Time to prepare: 2-4 hours (This varies based on whether meat is pre-cut and shrimp is peeled/deveined, or if roux is prepared on stove or microwave.) 

Cook time: 2 hours

Servings: 15

Ingredients

  • 40 cups water
  • 32 oz. chicken broth (low or no sodium)
  • 4 lbs. chicken breast
  • 2 packs Hillshire Farm turkey andouille sausage
  • 1 lb. stew meat
  • 3 lbs. turkey ham
  • 4 lbs. shrimp
  • 2 lbs. crab legs/claws
  • 20 oz. diced bell pepper (or 2 whole bell peppers)
  • 3 celery stalks
  • 1/2 cup minced onion (or fresh diced onion)
  • 1 cup Bisquick or flour
  • 1 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup salt
  • 3/4 cup Italian seasoning
  • 1/4 cup paprika
  • 1/2 cup creole seasoning
  • 1/2 cup parsley
  • 1/8 cup red pepper
  • 2 cans Italian stewed tomatoes
  • 1 jar of filé (season to taste)
  • 3 cups white or brown rice 

Preparation

  1. Cut chicken breast, sausage, stew meat, and ham into large bite-sized pieces. Dice bell pepper, celery, and onion. Purée Italian stewed tomatoes.
  2. Peel and devein shrimp. Clean crab legs.
  3. Sauté chicken and beef in extra large cooking pot over medium heat. (Add salt/pepper/creole seasoning for added flavor – this is in addition to the ingredient measurements.) Drain liquid from pot after sautéing meat.
  4. Add sausage and ham to pot.
  5. While meat is cooking, prepare roux in microwave: Combine 1 cup of vegetable oil and 1 cub of Bisquick or flour in container and place in microwave for about 5 minutes or until golden brown. (Flour can be used instead of Bisquick, but it will take longer to brown.)
  6. Add roux to pot. Add 40 cups of water and 32 oz. of chicken broth. Cover pot and raise stovetop temperature to high. Bring to a rolling boil.
  7. Reduce heat to medium-high and add bell pepper, onion, celery, puréed Italian stewed tomatoes, salt, Italian seasoning, paprika, Creole seasoning, and parsley.
  8. Taste to gauge seasoning/salt level. If it's too salty, add more no-sodium chicken broth. Once you find the desired flavor, reduce heat to medium.
  9. Add filé to bring gumbo to desired thickness.
  10. Add shrimp and crab. Once shrimp and crab are fully cooked, reduce stovetop to low heat.
  11. Red pepper can be added to the pot for an extra kick, or the pepper can be added to individual bowls if some don't like it as spicy.
  12. While gumbo pot is on low, prepare 3 cups of white rice (or brown rice for a healthier option).
  13. Turn off stove and let stand overnight. Gumbo is more flavorful the day after it's prepared.

This creole gumbo recipe comes from Cornel Wade. USA is the country of origin, but it has West African and French influence. The recipe was part of a contest by the African American Faculty and Staff Association in honor of Juneteenth. 

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