Ingredients
Total Time: 3 Hours
1 to 1 ½ cup chopped onion. (I prefer Yellow)
1 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup vegetable oil (plus a couple of tablespoon or so for sauteing the chicken and sausage)
1 cup all purpose flour
8 to 9 cups chicken broth or chicken stock
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
cajun seasoning / cajun essence
1 lb cajun andouille sausage
2-3 lbs chicken (breast or thigh. breast shreds better so I typically use breast)
white rice (If white rice is new to you, start here.)
freshly chopped parsley
freshly chopped green onion
Louisiana hot sauce (Crystal is the best, but Tabasco works too)
Procedure
- Cut Chicken into thirds and place in a mixing bowl. Coat liberally and mix with Cajun seasoning and essence. This is a primary flavoring agent so make sure the chicken is fully coated. At least 3 or 4 tablespoons.
- Heat a tablespoon or so of vegetable oil in a large cast iron dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add the chicken and brown on all sides – about 7 or 8 minutes. Remove the browned chicken and set back in the mixing bowl.
- Add the andouille sausage and brown on all sides – about 7 or 8 minutes. Remove and add to the mixing bowl to cool. Once cooled, cut the sausage into angled, cross cut slices.
- Turn the heat to medium-low and add 1 cup of oil to the pot. Slowly sift in 1 cup of flour while constantly stirring. Only add more flour when the previous amount has been fully integrated. This process could take up to 10 minutes to ensure a smooth consistency with no clumps. If there was still a decent amount of oil left in the pan from sauteing the meat, you may need to add a tablespoon or two of extra flour to get a roux consistency that has the proper viscosity.
- Once the entire cup of flour has been integrated into the oil, continue to stir constantly for 30 or so minutes to create a nice dark brown roux. The roux should be the color of chocolate after about 30 minutes. (Be sure to stir constantly otherwise it will burn and ruin everything. Also, be careful with it – it’s like lava and could splash up on you if your stirring instrument hits a bump of fond on the bottom of the pan that hasn’t come up yet. If any splashes on you, your skin will burn.)
- When the roux reaches it’s chocolate color, add the chopped onion, bell pepper, and celery and continue to mix until wilted – about 5 minutes. (This process will essentially deglaze the pot, so be sure to scrape all of the burnt leftovers from the chicken and sausage browning process from the bottom of the pot as you mix the vegetables.
- Add the bay leaves, cut sausage, and cayenne pepper to the mixture. Continue to mix and stir for another 4 or 5 minutes. This should all be a very dark and thick paste at this point.
- Add the chicken broth, and stir well to combine everything.
- Increase the heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiled, reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
- After 1 hour, add the chicken to the pot – including any juices that may have drained out of the chicken and into the mixing bowl.
- Continue to simmer for another 1 ½ hours, stirring occasionally.
- After 1 ½ hours, remove all chicken with a slotted spoon, and shred on a cutting board. Add the shredded chicken back to the pot and stir. It is now ready to eat.
- Serve in bowls with a scoop of rice in the middle. Sprinkle a large pinch of chopped parsley and green onions on top of the rice. Serve with Louisiana hot sauce on the side.