Reduced-Fat Sausage, Chicken, and Shrimp Gumbo
(from 226-2tone’s recipe box)
Serves 6
The toasted flour in step 1 should be slightly paler than a brown paper bag. You can find fish sauce with the other Asian products at most grocery stores. Since the salt content of fish sauce varies from brand to brand, taste the finished gumbo before seasoning it with salt. Serve with rice.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
Cajun food isn’t known for its healthfulness, and gumbo is no exception. Toasting flour in a dry pan and mixing it with the aromatics allowed us to slash the amount of fat needed for the “roux” while keeping the deep, toasty flavor. Lean breast meat replaces chicken thighs, but we use bone in to maximize the flavor while reducing the calories and fat. Fish sauce enhances the seafood flavor of lean shrimp, and just 4 ounces of andouille adds meaty richness and spice.
Source: Cook's Country August/September 2012 (recipetools) (from RecipeThing user Bethany)
Categories: Soups and Stews
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 4 ounces andouille sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced thin
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
- 1 rib celery, minced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 (14.5-oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 (12-oz) bone-in split chicken breasts, skin removed, trimmed
- 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed, (41 to 50 per lb)
- 2 cups frozen okra, thawed
- Salt and pepper
Directions
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Toast flour in Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring constantly, until light brown and fragrant, 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer to bowl.
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Heat oil in now-empty Dutch oven over medium heat until just smoking. Add sausage and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Add onion, bell pepper, and celery and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in toasted flour, garlic, thyme, and cayenne and cook until-fragrant, about 1 minute. Whisk in broth slowly to avoid lumps. Stir in tomatoes and fish sauce. Add chicken and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until chicken registers 160°F, about 25 minutes.
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Transfer chicken to plate. Cover gumbo and remove from heat. When chicken is cool enough to handle, shred into bite-size pieces and return to pot; discard bones. Return gumbo to simmer, stir in shrimp and okra, and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve. (Gumbo can be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month.)