul Coreil remembers how everyone raised yard chickens and made homemade smoked pork sausage. His late mother Juanita Smith would butcher a fresh chicken from the yard each time she made gumbo, before getting started on her roux.
This is his recipe.
Paul Coreil鈥檚 Cajun Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
Elsa Hahne
Please buy local, Louisiana ingredients鈥擯oultry is the state鈥檚 largest food industry
with a 2018 farm-gate value of $1 billion and commercial production in 31 parishes;
rice had a 2018 farm-gate value of $380 million, with commercial production in 32
parishes.
鈥淓very time I make this gumbo, I think of my life growing up in rural Evangeline Parish,
smelling that delicious aroma all day,鈥� Paul Coreil said. 鈥淭o 鈥榮tretch鈥� the gumbo
and allow us to feed more people, mom would sometimes add boiled eggs. You never knew
if more guests and extended family would show up!鈥�
Coreil does not use celery and rarely actual recipes:
鈥淎ll I need to know is how many people to feed; the only ingredient I measure is people.鈥�
Each year, Ville Platte hosts a Smoked Meat Festival. Coreil and his wife Arlene have
been judges for its cooking competition for several years.
鈥淒elicious entries every time!鈥�
Cajun Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
(Serves 8-10)
1 pound smoked pork sausage or andouille, sliced (Coreil likes to use Teet鈥檚 Food
Store in Ville Platte鈥攖hey ship! Check to see if you need to peel the skin off of
the andouille before you slice as it might be too chewy)
6 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into thirds
2 medium onions (or 1 large onion), finely diced
2 bell peppers (any color), finely diced
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dry mustard (optional)
1 teaspoon dried thyme (optional)
1 teaspoon dried oregano (optional)
1 cup flour
1 cup vegetable oil
2 quarts stock or broth (beef, chicken, or vegetable)
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 small bunch fresh parsley, chopped (avoid most of the stems)
Prepare your meats and set aside in separate bowls. Prepare onion and bell pepper,
mix, and set aside. Make a seasoning mix by combining everything from salt through
oregano (if using) in a small bowl and set aside. Next, make the roux. (You鈥檒l need
a cast iron skillet and be fully dressed for this step; Coreil recommends using 1
cup of Kary鈥檚 Roux from a jar, made by one of his childhood friends in Ville Platte,
if you don鈥檛 feel like making your own.) Whisk or stir the flour and oil over medium-to-high
heat until the color of dark chocolate, being careful not to splash. (You must stir
constantly.) Once the roux reaches the right color, immediately mix in the onion and
bell pepper to cool the temperature down. Next, add the seasoning mix. Cook while
stirring constantly for 1-2 minutes, allowing the vegetables to soften. Add stock
or broth and bring to a simmer. Next, add sausage and simmer over low heat for up
to one hour; adjust seasonings and perhaps add more stock or broth鈥擟oreil prefers
his gumbo more soupy than stewy. Next, add chicken and continue to simmer for 30 minutes
(if you simmer it more than an hour or so, the chicken will begin to 鈥渢hread鈥� and
fall apart). Finally, add green onions and parsley and simmer for 10 more minutes.
Serve hot with a large spoonful of white Louisiana rice.
Elsa Hahne
LSU Office of Research & Economic Development
ehahne@lsu.edu