Cajun Gumbo

Truly a family heirloom. If you stack the steps (using the downtime in one part of the recipe to prep or finish another part of the recipe), you can finish in under 3 hours. Luckily, it makes a few gallons, so you'll be set for a while. 

Also, the chicken broth recipe can be used any time you need chicken broth. 

Chicken Broth

1 tbsp oil
4 lbs chicken things, with bones and skin
1 onion, chopped medium
2 quarts water
2 tsp salt
2 bay leaves

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large pot until smoking. Add half the chicken thighs, skin-side down, until browned. Flip and brown the other side, for a total of 10 minutes. Remove the thighs to a bowl and brown the other half of the thighs. Also remove into the bowl.

Pour off the fat into a heat-safe bowl or container. Throw away or save (do not pour down the drain). Return the chicken to the pot. Stir in chopped onion. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the chicken releases its juices, about 20 minutes.

Stir in the water, salt, and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 20 minutes. Strain the broth; let stand for 10 minutes before removing the fat.

Gumbo

About 2 quarts of strong chicken broth (recipe above)
About 4 cups of chopped chicken meat (from recipe above or 1 entire rotisserie chicken)
1 cup chopped onions (1 medium onion)
1 cup chopped bell pepper (1 medium pepper)
1 clove garlic
1 cup chopped celery (optional)
1 lb andouille sausage (or more)
1 bag frozen okra
3/4 cup flour
1/2 cup lard (or duck fat)
1 lb shrimp (optional)
1+ tbsp Tony Cacheres cajun seasoning

Serve with rice and/or cornbread.

*In the video, I jump around the steps because I'm squeezing them into the downtime of the broth. This saves me loads of time. You may tackle each step in a different order; use your time wisely (you have 10-20 minutes between each step of the broth recipe) and this won't feel like a full-day affair.