The Best Winter Comfort Food: Chicken and Seafood Gumbo

When the winter months arrive, I look forward to making some of my favorite comfort foods at home. Everything from chicken soup, to chilis and crock-pot meals, YUMMMMMM, my mouth is already watering!

There are so many things I love about comfort foods but my top two favorite things are 1) some meals provide a good way to dump in lots of vegetables to add some nutrition and 2) many meals can be made in a large quantity so your family can enjoy the leftovers which (don't tell anyone) are sometimes better than the first serving!

Ultimately, there is nothing like coming home from a long day to a nice hot bowl of goodness to warm the soul and this gumbo recipe has all the components to make you feel like you're wrapped in a blanket during these cold winter months.

Now this particular gumbo recipe, I received from my friend who is from New Orleans The challenge I had is that a lot of the seasoning she uses in New Orleans, I didn't have at my local grocery store. So, if you're going to make this recipe, I'd recommend you get Slap Ya Mama or Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning

The other fun challenge when getting recipes from friends is that a lot of homemade meals that are passed down don't come with a recipe card... it's usually a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Food is usually made with love, a gut feel and visual and smell check! So, I combined what my friend gave me for her gumbo with a few other gumbo recipes I found online to help translate the authentic New Orleans gumbo goodness into steps you can follow!

First, to make this gumbo you'll need:

• 1/3 cup of flour (Cassava flour to make it paleo-friendly or all purpose flour otherwise)

• 1/4 cup High heat oil (grapeseed, avocado, Ghee)

• 1 lb Chicken thighs - because they can cook without getting dried out like the breast

• 12 oz andouille sausage

• 1 lb Shrimp

• Lump crab

• 3 celery stalks chopped

• 1 onion diced

• 1 red pepper diced

• 1 tablespoon of Onion powder

• 1 tablespoon of Garlic Powder

• 1 tablespoon of Creole or Cajun seasoning - obviously if you can find an authentic one, that would be better

• Sale and pepper to taste

• 32oz Chicken broth (if you have a seafood stock that would be better, but if not, chicken broth works just fine)

• White Rice

Now listen, in order for you to make this gumbo recipe, you're going to need patience, a strong arm 😂, some music in the kitchen and maybe a glass of wine (or maybe I am the only one that drinks wine while cooking 👀). The reason I say this is because the name of the game is to STIR!!!!! Just keep stirring!!

Ok, so let's get into it:

1. First thing you want to do is chop your veggies. Or, if you're like me, buy the pre-cut veggies at the grocery store! #lifehack

2. Then, you should clean your chicken thighs, cut them into 2 1 inch chunks and season with the onion powder, garlic powder and creole seasoning. Let this sit at room temperature while you make your roux.

3. Now, here's where the music turns on and the arm strength comes in... Time to make the roux. You want to grab a heavy pot - cast iron, dutch oven, etc. heat on medium-high heat and pour in your oil. Once the oil starts to warm (but not HOT or smoking), add in your flour... grab a whisk or a wooden spoon and STIR. STIR like your life depends on it! LOL. Don't walk away, don't go sit and watch your shows.... NO! Dance to your favorite songs while you stir away. The purpose here is that you don't want your roux to burn. However, you want to keep stirring (about 20 minutes) until your roux becomes a caramel color. Until then, don't stop stirring!

4. Once the roux has reached the right color, add in your veggies and... you guessed it, STIR! Add in some salt and pepper to test and let that sauté for about 5 minutes until the veggies soften.

5. Then add in your chicken broth, about a cup ate a time... and.... stir! You want this to get to a soup-like consistency and your want the chicken broth to combine with the roux and veggies to make a bath for your proteins.

6. Once your chicken broth is combined, you add in you meats - chicken and sausage, and STIR! 😂. Ok, now, here's where you can take a break. Put the top on and let this simmer. Keep checking on it every 10 minutes or so and give it some time to cook down.

7. After about 30-45 minutes, add in your seafood. I added in shrimp and lump crab meat. Give this about 10 minutes to cook and soak up all the flavors from the gumbo.

8. Once done, serve the gumbo with or without rice

This one pot meal is the perfect comfort food for the cold winter months. The scents and smells that will dance through your house, the steamy goodness that will fill your bowl and your stomachs will make for a very happy family.

So, head to the grocery store, grab the ingredients and make your self a pot of gumbo then check me out on instagram and let me know if you made it and what you thought!

XO,

Ayanna