Disneyland's Cafe Orleans has been serving the same gumbo for more than 15 years. Get the recipe.

From the very start of Disney's animated classic The Princess and the Frog, Tiana works hard to achieve her dream of owning a restaurant where she can serve iconic New Orleans-style dishes like gumbo, a thick style of soup made with the Creole "holy trinity" of celery, bell peppers and onions and a protein like seafood, chicken or sausage, served over rice.

Like Tiana and Leah Chase, the New Orleans chef who inspired her character, almost everyone in New Orleans has a go-to gumbo recipe. The dish can range in color from deep chocolate brown to orange, based on how long you cook the roux — a combination of equal parts flour and fat used to thicken sauces — and which seasonings are added.

And Disney, of course, has their very own Tiana-approved take on gumbo. Inside Disneyland Park's New Orleans Square area, the same gumbo recipe has been served at Café Orleans for more than 15 years. "Not changing the recipe and staying true to the ingredients and technique are some reasons our guests love it," says Adrian Martinez, chef de cuisine at Disneyland. "Mostly, though, we feel the popularity [of the dish] is because it tells the story of New Orleans and what you might expect to see from a sidewalk café in the French Quarter."

Martinez says it's possible to recreate Disneyland's gumbo recipe at home, and suggests investing in a quality vessel (like a cast iron or stock pot) to cook it in. "Not only will the gumbo come out better, but it will hopefully inspire you to try more recipes and elevate your home kitchen and what you prepare for family and friends," he explains.

Martinez also says making your own homemade chicken stock will elevate the flavor of your gumbo and give you more control over the final flavor of the dish. He suggests using the best ingredients you can afford: Free-range chicken and organic products will bring more flavor to the dish. If you can find it, gumbo file, a spice powder made from North American sassafras tree leaves, is also a good ingredient to have on hand.

The biggest hurdle to making gumbo is the roux, which can take a long time to develop, but can also burn easily. To make a roux with ease Martinez says, "Don't be afraid to cook the roux at a lower temperature, constantly stirring to achieve the right color and flavor."

According to Martinez, recipes are more like guidelines than hard rules that must be followed. "Having some fun with it or twisting it a bit to suit your likes is OK," he explains. "Take some liberties to try some things that might not be in the recipe."

With Martinez's advice ... and Disneyland's chicken gumbo recipe, I was ready to try out the dish for myself. The recipe is broken up into three smaller recipes: the Cajun spice, the Cajun rice and the chicken gumbo. The Cajun spice can even be made in advance and stored for later use.

I started by making the Cajun spice — a flavorful mix of 10 different herbs, spices and a pinch of sugar. I measured everything out into a small reusable plastic container before putting the lid on the and shaking it until the spices were well-mixed. After the spices were combined, I tasted the mix: It was definitely spicy thanks to the cayenne pepper, but mellowed out from the sugar, dried thyme and dried oregano.

The Cajun rice was easy as well. I started by cutting the onions and red bell pepper into small pieces and sautéing them in oil in a deep pot until they were translucent, but not caramelized. Next, I added the rice and made sure it was well-coated with oil. After a few minutes of toasting the rice to bring out more flavor, I added in the vegetable stock and cajun spice and covered the pot so the rice could cook.

After removing the lid, I fluffed the rice with a fork and tasted it. It was perfect, with a deep flavor from the spice rub, without being overly spicy.

The gumbo took longer than I was expecting, but my patience was rewarded. I started by cutting chicken thighs and andouille sausage into bite-sized pieces. I couldn't find the recommended tasso ham, a spiced, smoked and cured meat product from Louisiana, so I turned to the internet to research alternatives. I found that chunks of pancetta work well, so I tossed pancetta in a bit of the Cajun spice to add some tasso ham-like flavor.

Then, as Martinez said, I found my "quality vessel," an enameled Dutch oven. I melted butter, browned the meat for a few minutes before adding garlic, then removed the meat with a slotted spoon. Because there was so much meat in the pan, some pieces got browner than others. Next time I'd brown each type of meat individually to keep things more even.

The leftover butter and fat from the meat was then ready for the flour, which I sprinkled evenly over the top of the fat and began to whisk. I turned the heat down slightly and stirred the roux for about 15 minutes, until it was a deep golden color, between the color of cornflakes and toffee.

When the roux was ready, I added the rest of the Cajun spice and stirred it well. While the recipe said to add the meat back into the pot and then add the chicken stock, I was afraid adding the meat first would result in a lumpy stew, so I added the stock first. I added the stock one cup at a time and whisked the mixture well with each addition. After all of the stock was added and the resulting liquid was mixed thoroughly, I added the meat and stirred the pot again.

After the meat, I added in green and purple okra. I loved the addition of the purple okra, which maintained its color even after cooking, making for an even more appetizing-looking dish. I let the gumbo simmer for about 20 minutes, ensuring the okra was tender, but not too slimy.

To serve, I put cajun rice into a bowl, then ladled gumbo on top. I garnished it with sliced green onions, which added a nice fresh bite to the overall dish. I took a bite and I was instantly transported to New Orleans Square at Disneyland.

My parents, who've been to New Orleans, but not Disneyland, said the gumbo tasted similar to what they've had in The Big Easy. The dish was spicy, but not overpowering. After dinner, I put the leftovers in a container, because gumbo is even better the next day — and it was.

I can't wait to make this again for my family, especially when we want a taste of New Orleans on the coast of Florida. Or maybe, we'll cook up another batch of this Disney-approved gumbo dish for our next family movie night, and watch The Princess and the Frog while we enjoy.

Want a taste of Café Orleans in your own kitchen? Disneyland shares its recipe for Chicken Gumbo.

Café Orleans Chicken Gumbo

Courtesy of Disney Parks and Resorts

Serves 4

Ingredients:

For Cajun Spice:

• 2 tablespoons paprika

• 1 tablespoon seasoning salt

• 2 teaspoons granulated garlic

• 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder

• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

• 1 teaspoon cayenne

• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

For Cajun Rice:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 tablespoon diced white onion

• 1 tablespoon diced red bell pepper

• 1 cup medium-grain white rice

• 1 3/4 cups vegetable stock

• 1 tablespoon Cajun spice

For Gumbo:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter

• 1 pound skinless boneless chicken thighs, diced

• 1/2 cup diced tasso ham

• 1/2 cup diced andouille sausage

• 3 tablespoons chopped garlic

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

• 3 tablespoons Cajun spice

• 4 cups chicken stock

• 1/2 cup sliced okra

• 1/4 cup diced tomatoes

• 1/4 cup chopped green onions, for garnish

Instructions:

For Cajun spice:

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl; store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

For Cajun rice:

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.

2. Add onion and bell pepper; sauté 3 minutes, or until translucent.

3. Add rice, stirring to coat in oil. Toast rice, stirring frequently, 3 to 4 minutes.

4. Add vegetable stock, stir, then add Cajun spice, stirring well.

5. Cover pan and bring to a boil; reduce heat to low. Cook 15 to 20 minutes, or until liquid is completely absorbed.

6. Fluff with a fork before serving.

For chicken gumbo:

1. Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken, tasso, and andouille and cook until golden brown, 5 minutes. Add garlic, stirring to combine. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.

2. Remove meat from pot with a slotted spoon, reserving fat in pot. Place meat on a large plate and set aside.

3. Add flour to fat in pot, whisking to combine. Cook until mixture turns golden, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in Cajun spice.

4. Return meat to pot, stirring well to combine. Slowly add stock, whisking vigorously after each addition until mixture is smooth.

5. Add okra and tomatoes. Simmer, stirring frequently, until okra is tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.

6. Ladle gumbo into bowls and top with a large spoonful of rice. Garnish with chopped green onions.

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