# Hal's chicken gumbo



## Wyotex (Oct 25, 2014)

My grandfather's gumbo recipe. Although guarded like a Soviet state secret, he told me it a few months before he died. He wasn't too keen on measurements and I mostly learned how to make it just by "the feel" of things. Granted, Paw Paw was also a Navy cook, and was used to cooking things in LARGE QUANTITIES (I mean large). So, I have tried to condense it in recipe form. Here it is.

*Hal's Gumbo*

*Serves about 8 to 10*

Ingredients:



3 large chicken breasts, cut into cubes


1/4 cup of Vegetable oil


1/4 cup of butter, not melted


1 lb of smoked sausage, cut into medallions


1/2 of flour


1 bunch of Green onions, chopped coarsely


3 stalks of celery, chopped coarsely


1 bell pepper, seeded and chopped coarsely


2 large tomatoes, peeled and chopped


1 cup of okra (filet gumbo may be substituted)


1/2 pound of shrimp, peeled, deveined, and cleaned.


4 cups of chicken stock (preferably homemade)


1 demitasse cup of espresso or strong French roasted coffee (yes, you heard me)


2 shots of Armagnac (if you don't have Armagnac, you can use cognac. I use Courvoisier since Armagnac is hard to come by here in this part of Wyoming. I have also tried good single malt scotches, preferably Highland).


Salt


Pepper


Cayenne Pepper


Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a heavy cast iron pot or dutch oven over medium to low heat. Brown chicken and remove. Add sausage. Brown and remove. Sprinkle flour over the oil and set to low heat. Add the butter bit by bit, stirring constantly until roux is the shade of a pecan shell. Add your mirepoix (celery, green onions, and bell pepper) and chopped tomatoes, allowing them to cook for a minute in the roux. Cool the roux down immediately by adding the chicken stock. Add coffee and Armagnac/cognac. Whisk vigorously to blend the liquids together, adding water if needed. Add chicken and okra (if you don't use okra, use filet gumbo. But put it in at the end before serving) cook over low heat for one hour. 



Just before serving add the shrimp, cooking them until whitish pink. Serve in a soup tureen or bowl, sprinkling liberally with cayenne pepper to your tolerance.

Serve with a pinot noir. I find using other meats besides chicken work just as well. Venison gumbo is a big hit with my family during hunting season.


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## Dawgluver (Oct 25, 2014)

This sounds really good!  Thanks!


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## Kayelle (Oct 26, 2014)

I really like the sound of this, and thanks for sharing. I've printed it to try soon, and welcome to Discuss Cooking.


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## Cheryl J (Oct 26, 2014)

Oooh...thank you for sharing your family recipe, Wyotex.  Sounds scrumptious!


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## Kayelle (Oct 26, 2014)

I know little about Gumbo, so I have a question. How does the spice, "filet gumbo" substitute for okra, and can you use both in the recipe with good results? I have jar of "filet gumbo" that I've had there for so long, I don't even remember when or why I bought it.


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## buckytom (Oct 26, 2014)

hello hal:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Be8Gbqdox68

welcome to dc, wyotex.

the recipe looks really good. althouh, okra *or* filet?


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## PrincessFiona60 (Oct 26, 2014)

Sounds great!

I'm from Laramie...


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## GotGarlic (Oct 27, 2014)

buckytom said:


> hello hal:
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Be8Gbqdox68
> 
> ...



It's actually gumbo filé, a powder made from dried sassafras leaves; it helps thicken the gumbo. The substance in okra that some people find slimy does the same thing, so you can use either one.


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## buckytom (Oct 27, 2014)

GotGarlic said:


> It's actually gumbo filé, a powder made from dried sassafras leaves; it helps thicken the gumbo. The substance in okra that some people find slimy does the same thing, so you can use either one.


 
i remember seeing justin wilson make gumbo many years ago, and that okra is just for thickening, but file gumbo doesn't thicken as much and adds more flavour.

you made me look it up  :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eK4umRMJlrs

he briefly mentions it at the very end. i remember the distinction from when i saw the show in sydication/repeats. i had never heard of file gumbo before, so it stuck in my mind.

nonetheless, hal's recipe via wyotex still looks great regardless of the minutiae.


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