I love food, ALL food. I love the familiar foods I grew up with but I especially enjoy new foods from other cultures and countries. Our whole family especially loves spicy and flavorful foods. Gumbo is right up our alley! It’s my oldest very favorite meal and she requests it all the time so we make it monthly.
This recipe is great because it only get’s better the longer it simmers, so you can start it at any time during your day, the earlier the better, but it’s also great if you make it right before! I make a huge batch and it makes great leftovers. Although it never lasts very long since everyone loves it (I’m enjoying a bowl right now as I write this)
I like to change authentic recipes to fit my tastes, so I don’t include okra in this recipe, and while I love shrimp, my kids don’t so I don’t include them either (for now, hoping the kids develop more tastes as they get older). What about you? any favorite ingredients in Gumbo I should consider adding to mine? It’s hard to go wrong with this dinner!
I prefer my Gumbo soupy, really soupy. I add a lot of the gumbo over the rice and let it sit awhile, let the rice soak up the sauce! Its perfection, BUT my husband likes his with more rice. The kids are split, half and half, I’m slowly winning them over to the more sauce, but now I’m having to make bigger and bigger batches!
Chicken and Sausage Gumbo Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp Oil
- 1 lbs Chicken thighs or breasts cubed
- 36-42 oz Andouille or smoked sausage sliced
- 2/3 C Oil
- 2/3 C all-purpose flour
- 1 lrg onion chopped
- 1 lrg green pepper chopped
- 2-3 celery ribs chopped
- 10 oz Ro-Tel (diced tomatoes with green chilies) or just diced tomatoes
- 6 C chicken broth
- 3 Bay leaves
- 5-8 springs thyme
- 1-2 C water add more to preference
- 1 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- Cooked Rice
Instructions
- In a large pot saute the chicken and sausage together. I like to season the chicken with salt and pepper. Once browned pull out and put aside (leaving the drippings)
- Add the oil and flour and cook over medium high, stirring constantly, until it’s the color of a copper penny (this is your roux)
- Add the onion, green pepper and celery and cook until the vegetables are completely tender, about 10 mins.
- Add some broth and stir, deglazing the pan.
- Add the the rest of the broth, Ro Tel, broth, bay leaves, thyme, salt and pepper to the pot and stir. Add the chicken and sausage back to the pan.
- Once it simmers turn the heat to low and continue to simmer for a minimum of 20 mins, but the longer you simmer the better the flavor. Traditinally 3 hours is the minimum but all day is great for flavor.
- Add water as needed as the soup simmers for the soup texture you want.
- before serving take out the thyme stems and bay leaves
- Serve over rice
Video
Nutrition
David F
Lifelong Louisianian here. Real gumbo does not always contain okra. It certainly can, but it’s not required. Personally, I like it in seafood gumbo but not in chicken & sausage gumbo, but there is no right or wrong with okra. Anyone who says it’s required is a clueless blowhard. I would say rather than okra, the most glaring omission here is actually celery. All gumbo contains what we in Louisiana call the holy trinity, which consists of onion, bell pepper, and celery.
Also, purely personal preference, but I’d go with a much darker roux; chocolate rather than copper. This is easy to burn and takes a lot of practice, but it makes a huge difference in flavor.
Sidny
I agree! I’m also from Cajun country and what I’ve learned to do for those who prefer okra in their gumbo is to cook, chop, and season fresh okra and then lay flat in a ziplock bag and freeze. If someone prefers to have okra in their gumbo they can break a piece off the frozen slab and throw it in their bowl. I always only cook chicken and fresh sausage and never add okra because some people just don’t like the slimey-ness of the okra.
Ashlee
that’s super smart to have it available for the people who do love it!
Megan @ MegUnprocessed
Looks flavorful! Great pictures!
Natalie Dicks
Looks like a recipe our family would LOVE!
Ashlee
it’s always a huge hit at our house!
DeVon G.
I have been making my version of gumbo for years for my family for Christmas Eve dinner. I always stop to read gumbo recipes and to get new or different ideas. I usually make a chicken/Andouille sausage/seafood gumbo. I know some folks don’t mix the three but this is my own version and my family asks for it every year. Some of the tricks and pointers that I’ve picked up over the years include making my roux in the oven, for some reason it seems to cook more evenly and doesn’t burn as quickly. Also I sometimes make my roux with bacon grease, from a nice smokey bacon. I will also smoke my chicken on a smoker outside to give my gumbo a little bit of smokey flavor. Sometimes I make my own shrimp/seafood stock, and if I remember I bring crawfish with me up North from Atlanta to add in the gumbo. My family really likes seafood so sometimes I will also add oysters, scallops, shrimp or crab, or any combination. It’s all a matter of personal and family preferences and not necessarily how other folk tell you how to make it. Also I do tend to add okra, tomatoes, rosemary, thyme, a couple tablespoons of Franks hot sauce or even diced jalepenos for heat. And don’t forget the Worcestershire sauce!!!
Ashlee
I’ve tried different oils for the roux, but never tried baking it! interesting! and I do love using meats cooked in different ways, smoked? divine!!! and I love mixing my meats and adding seafood!
Angela
Omg was this good!! My husband enjoyed it so much he ate 3 bowls in one sitting LOL so yes i say definitely is a awesome recipe! Thanks so much Ashley! 🙂
Ashlee
awww that makes me so very happy! so glad to hear it
ROW
awe mannawh! I gotta go make me a gumbo nawh…. ya’ll donn made me miss my cookin…. n my family loves gumbo I’m in texas da weather is topsy turvey donno from one day to de utter whether it really is winter or not… this gumbo idea is an ideal idea fa some family time
ya’ll r all right on spot wit all dem flavors n hmmmm I can just smell allathat as if it wuz in ma mouth right nawh its bringing back alotta memories…. dis one cook I believe his name wuz Clarence somethin…? he had a heavy accent and a very nice set of heavy aluminum pots with large aluminum cookin accessories and told funny stories he wuz maybe da 1st Cajun tv cooks dat put deep south Lousianian down home cookin as he wud put it on da map of televised authentic creole cuisine down home cookin… does anybody remember dat I luv dose pots my mom still have aset adose day really hold heat well… where can I find dose anymore?
GOD I LOVE IT!
HEY THANKS HAPPY EATIN
marcy ray
What kind of sausage should you use?
Ashlee Marie
I just use smoked beef, but andouille is more authentic
eva
I’m Latina first time make in so good…. Me encanto es un sabor diferente en realidad a mis hijos les encanta…
Ashlee
so glad you like it
Buffie
Just ran across this on Pinterest so I tried it. So yummy! So easy! It was a hit at my house! Thanks for sharing!
Ashlee
so glad you enjoyed it! it’s def one of our favorites!!
Alan Nash
Not sure if my previous comment went off.
As a mere male with little knowledge I want to know
What is Ro Tel and what is altenative?
What can I use instead of Okra?
Can I cook this in a crockpot and if so advice on times?
As mentioned in previous comment which may not have gone, I cannot ask my wife’s advice as it would not be my weekly surprise!
Thanks
Alan
Ashlee
RoTel is a brand name for a caned diced tomatoes and green chilies. This recipe doesn’t call for Okra so no substitution needed. Crockpots or instant pots need totally different recipes than a stovetop recipe. and as I don’t use a crockpot I wouldn’t know what changes to make to create a crockpot version.
Byron
I added in a few stalks of celery
Theresa
This is so easy and so very tasty! I used ground turkey, venison smoked kielbasa, and andoulle sausage. So so good! Thank you for sharing
Misty
ABSOLUTELY, the best recipe for me and my family. Thank you very much .. Much love to you!:)
From Louisiana
Ashlee Marie
I’m so glad to hear that! we really love it at our house obviously, nice to hear another family has fallen in love as well!
c. broussard
hi! real cajun checking in- i still cook my gumbo in my mawmaw’s stock pot. in my opinion what you’re doing here is just fine… as some others said, it does lean more towards creole by the addition of tomatoes. i prefer a cajun style gumbo, myself. i often don’t add okra to my gumbo as many people don’t like it… i’m sorry that one person was so rude about the okra, that’s not at all the spirit of cajun cooking and most of us southerners have better manners. 🙂
while i won’t divulge all of my secrets, i will make a couple suggestions for anyone who might be interested. always use the full holy trinity (onion, pepper, celery), i think the celery adds an important flavor. in addition to the seasonings you’ve listed: 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning. 1 teaspoon garlic powder. if you like spice, add some cayenne. i always add some sort of hot sauce, tobasco is fine – a few drops to a whole pot won’t make it real spicy, but will add some flavor. others have mentioned filé, and it can be a nice touch though not completely necessary. i usually just have it on the side and add a sprinkle once my bowl is served.
my grandparents were poor and had several children to feed, gumbo was a dish that could do so fairly cheap. it was quite common to use what you have on hand and make it work for you. my mawmaw added boiled eggs because that could stretch it a bit further for minimal cost, so adding boiled eggs is now a tradition in my family… try it next time, it’s quite good! especially the next day as the eggs really start to soak up all the flavor. another thing to try is a scoop of potato salad right into your bowl. 🙂
laissez les bon temps rouler!
Ashlee Marie
thank you so much for being so kind and sharing how you make yours!