SUNNY'S BIG EASY CHICKEN AND ANDOUILLE FILE GUMBO

Sunny's Big Easy Chicken and Andouille File Gumbo image

Provided by Sunny Anderson

Time 1h35m

Yield 8 to 10 servings

Number Of Ingredients 16

3 tablespoons cooking oil
2 chicken breasts, gently pounded thin
2 pounds andouille sausage, sliced into 1-inch rounds
1 stick salted butter
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup Cajun seasoning, preferably Mama Mia's For Whatever Seasoning
2 green bell peppers, seeded and chopped
1 white onion, finely chopped
4 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 jalapenos, finely chopped (seeds optional)
4 cloves garlic
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Enough chicken stock base for the 8-cup stock equivalent
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons file powder, plus more for serving
Serving suggestions: cooked white rice and hot sauce, optional

Steps:

Add the oil, chicken and sausage rounds to a stockpot on medium-high heat. Sear the chicken to get color and sausage to get color and render fat, but not to cook fully. As the parts finish searing, use a slotted spoon to remove them and place on a plate, leaving the fat in the pot, about 10 minutes total.
Add the butter, flour and Cajun seasoning to the pot. Cook on medium heat, constantly stirring, until the roux becomes a rich, dark caramel color, 10 to 15 minutes.
Add the bell peppers, onions, celery, jalapenos and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, to coat, until everything gets tender, 5 to 8 minutes, then add the stock base and 8 cups water and stir to mix the base into the pot. Add the bay leaves and cover the pot to simmer until the gumbo is thickened, 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Add the reserved chicken and sausage, then stir in the file powder. Simmer, uncovered, for another 30 minutes.
Shred the chicken in the pot. Serve over rice with a shake of hot sauce and file powder.