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Overhead view of yaya gumbo served with rice in a grey bowl with a spoon.
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Yaya Gumbo

Yaya Gumbo is made with a rich homemade chicken stock, whole chicken and andouille sausage, and it has all the classic Cajun flavor of gumbo!
Course Dinner
Cuisine Cajun/Creole
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 33 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 53 minutes
Servings 6 people
Calories 361kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Combine the chicken, quartered onion, quartered celery stalk, bay leaf, fresh thyme and peppercorns in a large pot or Dutch oven.
  • Fill the pot with water, covering the chicken, or as close as you can get to covering it. (You will want about 7-8 cups of stock for the gumbo).
  • Heat the pot to boiling, then reduce to a simmer.
  • Cover and simmer for 2 hours.
  • Remove the chicken and set aside to cool. Shred it once cool to the touch.
  • Strain the stock and set aside.
  • Heat the flour and oil over medium heat, whisking constantly.
  • Continue whisking until it becomes a deep medium brown color (like milk chocolate). It will take 10-15 minutes.
  • Add the onion, green pepper, celery and andouille sausage.
  • Cook, stirring regularly, for about 3-5 minutes.
  • Add the seasoning (Cajun seasoning, salt, chili powder and thyme) and cook another 3 minutes.
  • SLOWLY stir in the 7-8 cups of stock, whisking constantly to avoid clumping. ** I recommend stirring in 1 cup at a time.
  • Simmer for 10 minutes, then stir in about 2 cups of the shredded chicken (add more or less as desired).
  • Add additional salt, if needed to taste.
  • Serve with steamed white rice and green onions.

Video

Notes

  1. Make sure you use a large enough pot to fit the whole chicken and enough water to make about 8 cups of broth.
  2. After you make the broth, be sure to strain it before adding it to the gumbo. This will remove any small bones or pieces of chicken skin.
  3. If you want a less rich gumbo, cool the broth in the fridge and scrape the solids off the top before using it in the gumbo.
  4. You’ll want to stir your roux (flour and oil mixture) constantly so it doesn’t burn.
  5. Be sure to stir in the broth slowly to prevent lumps from forming. I usually add one cup at a time.
  6. If the gumbo is too thick for you, just add more broth until the gumbo reaches your desired consistency.
  7. For extra heat, just add more Cajun seasoning or a little cayenne pepper.
  8. Let it sit in the fridge overnight for even better flavor the next day.
 
Recipe inspired by Chef Paul Prudhomme's Gumbo Yaya.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 361kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 32mg | Sodium: 743mg | Potassium: 296mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1104IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 2mg