Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

Chicken and sausage gumbo is love in a bowl; it’s everything that I love in one dish, and if I’m lucky, one bite! This hearty dish is loaded with tender chicken, smoked andouille sausage, juicy shrimp, and fresh herbs, slowly simmered in a well-seasoned roux-based broth. This Chicken and smoked sausage gumbo is similar to the flavors in other New Orleans dishes, such as Cajun Jambalaya Pasta, Red Beans and Rice, and my Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya.

Gumbo is an ingredient-heavy recipe, but with a few minutes of prep, the majority of the cook-time is unattended as everything goes right into the pot to simmer.

Ingredients for chicken and sausage gumbo

• Vegetable or avocado oil
• Seasonings ( see recipe card)
• Bones, skinless chicken thighs
• Smoked or andouille sausage
• All-purpose flour
• Cold unsalted butter
• Green bell pepper, onion, and celery
• Dried or fresh thyme
• Bay leaves
• Chicken stock
• Water
• Shrimp, optional
• Parsley
• Gumbo file

Prep work

It’s best to prepare all of your main ingredients in advance. This includes dicing your green pepper, onion, and celery. Assemble your ingredients, as you will need them once the roux is complete. Prepare the chicken by cleaning and trimming any excess fat. Sliced the sausage into rounds or halves and set aside.

Making the Roux

A good gumbo begins with a roux. A roux uses flour and fat to help thicken sauces, gravy, stews, and soups. The flour and fat are mixed together until smooth, and the raw flour taste is no longer apparent. After 25-30 minutes of continuous stirring, the flour and fat will cook down and create a deep, rich caramel color, creating a roux. 

The color of the roux is very important when it comes to the richness and taste of your gumbo. A light roux provides little flavor to savory dishes. A darker roux adds a nutty flavor to the gumbo, which is what we are going for. The darker the color, the richer the flavor.

For this recipe, we’re using vegetable oil to brown the chicken thighs and sausage, some cold butter, and flour. The vegetable oil will stop the roux from browning too fast and will give you time to develop your color. Without it, the butter will brown a lot faster on its own. Once you have mixed the flour and butter, it is important to continue whisking them together at a steady pace. Try not to walk away during this time, as it may burn.

Making Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

1. Prepare the veggies by dicing the green pepper, onion, and celery. Set aside.
2. Add the oil to a large Dutch oven pot over medium heat. While the oil is heating up, season the chicken with salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and garlic powder. Once the oil is hot, place the chicken thighs in the pot. Brown on each side until they are golden brown. Remove the chicken from the pot, set aside, then add the sausage and cook until browned.
3. Remove the sausage and set aside with the chicken thighs.

Making the Roux

1. Add the cold butter and flour to the same pot and heat over medium heat. Whisk the oil, flour, and butter together until they become a caramel color.
2. This should take 20-30 minutes. Do not walk away while your roux is cooking; you don’t want it to burn.
3. Once your roux reaches a caramel color, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool for about 5 minutes.

Making the gumbo

1. Return the roux to the heat and stir in the peppers, onions, and celery. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add the chicken, sausage, creole seasoning, smoked paprika, and thyme. Stir everything together and cook for 5-7 minutes.
3. Add the bay leaves and pour in the chicken stock and water. Bring the pot to a rolling boil and let it simmer on low for 45-50 minutes.
4. Add the parsley (and shrimp, if using), and let it simmer for another 5-10 minutes.
5. Stir in the gumbo file.
6. Serve over rice, grits, or with your favorite fresh bread.

Chicken shrimp & smoked sausage gumbo

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• Author: Jaylynn Little
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 50 minutes
• Yield: 8 servings 1x
• Category: Dinner
• Cuisine: American

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Description

Louisiana-style chicken and sausage gumbo.

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Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Pepper
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 pounds chicken thighs, skinless
• 14 oz smoked sausage, sliced
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 cup diced celery (2-3 stalks)
• 2 tablespoons creole seasoning
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon of dried or fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 cups water
• 1/2 teaspoon parsley
• 1 tablespoon gumbo file

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Instructions

Prep-work

1. Prepare the veggies by dicing the green pepper, onion, and celery. Set aside.
2. Add the oil to a large Dutch oven pot over medium heat. While the oil is heating up, season the chicken with salt, pepper, smoked paprika, and garlic powder. Once the oil is hot, place the chicken thighs in the pot. Brown on each side until they are golden brown. Remove the chicken from the pot and set aside, then add in the sausage and cook until browned.
3. Remove the sausage and set aside with the chicken thighs.

Making the Roux

1. Add the cold butter and flour to the same pot and heat over medium heat. Whisk the oil, flour, and butter together until they become a caramel color.
2. This should take 20-30 minutes. Do not walk away while your roux is cooking; you don’t want it to burn.
3. Once your roux reaches a caramel color, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool for about 5 minutes.

Making the gumbo

1. Return the roux to the heat and stir in the peppers, onions, and celery. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add the chicken, sausage, creole seasoning, smoked paprika, and thyme. Stir everything together and cook for 5-7 minutes.
3. Add the bay leaves and pour in the chicken stock and water. Bring the pot to a rolling boil and let it simmer on low for 45-50 minutes.
4. Add the parsley (and shrimp, if using), and let it simmer for another 5-10 minutes.
5. Stir in the gumbo file.
6. Serve over rice, grits, or with your favorite fresh bread.

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Notes

You can adjust the seasonings to your preference. I did not add salt to this recipe because the creole seasoning contains enough salt for my liking. I encourage you to adjust as you please. Enjoy!