Gumbeaux Gator's Traditional "Time-Saving" Gumbo Recipe

Gumbeaux Gator is always busy and on the go, so he invented a few tricks to get your gumbo on the table a little faster! Don’t worry, these time-saving tricks make one of the most scrumptious gumbos - ever.

• 1 large pre-cooked rotisserie chicken (not lemon pepper) (Don’t tell Mama, cher!)

• 2-3 lbs. smoked sausage

• Small jar of dark roux (Trappey’s or Savoie’s)

• 3 bell peppers, fresh (orange, yellow, green)

• 1 Vidalia sweet onion (Can use regular, white onion)

• 1 yellow onion

• 1 bunch of green onions

• 1 bunch of celery

• Tony’s seasoning

• Garlic powder & filé

1. Fill a large stock pot ½ full with water and start heating it to a boil. Then, add a Tbsp. more roux than what jar instructions indicate to the stock pot. While water is heating to boil, brown cut-up smoked sausage in cast iron skillet. Remove skin/ bones from rotisserie chicken.

2. Add sausage to boiling water, pour excess grease in safe container, leaving a light layer in skillet. Add chicken to the stock pot.

3. Skin onions; use apple corer to remove hearts. Hand chop or use food processor to coarse-grind onions. Cut off ends of celery stalks and green onions; chop into approximately ⅛ inch slices. Chop off ends of the 3 bell peppers; using spoon scrape out seeds and insides; discard. Chop or use a food processor to slice cleaned peppers into small pieces.

4. Add vegetables to grease in skillet. Heat/stir until onions turn clear. Add all to pot; cover.

5. Season with Tony’s Creole seasoning, filé, and garlic powder to taste. Bring everything in the stock pot to a rolling boil until chicken starts to fall apart. *Can add chicken stock if desired.

6. Key: This is a time-saving trick! Let gumbo cool on stove. While the gumbo is cooling, fill sink ½ way with ice water and salt (salt helps heat transfer from pot to ice water). Carefully place stock pot into ice water keeping the ice water from getting into the pot. Stir inside of pot, carefully. Let ice melt and then drain the water and repeat ice/water/salt mix. Let set this time – do not stir gumbo. Place gumbo in refrigerator overnight to be reheated the next day.

7. READY TO SERVE: Reheat (heat the gumbo but do not bring it to a rolling boil). Serve over rice and amaze your friends and family!