Gumbo is one of the most famous and most popular dishes in Cajun cuisine. It crosses all class barriers and appears on the tables of the poor as well as the rich. For those who are unfamiliar with gumbo, it is a savory stew made with a variety of meats or shellfish combined with vegetables and herbs. Ingredients do vary from one recipe to the next, depending on what part of Louisiana you’re in, but the most popular types of gumbos served today are either seafood or chicken and sausage.

The first documented reference of gumbo appeared around the turn of the 19th Century. The name derives from a West African word for okra, suggesting that gumbo was originally made with okra to get the stew-like consistency. Today, most people make a roux as the base for their gumbo, and the okra is optional.

Making a roux is an art in and of itself, but don’t let that intimidate you. It’s actually quite simple, but it can turn into a disaster if you’re not careful. And by careful, I mean you have to continuously stir the flour and oil mixture until you get it to the desired color. If you don’t stir it or you walk away and forget about it, the roux will burn and you will have to start the entire process all over, which will be extremely frustrating.

I remember many occasions when I was a child of my mother making gumbo and burning the roux. She is a church going woman and you would swear she just stepped off of the USS Sailor because of all of the “F” bombs that would come out of her mouth every time she burned the roux. Even though I still make my gumbo roux from scratch, you can now thankfully buy pre-made roux in a jar at most grocery stores if you’re in a hurry or don’t want to take the chance of burning it.

They are typically found in the Cajun section of the grocery store or near the spices. Don’t worry about which brand you should get. All roux’s for gumbo are a combination of oil and flour, so there isn’t any difference between the brands sold in the grocery store.

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Chicken & Sausage Gumbo

5 from 1 vote

Recipe by Flip Flop Foodies Course: SoupsCuisine: CajunDifficulty: Medium

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

1

hour 

Cooking time

2

hours 

Ingredients

• 6 chicken thighs; bone in, skinned removed

• 6 chicken legs; skin removed

• Tony Chachere’s Cajun Seasoning

• 4 tbsp 4 vegetable oil

• 1 cup 1 vegetable oil

• 1 cup 1 all-purpose flour

• 1 cup 1 yellow onions, diced

• 1 cup 1 green bell peppers, diced

• 1 cup 1 celery, diced

• 2 tbsp 2 minced garlic

• 1 bag 1 frozen chopped okra

• 2 (32 oz) containers chicken stock

• 1 tbsp 1 cayenne pepper

• Salt, Pepper, and/or Tony Chachere’s Cajun Seasoning, to taste

• 2 cups 2 smoked andouille or smoked pork sausage, sliced into 1/2″ pieces

• 4 cups 4 long-grain white rice, cooked

• 1 bunch green onion tops, diced

• Filé powder (ground sassafras leaves), for serving

• 2 – 3 dashes of Tabasco or Louisiana Hot Sauce, for serving

Directions

• Remove skin from chicken pieces, rinse and season with Tony Chachere’s Cajun seasoning. In a large cast-iron pot over medium-high heat, add the oil. Once sizzling hot, add the chicken pieces. Brown the chicken on one side and turn to brown the other side. Remove the chicken to a platter and keep warm.
• To the pot, add 1 cup flour and 1 cup oil over medium heat. Stir frequently until it turns into a milk chocolate (not dark chocolate) color. It will take anywhere from 30 – 45 minutes for the roux to get to this desired color.
• Add the onions, bell peppers, celery and okra. Sauté until the onions turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until combined.
• Add 1 cup of stock to the mixture and scrape the bottom of the skillet to loosen the brown bits of flavor. Then, add the remaining chicken stock to the gumbo pot. Season with cayenne pepper and stir to combine. Bring the pot to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot and let cook for 1 hour letting the roux mix with the vegetables and broth.
• While the broth is simmering and melding, remove the bones from each of the pieces of chicken.
• In a separate pan, add the sliced sausage and sauté just until it begins to brown. Drain on a paper towel to remove as much grease as possible. 
• Skim the surface of any excess oil from the gumbo. Taste the gumbo and if you prefer your gumbo thinner, add more stock. Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 30 minutes longer.
• Just prior to serving, add the chicken back to the pot and simmer for 20 minutes more. Add sausage.
• Sample the finished gumbo and season with Cajun seasoning and hot sauce to taste.
• Ladle the gumbo into large bowls over a mound of rice and garnish with diced green onion tops. Add a bit of filé powder if you like.

Notes

• When making the roux, be sure to constantly stir and do not leave it unattended. It can quickly burn and if it does, you will have to start the entire process over.
• PRO-TIP: While browning the chicken in oil is great, you can also try smoking the chicken for some added flavor
• PRO-TIP: Real Cajuns add hard boiled eggs to their gumbo at the end and serve one (1) egg in each bowl. I know it sounds weird, but just trust me on this! It’s DELICIOUS!
• PRO-TIP: Gumbo is ALWAYS better the next day! The flavors have had a chance to meld together and it is so much more flavorful than when its initially cooked.
• Gumbo is also a great meal that can be frozen and reheated at a later date.