Each October, throngs of gumbo enthusiast flock to the mecca of roux – The World Championship Gumbo Cookoff. This year, the event, presented by the Greater Iberia Chamber of Commerce, drew more than 90 participants preparing 100 different types of gumbo. The 2018 Fan Favorite award went to the Iberia Medical Center Team. The team consisted of Team Captain Joe Kidd, Nick Romero, Philip Romero, Chris Dugan, Dusti Dugas, Jacob Freyou, Gina Prince and Jade Broussard.

 You can recreate the winning recipe yourself!

 Ingredients

 ¾ Cup of Oil

1 Cup of Flour

1 Gallon of Chicken Stock *homemade recipe below

4 Cups of Chopped Onions (reserve ½ cup for 2^nd step.)

2 Cups of Chopped Green Bell Peppers

1 Cup of Chopped Celery

1 Pressed Garlic Clove

1 Lb Smoke Sausage

3 Lbs Boneless Chicken Breasts

Granulated Garlic

Black Pepper

Cayenne Pepper

Salt

Chopped Green Onions

Recipe

Combine oil and flour and stir roux until it is slightly darker than the color of a brown paper bag.

Once the roux has reached the desired color, add chopped vegetables to the roux and continue to stir. Lower the heat to a simmer.

Cook vegetables for about 3 minutes. *Note the roux will darken as the vegetables cook.

Begin to add in chicken stock until the pot has about 3 inches of room at the top.

Bring the mixture to a boil, and then reduce slightly to keep at a roiling boil.

Add reserved ½ cup of onions and the garlic.

Continue boiling for 20 minutes.

Slice the sausage and dice the chicken breasts. Add to the gumbo once it’s boiled for 20 minutes. Continue to boil for another 20 minutes.

Add seasonings. 

Once the gumbo has thickened slightly, reduce to a simmer and allow any extra grease to rise to the surface. Use a low-linting paper towel and lay it flat on top of the grease to soak it up, discard and repeat until there is minimal oil on the surface.

Add parsley and green onions, enough to cover the top of the pot. Turn off fire and let sit for 15 minutes. 

Serve over rice.

Stock Recipe

5 Qts Water

1 Whole Chicken

1 Bottom and top of celery stalk

2 Bottom and top of large onion

(Reserve middles for gumbo recipe)

2 Carrots

4 Bay leaves

2 Tsp Thyme

1 Link of Sausage

Boil all items until chicken separates from the bones and let it cool. Strain out the vegetables, saving the chicken. Discard strained vegetables. Pull all chicken meat from the bones and discard the chicken skin.