My wife dislikes okra (too slimy). And Andouille sausage (too hot).
Despite that, I’ve been making a chicken gumbo for a while recently, and she loves it. I’ve combined several recipes to arrive at a concoction that she’ll eat, and that I love.
So . . . is anyone here a fan of gumbo?
Sounds intriguing!! What ingredients do you use??
Chicken breast, onion, celery, green bell pepper, okra, tomatoes, garlic, chicken stock, smoked sausage, garlic powder, flour, salt pepper, thyme, oregano, parsley, and green onions.
The key to making gumbo is the roux: butter and flour cooked properly. For authentic gumbo you want a black (best) or red (next best) roux, which means getting it just before it burns. I’ve gotten to a dark red roux, but never black. You need to get it to the right color, then pull it off the heat and toss in the onion, bell pepper, and celery immediately to cool it.
A proper chicken gumbo will also have cayenne, but that’ll make it hotter than Marlana likes, so I add the cayenne to mine after it’s served.
The main recipe I use calls for a whole chicken, but I prefer white meat, so I use chicken breasts, sliced about half an inch (1 cm) thick, seasoned with salt, pepper, garlic powder, coated with flour, and sauteed. At the end, I cut the chicken into cubes and add it to the gumbo.
ETA: I am assuming you take it easy on the okra for Mrs. Magician.