From the pages of my latest cookbook Fresh From Louisiana: The Soul of Cajun and Creole Home Cooking, this Guinea Gumbo recipe is an old-school Cajun classic. Steeped in tradition and infused with rich gumbo flavors, every spoonful defines the art of Cajun cooking.
Dark, rich, and mysterious–guinea gumbo is an old-school Cajun recipe. (All photos credit: George Graham)
I remember it like it was yesterday: the day, over 30 years ago, that I first tasted a guinea gumbo and was immediately initiated into the colorful world of Cajun cooking. That one deep dark bowlful taught me volumes about a cuisine that has been heralded by many and misunderstood by many more. Our Cajun recipe books can’t tell the whole story about our people, places, and history that go into a culture so aligned with its culinary past. It must be tasted and explored with wide-eyed curiosity.
The Fresh From Louisiana cookbook and Rox’s Roux are your pathway to delicious Cajun dishes. Click on the photo to purchase.
Tradition abounds with this recipe, and as is the case with many Cajun classics, the roux is all-important. Cajun cooks know that the darker the roux, the tastier the dish. And achieving that ultra-dark–the color of chocolate–roux takes time and talent. We’ve made that part of this recipe easier with our one-of-a-kind, jarred roux product Rox’s Roux. Made to my wife Roxanne’s precise formula, it is the deepest, darkest, richest roux on the market. A 16-ounce jar is all you need to make this recipe or many more Cajun classics. It’s both a time-saver and a small investment to ensure the quality of your dish. And my latest cookbook is available online at Amazon or you can purchase an autographed copy at a 15% discount on this website at our Acadiana Table STORE. It’s a great holiday gift for family and friends, and we can ship anywhere in the United States.
So what does guinea hen taste like? Guineafowl comes from Africa and arrived in Acadiana sometime after the Cajuns landed in the late 1700s. The taste of guinea hens has more in common with wild game birds like pheasant than domestic poultry. It is a sublimely rich and gamey version of chicken. Dark and delicious–it is what I imagine a Bresse chicken served in the finest French kitchen of a three-star Michelin restaurant would taste like. But, guinea hen are leaner and a bit drier than chicken, so the cooking method almost always includes layers of flavor and a long, slow braise. Perfect for a guinea gumbo.
Bubba Frey’s farm-raised guinea hen are perfect for a long, slow Cajun recipe for guinea gumbo.
I drive an hour to Mowata to buy my guinea hen from Bubba. That’s right, the small farming community of Mowata, Louisiana in the prairie region of Acadia Parish is the proverbial one-horse town (actually it is not even an incorporated town), but to miss it would be to miss one of the hardest working Cajuns in all of Acadiana–Bubba Frey. Bubba is always busy farming his rice field, smoking his specialty pork sausage, looking after his poultry farm, running his crawfish traps or tending to business in his storefront along the Crowley Eunice Highway.
The Mowata Store is a culinary oasis in the middle of the rice fields of Acadia Parish and the source for all my Guinea Gumbo ingredients.
The Mowata Store with its polished hardwood floors and pristine meat cases is part grocery and smokehouse as well as a gathering place for local farmers. Bubba farms guineas and usually has a hen or two butchered and ready to go in his meat case, but I would make a phone call before the trip.
The technique for guinea gumbo versus most other Cajun recipes for gumbo is about the same with two exceptions. Guinea hens have 50% less fat than chicken so I’m browning the pieces in bacon fat to infuse flavor. And guinea hen is inherently tough, so the cooking time is much longer than a regular chicken gumbo. The rest is virtually the same–holy trinity, dark roux and a potent chicken stock. Oh, and some of my friends Kermit and Nita Lejeune’s garlic sausage from their smokehouse in Eunice, just down the road from Bubba’s place.
Nita LeJeune shares her famous garlic sausage for my Guinea Gumbo.
Try my guinea gumbo and, like me, you will immediately understand the magic and mystique of Cajun and Creole cooking.
- 6 strips smoked bacon, chopped
- 1 whole guinea hen, cut into pieces
- 1 tablespoon Acadiana Table Cajun Seasoning Blend, see recipe here
- 2 cups diced yellow onions
- 2 cups diced green bell pepper
- 2 cups diced celery
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- ½ cup chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 12 cups dark chicken stock, plus more if needed
- 1 cup dark roux, such as Rox's Roux or make your own from scratch (see recipe)
- 3 links garlic smoked pork sausage
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Dash of hot sauce
- 8 cups cooked Louisiana long-grain white rice, such as Supreme
- 1 cup diced green onion tops
- Filé powder, for serving
- Mustard potato salad, for serving
- In a large cast-iron pot with a heavy lid over medium-high heat, add the bacon and cook until fully rendered. Remove the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat and reserve the rest.
- Lightly sprinkle the guinea hen pieces with Cajun seasoning and place into the hot fat. Brown on all sides and remove to a platter.
- In the same pot over medium-high heat, add more bacon grease to the pot, if needed. Add the onions, bell pepper, and celery and cook until browned, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, parsley, cayenne, and bay leaves. Add the guinea hen to the pot and pour over the stock. Bring the pot to a simmer and add the roux. Place the whole sausage links along with the bacon pieces into the pot and immerse in the stock. Cover and let cook on simmer for 1 hour.
- Uncover and stir the pot. Using a ladle, skim the surface of any excess oil and discard. If too thick, add more stock. If too thin, add more roux. Add salt and pepper to taste along with a dash of hot sauce. Cover and cook on low for 1 hour longer.
- Skim the surface of excess oil and discard. At this point, you can leave the guinea hen on the bone or debone by removing the bones and skin from each of the pieces, and adding the meat back to the pot. Remove the sausage links, slice into bite-sized pieces and return to the pot. Cover and cook for another 30 minutes.
- For serving, ladle the gumbo over white rice and serve with a sprinkle of diced green onion tops and filé powder on the side. Also, a Cajun tradition is to add a scoop of potato salad on the edge of the bowl to eat along with the gumbo. Give it a try.
Guinea gumbo is rural Cajun cooking at its best.
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Jacquelyn – Sounds like your house is the place to be on Thanksgiving. Thanks to your family for sharing their God-given talents with all of us. Best, George
Hugh – Thanks for spreading the guinea gumbo gospel of Acadiana Table. Best, George
Russ- The Guinea Fowl is a “bird of a different color” in taste, texture, and in a darker meat. While I’ve not personally seen it “almost black,” it can be darker. If you Google images of guinea fowl meat you will see some images with darkened areas, such as this one. All the best.
It’s nice to share some cajun dishes.
Almost like my Dad’s hen gumbo. He learned how to cook from his dad and uncles, especially on hunting trips — they’re from Avoylles Parish.
I enjoyed the read and recipe.
I am from Avoyelles Parish myself and have experienced some of the very best cooking in the world there, and have always heard of guinea gumbo, but have never had it. Seems like now, I’ll be looking for a guinea hen and give this a go!
Geaux Tigers!!!
Hey Roy – Give guinea a go in your next gumbo; you won’t be disappointed!
What can be used if Guinea hen is not available , thanks much appreciated.
Hey Denice – Guinea takes a long cooking time so if you use a chicken or baking hen, adjust the cooking time. All the best.
So nice to have a recipe with Rox’s Roux. I have 3 jars that I never used. I would love to have more recipes using it.
Hey Karen- Click here for my Top 5 Roux=Based Recipes. Happy cooking!
Thank you!
This has my stomach growling! I’m going to have to try the Rox’s Roux. I’ve been wanting to make gumbo for some time now but have been too lazy to get around to it. Maybe before the end of the year.
A Guinea Gumbo is awesome. We raised guineas growing up in Lake Charles, LA. They make the best gumbo. I’m thinking about raising some for the meat and great watch dogs. We have enough land to raise them.
THE BEST GUMBO!
What about guineas in a pressure cooker gumbo?
Hey Michael- Yes, that will work. I’ve made chicken gumbo in my Instant Pot with great results and a quicker cooking time. So, you will need to adjust your cooking time accordingly.
George, It looks like the link for the “dark chicken stock” has moved.
Joe, Good catch! I do that just to make sure you’re reading and clicking. Just kidding…I appreciate the heads up, and I have corrected the link. All the best.
I know: “There will be a quiz.” Been there…
George, the link is not working again. A friend down the road raises Guineas, maybe I can talk him out of one soon. Looking forward to my next Gumbo.
Hey Lt. Dan- The link to Dark Chicken Stock should be working properly. You are lucky to have a “guinea guy” just down the road; the fowl has become rare these days. All the best.