Cooking this Chicken and Sausage Gumbo in the crock pot low and slow all day allows the flavors to combine beautifully adding a little extra to this classic southern dish.
Make your Roux. Add the oil and flour to a large skillet and cook on medium heat, constantly stirring until you reach the color of milk chocolate.
Add your 'Trinity' (onion, bell peppers and celery). Cook in the Roux for a few minutes then add the garlic.
Add sliced sausage and tasso and continue to cook for another 3-5 minutes to sweat the sausage.
Add this mixture to the crock pot and add chicken breast and thighs.
Add seasoning, broth and bay leaves and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 6 hours.
Notes
Roux: Don't leave your Roux alone - you have to stay and make sure it doesn't burn. A burned Roux is not salvageable, you will have to start again.Sausage Meat: One of the most important parts of a Gumbo. Most of the flavor will come from the sausage so this can be quite a personal taste. I prefer to use Johnsonville Smoked Sausage and Savoies Andouille Sausage. The Tasso meat is again a smoked and seasoned pork and adds wonderful flavor. If you can't find it though don't worry. It can be left out.Andouille: This type of sausage can be spicy. I like to chop this sausage different to the regular smoked sausage for the kiddos. I keep the regular sausage whole slices as the kids like that. The Andouille I quarter the slices so it's not such a heavy hit of spiciness and the kids can handle it!Potato Salad?: Yes indeed! I had my doubts too, but I swear you will not regret it. For some reason potato salad goes perfectly with Gumbo and Rice.Gumbo Filé: This is a powder made from Sassafras. It should be offered when serving your Gumbo, it adds a little different flavor but it is mostly used to thicken. It used to be used instead of making the Roux.