Chicken and crab gumbo
4
Points®
Total time: 24 min • Prep: 4 min • Cook: 20 min • Serves: 6 • Difficulty: Easy
The secret to an amazing Cajun gumbo is a deep, dark roux. This quick version starts with a dry roux rather than a traditional fat-laden roux made with tons of oil or butter. The darker the flour becomes when you toast it, the richer the gumbo will be—but take care not to let it burn because there's no rescuing it if you do. Filé powder, a Creole spice, is made from sassafras leaves. It adds a woodsy accent and thickens the gumbo. It can become stringy and tough if cooked too long or over too high a heat, so it’s typically stirred in at the end of cooking.
Ingredients
All-purpose flour
¼ cup(s)
Canola oil
½ Tbsp
Onion
1 medium, white, chopped
Bell pepper
1 item(s), medium, red, seeded and chopped
Celery
1 rib(s), medium, chopped
Garlic
3 clove(s), chopped
Cayenne pepper
¼ tsp
Bay leaf
1 leaf/leaves
Uncooked skinless boneless chicken breast
¾ pound(s), cubed
Chicken broth
4 cup(s)
Cooked crabmeat
½ pound(s), fresh or frozen, picked over
Cooked white rice
3 cup(s)
Instructions
1
In a small heavy saucepan, cook the flour over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until it turns dark tan, 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
2
Heat the oil in a nonstick Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring, until the onion is softened. Stir in the flour, then add the cayenne, bay leaf, and chicken. Still stirring, add the broth and crabmeat and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat, and simmer until thickened and the chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.
3
Discard the bay leaf; put 1/2 cup rice in each of 6 large, shallow bowls and ladle the gumbo on top.
4
Serving size: 1/2 cup rice and about 3/4 cup gumbo
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