This recipe is originally from a cookbook titled "Recipes and Reminiscences of New Orleans". However, like any cook who loves to experiment, my mom changed the original recipe up a bit to satisfy her personal taste. And me being like my mom, I too have changed some things. So without further ado, here is the recipe for my mom's Chicken and Brown Gravy (or Grandma's Chicken and Gravy according to the cookbook).
First, pull all of your ingredients out of their respective places and put them all on the counter top. The ingredients you'll need are as follows:
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1 4 to 5 pound cut-up chicken
2 TBSP shortening (or oil)
3 large onions, finely chopped
1/2 bell pepper, finely chopped
1 rib of celery, finely chopped
6-8 toes of garlic
2 TBSP fresh chopped parsley (or 1 TBSP dried parsley)
5-8 cups of water
Salt and pepper to taste
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup oil
1 8 oz. bottle of olives
3 chicken bouillon cubes
Kitchen bouquet (OPTIONAL)
First, salt and pepper the chicken. You can purchase a whole chicken already cut-up OR you can do it yourself, which is what I did. Also, because my boyfriend is out of town and I am only cooking for one, I am only using half of a cut-up chicken.
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Now here comes the part that makes this recipe seem like one that you must be a seasoned cajun chef to successfully accomplish. However, I assure you that if I can successfully make this dish, so can you! So now we make a roux. For those who are unfamiliar with what a roux is, it not only is the name of my dog but it is also a mixture of equal parts of flour and oil. Thankfully this recipe does not call for a dark roux, which is what you need to make gumbo. This recipe calls for a golden brown roux, or even lighter if you're like me and get bored with stirring the flour and oil mixture. My mom lets her roux get to a peanut butterish color. However, I have never allowed my roux to get that dark when making this dish. The good thing is YOU DON'T HAVE TO! Although the color of my gravy is a lot lighter than my moms, the finished product tastes the same! Thus, it is up to your preference how dark you would like your roux to be.
To make the roux you add 1/2 cup oil to the pot you just browned your chicken in. I left the heat on the medium setting and allowed the newly added oil to heat up for a couple of minutes. Next, I added the flour a little bit at a time, making sure to fully incorporate the flour and the oil before adding additional flour. Once all of the flour is added into the pot, I continued to stir the mixture constantly until achieving the desired color. And when I say CONSTANTLY, I MEAN CONSTANTLY! Roux can burn easily, and if you see black flakes starting to appear, you may have burnt the roux and will have to start over. Don't worry, it happens to the best of us.
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Once you've achieved your desired color, add in the finely chopped onions, bell peppers, and celery. Saute until the vegetables are soft.
Now add in the bay leaves, thyme, basil, and parsley.
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Next, slowly stir in 5-8 cups of water. This just depends on how watery you want your gravy. I added 6 cups to mine. However, the original recipe calls for 8. Then add the pressed garlic, olives and juice, buillon cubes, and kitchen bouquet (OPTIONAL). Kitchen bouquet is added in order to darken the color of the gravy. Neither me nor my mom have used kitchen bouquet for this recipe. However, I include it because the original recipe calls for it and if you don't like how light gravy looks, you can darken the color by adding it. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Lastly, add the browned chicken back to the pot.
Cover and simmer until tender and gravy thickens (about 1 1/2 to 2 hours). And then VIOLA, you've made a delicious chicken and gravy dish! I recommend serving over rice!
