Hansen's Chicken & Andouille Gumbo with Okra
A two-day Louisiana gumbo featuring smoked chicken, andouille sausage, and okra thickened with a dark roux.
Ingredients
Smoking & Stock (Day 1)
- 25 ozchicken leg quarters (about 8)
- 1lemon
- 3 stalkscelery
- 1onion
Main Ingredients (Day 2)
- 3 linksandouille sausage, sliced
- 1 largeonion, chopped
- 3 stalkscelery, chopped
- 2bell peppers, chopped
- 2 tablespoonstomato paste
- 6 podsgarlic, thinly sliced
- 12 ozokra, sliced in 1/2 inch medallions
- 2 ozcurly parsley
- 2 ozgreen onions, chopped for garnish
Roux & Fat
- 0.5 cupflour (for dark roux)
- 0.25 cupflour (to add to roux)
- 0.75 cupoil for roux
- 0.25 cupbacon grease or peanut oil for frying sausage and chicken skins
Stock & Spices
- 9 cupsbone stock
- 1 heaping tablespoonchicken base
- 3bay leaves
- 2 teaspoonsdry thyme
- 2 teaspoonsdry oregano
- 2 teaspoonsblack pepper
- 1 teaspoonsmoked paprika
- 2 tablespoonsapple cider vinegar
Garnish & Serving
- 1 dashgumbo filé per bowl
- to tasteLouisiana hot sauce
- rice for serving
- crackers for serving
Method
- 1
Smoke the chicken· 4h
Season chicken leg quarters with salt and pepper. Smoke for approximately 4 hours until the chicken is falling off the bone.
- 2
Debone chicken and make stock· 12h
Remove the meat from the smoked chicken bones and set aside. Place the bones, bits, and pieces in a pot with one lemon, three stalks of celery, and one onion. Simmer overnight.
- 3
Strain stock (Day 2)· 10m
Strain the stock through a fine sieve and set aside. Discard solids.
- 4
Fry sausage and chicken skins· 15m
Slice the andouille sausage and fry in bacon grease or peanut oil until browned. Remove and set aside. Fry the broken-up smoked chicken skin pieces until crispy and set aside with the sausage.
- 5
Make dark roux· 30m
In a heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add 1/2 cup flour and whisk constantly, stirring frequently until the roux reaches a dark chocolate brown color. This requires patience and careful attention to avoid burning.
- 6
Add more flour to roux· 5m
Once the roux is dark, add the remaining 1/4 cup flour and cook for an additional few minutes, stirring constantly.
- 7
Cook the holy trinity· 15m
Add the chopped onions, bell peppers, celery, and tomato paste to the roux. Stir constantly over medium heat until the vegetables are soft, about 10-15 minutes.
- 8
Build the gumbo base· 10m
Slowly add 1/2 cup stock to the vegetable-roux mixture and stir. Add another 1/2 cup stock and stir again. Then add the remaining stock, chicken base, deboned smoked chicken, chicken skins, fried sausage, bay leaves, thyme, oregano, black pepper, and smoked paprika.
- 9
Simmer gumbo· 1h
Simmer uncovered over medium-low heat for 1 hour, stirring often to ensure nothing sticks to the bottom.
- 10
Sauté okra· 10m
While the gumbo simmers, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet and add the sliced okra with a pinch of salt. Sauté until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.
- 11
Add okra to gumbo· 5m
Add the sautéed okra, apple cider vinegar, and thinly sliced garlic to the simmering gumbo. Stir to combine.
- 12
Final simmer with okra and garlic· 30m
Continue simmering for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- 13
Add parsley· 5m
Add the chopped curly parsley and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
- 14
Plate and serve· 5m
Ladle gumbo into bowls over rice. Top each bowl with a dash of gumbo filé and chopped green onions. Serve with crackers and Louisiana hot sauce on the side.
Cooking timeline
What runs in parallel — track the schedule while you cook.
Plating
Serve over rice in bowls. Top with chopped green onions and a dash of gumbo filé. Accompany with crackers and Louisiana hot sauce.

