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And I really do mean secret.
Or at least it was before today anyway, but it’s time to share this recipe.
We’d be selfish if we didn’t. And I say we because I asked Mrs. Mooney about sharing this recipe way back when I started the blog. Not sure why I took so long to share it, but here it is. Just in time for Mardi Gras too!
I know I have talked about Mrs. Mooney before, but this is one of her tried and true recipes that is truly and utterly amazing. Every single time I make this gumbo my family says, over and over again, how good it is.
The reason this recipe is a secret? Well… sorry, that has to remain a secret, but at least you get the recipe.
I cannot actually remember the first time I tried Mrs. Mooney’s gumbo, but I sure do remember the first time I ever made it.
I was pretty young, maybe fourteen or fifteen and I was so nervous. I remember having no idea what a roux was and I was totally freaking out that if I burned it, I would then have to start all over again. Not only that, I actually had to sit and stir the roux for forty-five minutes and not walk away. Like not even take my eyes off the pot for more than fifteen seconds at a time. Yeah, I was scared.
I still remember sending photos of the roux throughout out the process to Mrs. Mooney, just to make sure things where looking good and I was not screwing everything up. Just about every other minute I thought I had burned the roux and needed to start over.
And geez, when I finally got the roux to the color needed and I added the veggies? Yikes. Everything bubbled up and made noise. Loud sizzling noises. I thought for sure I screwed it up there too, but it turns out that is totally normal.
FYI, Mrs Mooney spent practically the entire hour or so it took me to make this on the phone with me talking me through every step. I may not have ever gone to cooking school, but at least I have Mrs. Mooney, and really, that’s better. If you knew her, you would agree.
Long story short, the gumbo got made, turned out better than I ever thought it could and in five years of making her gumbo I have yet to burn the roux. YES.
Although, I still get a little nervous every time I make the gumbo. Old habits die hard.
If you are wondering, a roux is flour and butter, bacon fat and flour or in this case, oil and flour. You mix together the flour and oil and cook it over the stove to help thicken and flavor things like sauces, soups and stews. If you have ever made mac and cheese than you have made a roux.
As Mrs. Mooney says, “The roux is the heart and soul of this recipe. If you burn it, start over and do not take your eyes off of it.”
I know it may sound scary, but it is honestly a super easy recipe and I scaled her original recipe down by half because the original recipe literally fed like sixteen people, so the roux took more like forty-five to sixty minutes to cook. This one will take thirty minutes tops because there is less to cook.
Here is my little tip. Grab a stool, turn the TV on if you can or grab your phone. Then glue your butt to that seat right in front of the stove. Seriously, I am not messing around when I say that you have to whisk the roux every fifteen to twenty-five seconds. It is mandatory.
You know the roux is done when it turns a deep dark caramel or peanut butter color. I let mine go pretty dark because I think the darker the better, but just make sure you are not burning it.
Oh, and it is also mandatory to have all your ingredient prepped and ready to go before you start making the roux. Trust me, it helps so much.
Okay, with all that said, please do not get scared off. I promise this recipe is very easy and simple to make. Once the roux is made all you need to do is let the gumbo simmer for a few hours. I let mine cook low and slow all day long. The longer it cooks, the better the flavor.
You must serve this over rice because rice is just the best, it is also very traditional. Beer bread is also delicious with it, but technically not traditional. BUT – you would be a little crazy not to serve it with some bread. Just sayin.
Mrs. Mooney's Secret Gumbo
Servings: 8 servings
Calories Per Serving: 698 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 cup canola oil
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 large red pepper diced
- 1 large green pepper diced
- 1 large yellow pepper diced
- 2 celery stalks diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced or grated
- 1 onion diced (optional, original recipe does not call for it)
- 1 ounce large can diced tomatoes 14, I like to use fire roasted
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon creole seasoning rounded
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1-2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (less if you do not want it too hot more if you do)
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 8 cups chicken broth two 1 quart cartons
- 1 1/2 pounds andouille sausage sliced + halved again into half circles (NO substitutions)
- 3 boneless skinless chicken thighs may sub chicken breast if desired
- file powder for serving
- white rice for serving
- beer bread for serving
Instructions
- In a large bowl combine the chopped peppers (red, green and orange), chopped celery, garlic and onion, if using (I typically leave the onion out). Set aside.
- In a small to medium size bowl combine the oregano, thyme, basil, creole seasoning, chili powder, cayenne pepper, pepper and salt. Set aside.
- Before you begin the next step, make sure you have completed steps 1 and 2. It is very important to have all your ingredients prepped and ready go.
- Grab a seat. No literally, grab a sit. You cannot walk away from the roux over the next 20-30 minutes. Heat a large heavy bottom soup pot over medium-low heat. Add the canola oil and flour to the pot and whisk to combine. Stir the roux EVERY 15-25 SECONDS. You will be able to smell the flour starting to brown. Continue to gently brown flour without burning it until the mixture turns the color of peanut butter or a dark caramel. This can take 30 minutes or so but it is the heart of the recipe. If you burn it, start over. This time just keep stirring and keep an eye on it! It took me 25 minutes to achieve a dark peanut butter color.
- Once you have your roux made, add all your vegetables (everything in the bowl). The roux will bubble and thicken up immediately into a paste which coats the vegetables. Let the veggies cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring every couple minutes or so. Sprinkle spice mixture over the vegetables, stir and cook 3-5 minutes longer.
- Add chicken broth, canned tomatoes, chicken thighs and sausage to the pot. Bring the gumbo to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered for at least 3 hours or up to all day (the longer the better for flavors to blend). The gumbo should be the consistency of stew. If too much of the liquid evaporates add water to thin and if there is too much liquid leave the top off the soup and cook 30 minutes longer. Once the meat has cooked through, skim fat from top and lightly shred the chicken. Serve over rice and sprinkle with file powder (sassafras powder) if you have it. [Beer Bread | https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/5-ingredient-beer-bread/] is great with this meal!
Oh and gumbo kicks Monday in the butt.
HEY GUYS, I NEED YOUR HELP!!
Better Homes and Gardens has nominated Half Baked Harvest as one of the top 5 Food: Family/Everyday Eats blogs. Between now and March 5 voting will take place to decide who is number one. Here’s the catch, you can vote every HOUR until 3/5/14. I would be so appreciative if you could take the time to check out all the bloggers and vote for your favorite… as often as you can between now and then. Thanks for all your support, you guys are why I love doing what I do! VOTE HERE
I made this recipe minus the colored peppers – it came out AMAZING! super, finger-lickingly delicious 🙂
So happy you loved it! Thank you!
I made this on Saturday. It was WONDERFUL! My first time making a roux..I was afraid I had burned the roux, as I saw some dark specks in it, but I think I did OK as the flavors were amazing. I let it simmer on the stove for 5+ hours, served it over rice and with beer bread. It was SPICY! I used 1 rounded tsp of cayenne. Also, used 5 chicken thighs. And added about 1/8 cup of file powder once it was done cooking to thicken it up. YUM YUM YUM!
few notes: you don’t say when to add the tomatoes..I added them right before I added the broth. Also, in the recipe list you say yellow pepper, but in the pictures and instructions you have orange. And for those who can’t get it to thicken, once it’s done cooking, add the file powder to the pot a little at a time to get it to your thickness liking. I added about 1/8 cup.
Can’t wait to eat leftovers!
SO happy you loved it and sorry about the tomatoes and pepper mix up!
Pulled a muscle scrolling down to the actual recipe through the dozens photos and “housewifey” dribble. Ruined a good recipe. I assume all of the entries are Dear Diary like this? Uggggh.
Tieghan, I love your blog. Joe Blough can just get over it! Obviously not man enough to give his/her real identity.
Haha, thank you so much!! Very much appreciated!
I probably didn’t let it caramelize enough because mine didn’t turn that rich chocolate brown as your pictured one. However, it was DELICIOUS so I can only imagine how much better or would be if I did get it right. I have also hear that you can make the roux via oven. Have you tried it that way?
Will forever refer to this recipe. Thank you!!!
Whoa, an oven? No, But I will bee looking into that for sure!
Thanks so much and I am so happy you loved this!
Okay, I am back because I made this last night for Mardi Gras and OH MY GAH, it rules!! If y’all haven’t made it yet, you must! It was hard not to want to drink the roux — so caramely and nutty! — but I didn’t in the name of gumbo and I was very pleased with the end result. I think I added too much chicken broth, so I took your advice Tieg and let the lid off of the pot for about 30 mins to help thicken. It didn’t thicken up a whole lot after that, so I removed it from the heat and let it stand for about 10 minutes and that did the trick! I also love the idea of cooking the raw chicken (I used breasts) in the pot– so easy, flavorful, and the chicken was super moist. Made this with your beer bread per your suggestion and OMG, incredible!! Thanks Tieghan and Mrs. Mooney!!
OMG you are awesome!! Seriously!!! So pumped you loved this!! Thanks girl! 🙂
Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out too well. I think I should have added the broth gradually, stirring while I added it; or maybe heated the broth before adding. Do you do that? I will definitely try it again to see if I can figure out what went wrong. Thanks for your response.
Hey Ellen, Can I as what was wrong? I do slowly add the broth, but just so it does not splatter. Otherwise I have never had any problems. Let me know if you have any more specific questions. Thanks!
Hello,
I made it last Sunday, and it’s so delicious! The smell of the roux – something like walnuts and caramel – great.
But: When will the tomatoes go swimming in the pot? I missed it in your description and put them in with the broth.
Greetings from Germany
Torsten
YA! So happy you loved this!!
You were right to add the tomatoes with the broth. Goo job!
Thanks!
This was delicious! Thank you and Mrs. Mooney for this recipe!
So happy you loved this!
I made this recipe today, and, oh my, is it good. Besides keeping an eye on the roux and stirring it for the first 30 minutes, this recipe really isn’t that hard to make. The result is a rich, flavorful gumbo full of hearty veggies and chunks of tender chicken and sausage. We loved it. Thanks for sharing your secret.
So, so, so happy you enjoyed it!! Thank you for the sweet comment!
Gumbo! It’s raining in San Diego, and this looks like the perfect comfort food. I might have to rethink dinner tonight.
Thanks Maggie!!
Looks like an awesome gumbo. And congrats on the BHG nomination!!
Thank you so much, Brenda!
Mrs. Mooney, way to go! Yum, yum, yum!!! Made this last night and it was a huge hit! I’m with MLEENICHOLS, I wish there was a column for comments that actually had to do with the recipe and one for people that comment “looks amazing!” Duh! I don’t think you’ve made anything that doesn’t look amazing. Get out and try those recipes people! Thanks for sharing Tieghan! Adding this recipe to our favorites! Btw, I didn’t exactly read the recipe all the way through so when I got to the part where you’re supposed to cook it 3 hours, uh, I had about 1 hour for it to be ready. I threw it in my pressure cooker and got it up to pressure for about 9 minutes. After the pressure released, I let it simmer on the stove to thicken and it was perfect! I wonder what it would taste like with coconut oil? Hmmmm….
Whoa! The pressure cooker? What a cool idea. Thanks for sharing!
I am not sure about coconut oil, but let me know if you give it a try!
Thanks Jenae! So happy you loved this!
Oh my, this gumbo looks crazy delicious 🙂 so much flavor. I am just dying to whip this up and enjoy a giant bowl!
Seriously wish I could share. This is one of my favorites! 🙂
I made this gumbo so amazing but I misread the directions and put a TB of cayenne pepper instead of a tsp and almost died after the first mouth full. Made this dish for everyone who likes spices and they LOVED it great recipe and fantastic blog.
Whoa! That must have been SPICY!
Glad everyone still loved it though! Thanks Jen!
Looking for some thoughts from Tieghan or anyone who has made this – I had quite a layer of fat rise to the top. I skimmed off a whole cup. I thought it might be the fat from the sausage, but is it possible that the roux separated? Anyone have this happen? The rest of the gumbo seems to be thickening up ok. It is not as dark as in the picture, however. After I added the tomatoes, I felt like maybe there was some separation. Not very experienced with roux so any thoughts on this would be helpful.
Hey Ellen, It was the fat from the sausage and chicken. That happens to mine too, not normally a full cup though. Did the gumbo still taste good?