Chicken Tinga Tacos

Gumbo is the ultimate South-Western dish.
Directions for: Chicken and Andouille Gumbo

Ingredients

4 cup canola oil

7 cup flour

2 Andouille Sausages, cut into half moons

2 chicken thighs, diced

3 large onions

2 bell peppers, diced

4 celery stalks

2 Tbsp garlic, minced

1 gallon chicken stock

3 bay leaves

2 cup tomatoes, diced

2 cup okra

cup Worcestershire sauce

cup Creole spice

Kosher salt

Hot sauce

1 splash sherry vinegar

Directions

1. The roux: To a heavy bottom saut pan, preferably a cast iron pan, add the oil and heat almost to the smoking point. (You will notice that the oil begins to shimmer and starts to move on its own at this point. You can test with a pinch of flour and see if it bubbles, once it does you are ready.) To the dancing oil, add the flour while whisking constantly. The oil will bubble and settle quickly. Add enough flour to the mix so that it looks like wet sand at low tide. Never, ever stop stirring, you want a constant bubbling and remember to clean the edges of the pot often. This is Creole napalm so you may want to wear long sleeves at this point. Keep stirring until you reach your desired color, I like a nice caf au lait color, but you can go lighter or darker. Once color is achieved set aside and let cool.

2. Saute the andouille sausage in a large stock pot being careful not to burn it. Remove the sausage, reserve about 2 tablespoons of the oil from the sausage at the bottom of the pot and saut the chicken, remember to season it with salt and pepper. Once chicken is browned on all side remove and set aside with the Andouille reserving about 3Tbs of oil in the bottom of the pot.

3. Dice the onion, bell peppers and celery. (In Creole cooking, these three vegetables together are called the trinity.) Add the diced trinity to the reserved oil and caramelize until soft. (Caramelize means to cook them on high heat adding color to the vegetables but not burning adjust the temperature as needed to achieve this.) Add the garlic and saut for 3 more minutes. Your kitchen should have the amazing aroma of good cooking at this point! Add the Andouille and chicken back to the trinity and stir well. Now, add the stock and bring to a boil. At this point, you will begin to add the cooled roux to the liquid as you stir constantly with the whisk. As the liquid comes back to a boil, the roux will fully incorporate and start to thicken the gumbo. Add enough to give you a thick, stew-like consistency.

4. Adjust the temperature so that the gumbo remains at a slow simmer. Add the bay leaves, tomatoes, and okra and simmer another hour. Add the Worcestershire, creole spice, hot sauce and adjust the salt to your liking. Just before serving you may want to add a couple of drops of sherry vinegar to brighten up the flavor. Traditionally this dish is served with rice, but that is your choice!

See more: Soup, Chicken, Saute