Chicken and Andouille Gumbo

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, about 1.8kg, jointed, or 1.2kg bone-in thighs
• 450g andouille sausage, sliced 1cm thick
• 240ml neutral oil
• 240g plain flour
• 2 large onions, diced
• 2 green peppers, diced
• 4 celery sticks, diced
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 2.5 litres chicken stock, kept hot
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 1.5 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 6 spring onions, sliced
• Small bunch flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• Salt and black pepper
• 500g long-grain rice, cooked, to serve
• File powder, to finish (optional)

Before you cook

• Dice the onions, peppers and celery and keep them together in one bowl, ready to go in fast
• Slice the andouille and joint the chicken, then season the chicken all over with salt and pepper
• Heat the chicken stock in a separate pan and keep it at a bare simmer
• Measure the flour and oil so they can go into the pot without hunting for them

Steps

1. Brown the sliced andouille in a large heavy pot over medium heat for 6 minutes, then lift it out and set it aside.
2. Brown the seasoned chicken pieces in the same fat, in batches, about 4 minutes per side, and set them aside too.
3. Pour the oil into the pot, warm it over medium heat, and whisk in the flour all at once.
4. Stir the roux without stopping for 25 to 35 minutes, keeping the heat steady, until it darkens through peanut butter and copper to the colour of dark chocolate.
5. Tip the onions, peppers and celery straight into the roux, which will hiss and cool it, and stir for 5 minutes until they soften.
6. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
7. Pour the hot stock in a ladleful at a time, whisking after each addition so the roux loosens without lumping.
8. Return the chicken and andouille to the pot along with the bay leaves, thyme, cayenne, paprika and Worcestershire.
9. Bring the pot to a boil, then drop it to the barest simmer and cook uncovered for 90 minutes, skimming the fat that rises to the surface.
10. Lift the chicken out, pull the meat from the bones in large shreds and discard the skin and bones.
11. Return the shredded chicken to the pot and simmer for a further 20 minutes.
12. Taste and correct the salt, pepper and cayenne, then stir in the spring onions and parsley.
13. Ladle the gumbo over a scoop of hot rice in each bowl and offer file powder at the table for anyone who wants it.