Cajun-spiced

We’re in the high heat of summer, which means that it’s time for watermelon and ice cream, right? What if I told you that a dish with some heat to it, was perfect to get you sweating and cool you down? While the Chicken and Andouille Gumbo may be hot, the heat I’m talking about is the way it spices up your taste buds.

Found at River Roost Lounge, in Port Orleans – Riverside, the Chicken and Andouille Gumbo is a very warm dish, so I wouldn’t recommend ordering it as a midday meal on a 95 degree day in August. However, picking up a bowl after the sun has set with Bob Jackson entertaining you, or any time during the damp winter months, sounds like a pretty great idea to me.

The Cajun-spiced broth simmers on your tongue and allows the heat to build as you make your way through the bowl. I imagine that a filé, a mixture of spices that relies heavily on sassafras, is the Cajun spice that is used since I couldn’t find the common gumbo thickening agent of okra in my bowl. Although the filé will add a bit of kick, I imagine the lingering warmth comes from a combination of the spice mix and the Andouille.

The rest of the thick brown concoction is a combination of white rice, hearty chunks of chicken, both of which add a great texture to the slow cooked dish. The chicken, marinated in the broth for hours, has be imbued with the rich spices and, due to its cook time, is super tender.

The Chicken and Andouille Gumbo most certainly belongs among the top tier of soups available at Walt Disney World. Of course, if you pick up a bowl of the gumbo, you’ll have the good sense and common decency not to tell it I called it a soup, won’t you?