“Gumbo is a very particular thing,” is what Chef Dominick Lee said when we asked him for a recipe. He was born in New Orleans and displaced by Hurricane Katrina. He went to culinary school in Houston, and in early 2024, he opened a Creole restaurant there. So he gets to be particular about gumbo. In between finishing culinary school and opening his latest venture, he studied some of the roots of Creole cooking in Europe, opened a New York City restaurant that served Louisiana alligator, and worked with me at the Charleston Wine + Food Festival. There are plenty of gumbo variations that still fall under the umbrella of being true and authentic to Creole food, and I’m excited to share this one with you.
Author Cha McCoy pairs this with Carignan because it’s fresh and berry forward to balance out the meat, but it has some earthy, forest- floor notes that match the roux’s nutty flavors.
recipe 
yields
Serves 8-12
8 boneless skin-on chicken thighs
2 teaspoons salt; more to taste
½ cup unsalted butter
½ cup flour
3 cups ¼- inch- diced yellow onion
1½ cups ¼- inch- diced green and red bell pepper
⅓ cup ¼- inch- diced celery
3 cloves garlic, minced
1½ pounds andouille sausage, cooked, sliced
2 fresh bay leaves
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon black pepper, more to taste
1 to 2 teaspoons crab boil seasoning
Ingredients
steps
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In a large pot, cover chicken with water and add a teaspoon of the salt. Bring the water to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer until the chicken is fully cooked, about 20 to 25 minutes.
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Strain water and reserve. Remove cooked chicken from pot, allow to cool, then shred into small pieces. Cover and set aside.
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In a large pot, combine butter and flour. Cook over medium heat, frequently stirring with a whisk to make a dark brown roux, about 15 minutes. In the last 5 minutes make sure to continuously stir so the roux does not burn.
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Add onion, bell peppers, celery, and garlic. Sauté until vegetables are tender, about 8 to 10 minutes.
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Add andouille sausage. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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Add bay leaf, thyme, cayenne, pepper, and remaining 1 teaspoon of salt.
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Stir in the reserved liquid from step 2, one cup at a time until the stew reaches your desired consistency. If you use all of the liquid and want to thin it more, you may add more liquid, such as hot water or chicken broth.
- Simmer over medium-low heat for 35 minutes with the post loosely covered; stirring occasionally.
- Add cooked shredded chicken and simmer for an additional 15 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and slowly stir in the crab boil seasoning. Taste and season with more salt and pepper as desired.
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Recipe excerpted from
Wine Pairing for the People: The Communion of Wine, Food, and Culture from Africa and Beyond
