Best Ever Cajun Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
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Gumbo is a Louisiana favorite especially during the fall and winter seasons. There’s nothing like turning on a football game and grabbing a delicious hot bowl of chicken and sausage gumbo and rice! This recipe is also a little healthier than typical gumbo because it uses avocado oil to make the roux. We try to avoid seed oils in our house, and I’ve found this is one of the better oils to use for making gumbo.
What is Gumbo?
Gumbo could technically be considered a soup or stew with meat that is served with rice. It requires a roux base, which is a mixture of flour and oil. This recipe is elevated with the use of chicken stock (instead of water) and specifically andouille sausage. Some just use water to build up their gumbo base, but I find chicken stock adds so much more flavor. Also, alternatively, you can use water with chicken better than bouillon (paid link).
Selecting the Right Type of Meat for Your Gumbo
The type of sausage used is important because it lends much of the flavor to the gumbo base. Different types of sausage can make your finished gumbo taste completely different depending on what kind you use. I prefer to use andouille sausage (made in Louisiana), but I will occasionally use a Cajun sausage if I don’t have andouille on hand. Also, I use a mix of white meat and dark meat chicken to satisfy the tastes of everyone eating. Personally, I would eat gumbo with all dark meat chicken because I find it to be more tender and flavorful, but I typically cook for those who also like white meat chicken. In addition, this recipe calls for file, so I guess this could technically be considered a file gumbo recipe. The file is supposed to serve as a bit of a thickening agent, and it also adds a nice, unique flavor.
This gumbo is made completely from scratch and is something you can certainly be proud to serve to your family and/or friends. Now, let’s get to cooking!
Equipment
- Large Stock Pot (paid link)
- Heavy-bottomed saucepan or cast iron skillet (paid link)
- Wooden spatula (paid link)
- Soup ladle (paid link)/large spoon
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 ribs celery, finely chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
- 3 quarts chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon Slap Ya Mama Cajun seasoning (optional)
- 1 teaspoon file
- 2 cups avocado oil
- 2.5 cups flour
- 1 lb chicken breasts
- 1 lb chicken thighs
- 1 pound andouille or Cajun sausage
Instructions
- In the stock pot, melt the butter.
- Next, add the celery, onion and green bell pepper and sauté on medium-low heat for 10 minutes or until tender.
- Then, add the chicken stock, bay leaves and file.
- Set this mixture to simmer on low heat.
- Next, in a heavy-bottomed saucepan or cast iron skillet, heat up the avocado oil on medium heat until fairly hot.
- Then, turn the heat down to medium-low and whisk in flour until well combined.
- Next, push the flour around the saucepan constantly with the wooden spatula. Do not walk away from it! You want to cook the oil/flour mixture until it is a dark chocolate brown color. This could take up to one hour, sometimes longer. This is your roux.
- Then, set the roux to the side to cool for at least 20 minutes. This step is very important!
- Once the roux is somewhat cooled, you can then add it to your stock pot, stirring constantly until well combined. The roux needs to be allowed to cool after browning or else it will cause the stock to bubble up and potentially out of the pot.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook down for one hour, stirring occasionally.
- Next, add the chicken and sausage to the stock pot.
- Let this simmer for around 1 hour or until fully cooked through. Don’t simmer the meat too long or else it can get tough. Skim the top of the gumbo as the meat is cooking.
- Remove the bay leaves.
- TASTE the gumbo. If you feel like it needs more spice and salt, go ahead and add the Cajun seasoning. Sometimes the sausage will lend a ton of flavor depending on the kind you get, so you want to make sure you don’t add too much extra seasoning.
- Enjoy your chicken and sausage gumbo over rice! Some enjoy their gumbo with extra file, boiled eggs and crackers as well. Make it your own!
Best Ever Cajun Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
Keep your screen from going dark
10
minutes3
hoursIngredients
2 tablespoons butter
2 ribs celery, finely chopped
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
3 quarts chicken stock
1 tablespoon Slap Ya Mama Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon file
2 cups avocado oil
2.5 cups all purpose flour
1 lb chicken breasts
1 lb chicken thighs
1 pound andouille or cajun sausage
Instructions
In the stock pot, melt the butter.
Next, add the celery, onion and green bell pepper and sauté on medium-low heat for 10 minutes or until tender.
Then, add the chicken stock, bay leaves and file.
Set this mixture to simmer on low heat.
Next, in a heavy-bottomed saucepan or cast-iron skillet, heat up the avocado oil on medium heat until fairly hot.
Then, turn the heat down to medium-low and whisk in flour until well-combined.
Next, push the flour around the saucepan constantly with the wooden spatula. Do not walk away from it! You want to cook the oil/flour mixture until it is a dark chocolate brown color. This could take up to one hour, sometimes longer. This is your roux.
Then, set the roux to the side to cool for at least 20 minutes. This step is very important!
Once the roux is somewhat cooled, you can then add it to your stock pot, stirring constantly until well combined. The roux needs to be allowed to cool after browning or else it will cause the stock to bubble up and potentially out of the pot when adding it in.
Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook down for one hour.
Next, add the chicken and sausage to the pot.
Let this simmer, uncovered, for around 1 hour or until fully cooked through. Do not simmer the meat too long or else it can get tough. Skim the top of the gumbo as the meat is cooking.
Remove the bay leaves.
TASTE the gumbo. If you feel like it needs more spice and salt, go ahead and add the cajun seasoning. Sometimes the sausage will lend a ton of flavor depending on the kind you get, so you want to make sure you don't add too much extra seasoning.
Enjoy your chicken and sausage gumbo over rice! Some enjoy their gumbo with extra file, boiled eggs and crackers as well. Make it your own!
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