Mom’s Gumbo

Ingredients

• 2 ½ lb boneless skinless chicken breasts (2–3)
• 1 teaspoon table salt, + more as desired
• 1 teaspoon pepper, + more as desired
• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 1 lb andouille sausages, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 5 tablespoons margarine
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped (1 cup)
• ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ½ cup fresh Italian parsley
• 4 cups beef stock (or hot water)
• 5 beef bouillon cubes
• 1 (14 oz) can stewed tomatoes with juice
• 2 cups frozen okra
• ½ lb cooked shrimp

Steps

1. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until browned on both sides. Remove chicken from Dutch oven, cool, and cut into small pieces. Do not rinse Dutch oven.
2. Add sausage to same Dutch oven; cook and stir until brown. Remove sausage and set aside.
   Reduce heat to medium. Sprinkle flour over oil in Dutch oven. Add 2 tablespoons margarine. Cook and stir for 10 minutes until brown. Remove Dutch oven from heat and let roux cool.
3. Reduce heat to low; place pan back on heat and add remaining 3 tablespoons margarine. Add garlic, peppers, celery, and ¾ cup onions; cook and stir for 10 minutes, then add Worcestershire sauce, cayenne pepper, most of the parsley, and salt and pepper to taste,. Cook for an additional 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Add beef stock (or hot water), bouillon cubes, chicken, and sausage. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer 45 minutes. Add tomatoes and okra, then cover and simmer for 1 hour. Add cooked shrimp just before serving. Garnish with remaining parsley and ¼ cup chopped onions.