Hi, I’m back with recipes. I haven’t posted a recipe in a while because I felt like.. An imposter? I also felt like I wanted to take my blog in another direction but I recently remembered how much I enjoyed cooking and how much people enjoyed my cooking. Particularly my family.

I recently made a crockpot Gumbo inspired by, of course, The Princess and The Frog. I am actually unable to eat this recipe in part due to my vegetarian diet and other part to my shellfish allergy… Nonetheless, it came out AMAZING. At least, that’s what my family and boyfriend said, with one of my family members being a cook.. So, that practically makes him a professional on the matter. Anyway, on the the recipe.

There are a variety of variations on this Louisiana classic but this is the most basic recipe. The longest part of this recipe is cutting up the meat and veggies and mixing the roux.

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs (or substitute with chicken breast)
• ½ lb. andouille, kielbasa, or other smoked sausage, sliced into rounds
• 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, not drained
• ½ of a large onion, diced
• ½ of a green bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 celery rib, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 teaspoons Cajun or Creole seasoning
• ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 cups chicken broth or chicken stock
• ½ lb. raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 2 green onions (white and green parts), chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, plus extra for garnish
• Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
• Cayenne or hot sauce, to taste
• Cooked white rice, for serving.

Instructions:

1. Make the roux by heating the flour and oil in a small saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Cook for 8-10 minutes, whisking constantly so that it doesn’t burn. The mixture should turn a light reddish-brown. If it starts to get dark too quickly, reduce the heat to medium-low. Once complete, transfer this to the bottom of the slow cooker.

2. Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces. You may actually benefit from chopping everything up first and then dump them into the crock-pot when their time comes but I’ll let you decide when to do this step. Add the chicken to the slow cooker, and then top with the sausage, tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic, bay leaf, Creole seasoning, paprika, thyme, oregano, and chicken broth.

3. Depending on your timeline. Cover and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours, on HIGH for 3-4 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through and the vegetables are tender.

4. Turn the slow cooker to the HIGH setting (if it’s not already there), and stir in the shrimp. Cover and cook on HIGH for 15-20 more minutes (stirring twice), or until shrimp are pink.

5. Discard the bay leaf (this is important because it doesn’t taste good). Remove the chicken from the pot. Chop or shred the meat, and then return the chicken to the pot. Stir in the green onions and parsley.

6. Taste and season with salt and pepper, cayenne, or hot sauce. Serve over rice and garnish with additional chopped fresh parsley, if desired.

Notes:

• Adding okra to the mix is a classic addition and will help thicken the gumbo.
• The roux needs to be watched because it can be burnt easily.
• You can substitute other proteins with equal weight.

And that is all I have for today! Please let me know if you try this recipe and how it turns out for you!

as always,

with love,

c.p

I’m going to post my Classic One-Pot Jambalaya next and I’ll even post it on my Instagram story!