When we first moved in to our home, one of the only things that made me nervous was that we were sharing a driveway with a family we didn’t know. (I should say that not knowing someone in a town as small as ours is somewhat of a novelty and worth being a little nerve-racked over.) Husband’s almost always better at these these things than I am. I had to ease in. We started by exchanging nervous ‘hellos’ when carrying in groceries but about a couple months in, as often happens with neighbors, we started having real conversations–about important things like plumbers and the perfect road-tripping music.

Before we knew it, we were getting schooled by this crazy cool couple from Louisiana. They let us share their yard sale. They invited us to their annual crawfish boil (see below)…

How’s that for a Throwback Thursday? Hannah & Husband circa 2008.

…and then I got sick, and Cheryl shared the best chicken soup I’ve ever had. Only it wasn’t soup: it was better. I’d never actually had gumbo before–a crazy circumstance that has since been remedied many times over at more than a few Southern foodie destinations. Anyway, when I asked her about it, she was nice enough to share the recipe, and now I’m going to share it with you. If there really is such a thing as ‘chicken soup for the soul’ (do you remember those cheesy 90s books?), it’s this stuff. Cheryl’s Chicken and Sausage Gumbo will cure what ails you–be it a Spring head cold or a mundane Thursday.

This recipe makes about 10-12 servings, but it freezes well and you can always share it (obviously)! Bonus: It tastes even better the next day. 

Cheryl put a reminder on the recipe that measurements are approximate. You don’t measure when you cook gumbo!  

Ingredients:

Roux (see below)

2-3 pounds chicken (I recommend organic chicken thighs.)
1 pound smoked sausage (Cut into ¹⁄₄ inch slices or remove from casing and cook.)

Tony Cachere’s Cajun Seasoning
cayenne
¹⁄₄ cup fresh parsley
2 bay leaves
filé (optional… I have had a hard time finding this in East Tennessee!)

3 quarts chicken broth (or a broth/water mix)

1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 medium to large green bell pepper, chopped
2-3 jalapeños, seeded and diced
green onions

long-grain white rice

How to Make a Roux:

Note: You can make the roux ahead of time, and if freezes well.

1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup all-purpose flour

Stir equal parts flour and oil together–mix well. Cook over medium-high heat in cast iron or enameled cast iron dutch oven or other heavy gauge stockpot, stirring continually until the color of chocolate.  (You can also start it on the cooktop and then move to a 400-425° oven while you do other things. Just be sure to stir it every few minutes.) 

Directions:

You will need a large, heavy gauge stockpot as well as a bowl to the side.

1. Lightly brown sausage–remove to bowl.

2. Saute about ²⁄₃ of vegetables in sausage drippings until translucent. Sprinkle a good coating of Cajun seasoning over veggies and stir, sautéing just a few minutes more allowing veggies to soak up the seasoning. Remove to bowl.

3. Sprinkle chicken with a little cajun seasoning and then lightly brown in the same pot. Remove to bowl.

4. Spoon into the pot several large mixing spoonfuls of rouse and add the broth gradually while stirring evenly. Blend until all roux is dissolved. Will go from paste to soup consistency. You can determine your thickness here–more roux will thicken, more broth will water down.

5. Pour the sausage, vegetables, and chicken from bowl to broth and bring to a gentle boil.

6. Add parsley and bay leaves.

7. Stir in ¹⁄₂ the remaining (uncooked) vegetables. Add the other ¹⁄₂ about a half-hour before serving. (“This layers your seasoning.”)

8. Reduce the heat, and simmer, uncovered for about an hour.

9. Salt and cayenne to taste. Check seasoning, and add more if needed. (If you do add more, simmer for another 10-15 minutes.)

10. Remove from the heat and remove bay leaves. Skim off any oil that has risen to the surface. Shred your chicken and then add it back to the gumbo.

11. To serve, ladle over rice in bowl. Garnish with filé and green onion tops.

Sometimes we all need a reminder to be bold. Reach for a taste of the new, even if it is unknown. When we were first approached by a casting company last fall we didn’t know what we were getting into, but we decided to go for it. The fact that it didn’t work out (conflicts of interest and all) didn’t matter, the trying was rewarding enough on its own.

Recently an “internet friend” (a very limiting term that feels like it shouldn’t apply, we have just yet to meet in person) saw a magazine’s Facebook post, and instead of sitting back with his coffee and doing nothing as many of us would do on a normal Monday morning, he jumped in to action. He seized the moment. He reached out. And then he got to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Colt’s instagram – instagram.com/acoltsmith

Go read about it from Colt himself here, and from Men’s Health here.

Now go do something bold.