Chicken Gumbo with Andouille Sausage

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Gumbo is one of my favorite stews in the world. There are Cajun versions, Creole versions, Alabama gumbo, and Mississippi gumbo.

The backbone of a good gumbo recipe

A gumbo depends on its thickeners. A roux made of flour and fat is the most important and is found in almost every gumbo I’ve eaten.

How dark you take the roux is your preference. Most of the Louisiana gumbos I’ve had are based on a roux that’s almost the color of dark chocolate. Along with the roux, you usually have a choice of a second thickening agent — okra or filé powder, which is made from the leaves of the sassafras tree.

This version, which uses chicken thighs and andouille sausage, uses just a roux and okra.

Gumbo almost always contains a variety of spices, and a store-bought Cajun or Creole spice mix will work well here. But in case you live somewhere where you can’t get one, I’ve included a recipe for my spice mix below.

Vegetables and meat for use in gumbo

There’s no reason you can’t make vegetarian gumbo. As for meat, any will do. I often use a lot of venison in my gumbo, but as long as you use more than one you’ll be fine. Chicken, andouille sausage and shrimp are a common trio. Beef is rare in gumbo for some reason.

What is andouille sausage?

Originating in France (specifically Normandy and Brittany), Andouille is a smoked pork sausage. The American version hails from Louisiana and is smokier and spicier.

American andouille sausages are popular in Cajun and Creole cuisine and can be either fresh or fully cooked. If you can’t find andouille, you can substitute Spanish chorizo, which has a similar texture. If you don’t want that extra spice, you can use a kielbasa instead (just don’t tell a Louisian!)

Tips for making the best roux

A blond (or white) roux is commonly used to thicken soups, sauces, and gravies. For gumbo (and jambalaya), it’s common to make a brown (or dark) roux, which has more flavor but less thickening power.

Brown roux can last a long time and needs more attention. But the taste is worth it.

To make brown roux, first heat the fat nice and hot before adding the first bit of flour. Then gradually reduce the heat. Continue cooking and beating until the roux turns a nice nutty brown. It may feel like it’s going to take forever, but don’t rush because high heat can quickly burn your roux.

Stick with the lighter roux if you’re worried about burning it. Or you can do a cheat and oven brown your flour by cooking it on a rimmed sheet pan in a 350°F oven, stirring every 15 minutes until the flour is evenly browned. Then add the hot oil in the recipe as directed in Step 4, except you only need to cook and stir for about 3 minutes.

How to store leftover gumbo

Store leftover gumbo in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, maybe longer.

You can also freeze gumbo in an airtight container (or freezer-safe ziplock bag) for 6 to 8 months. Thaw in the fridge for at least 24 hours before consuming.

The best dishes to serve with chicken gumbo

White rice on the stove
Cajun-style dirty rice
Creole Potato Salad
Southern Cornbread

More Cajun and Creole recipes to make!

Shrimp Etouffee
Slow Cooker Jambalaya
Creole-style braised okra and tomatoes
Toni Tipton-Martin’s Classic Jambalaya
New Orleans fritters

preparation time
20 minutes

cooking time
3 hours

total time
3 hrs 20 mins

portions
10
up to 12 servings

I’m including a recipe for my own Cajun seasoning mix, but you can use a commercial seasoning mix if you’d like. Commercial Cajun seasoning often has salt in it, and my mix doesn’t. So if you’re using store-bought Cajun seasoning, use salt judiciously.

A word about the andouille sausage: try your best to find it. We found it in regular supermarkets, and it comes fresh or smoked. Both are good. However, it can be spicy. So if you’re sensitive to spicy food, reduce the amount of cayenne pepper in the recipe and use a mild Italian sausage instead.

This recipe doesn’t call for filé, but you can use it if you like. I add a few tablespoons of filé to the gumbo just before serving, then set the filé out on the table for people to add more if they like.

1/3 lb baconrolled
2 to 3 lb chicken thighsskin on
Salt
1 to 2 lb Andouille sausage
1/2 Cup peanut or other vegetable oil
1 Cup all purpose flour
2 green pepperrolled
4 ribs celeryrolled
1 big Onionrolled
4 cloves garlicchopped
2 tablespoon tomato paste
4 cups chicken broth
4 cups water
3 tablespoon cajun spiceplus more to taste (see homemade recipe below)
1/2 to 1 lb okracut in slices
3 green onionschopped
1/2 Cup fresh parsley, chopped

Cajun spice mix

1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon celery seed
2 tablespoon sweet peppers
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried oregano

Cook bacon:

In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, sear the diced bacon until crispy. Remove the bacon and set aside. (You add it back when you serve your gumbo.)
Fry the chicken in the bacon fat:

Place the chicken thighs, skin-side down, in the bacon fat to crisp them up. Salt the meat side that is facing up in the pot.

Fry the chicken, without stirring, for at least 4 to 5 minutes before turning.

Fry the other side of the chicken thighs. You start skin side down to make some fat that you will need for the roux. Remove the browned chicken thighs and set aside.
Fry sausages:

Fry sausages in fat, remove and set aside.
Make the roux:

If you like, measure how much fat is in the pot; it should be about 1/2 cup. Or do what I do and add 1/2 cup peanut oil to the pot. Let this heat for a minute or two, then stir in 1 cup flour. Stir this almost constantly for the first few minutes, then every few minutes or so thereafter.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook this roux until it turns dark. How dark? I like my roux the color of coffee with just a little cream.

They can go as far as chocolate brown, but be careful! If your roux burns, you’ll have to start over and make it again. This whole process can take about 30 minutes.
Heat chicken broth:

While you stir and cook the roux, bring the chicken broth and water to a boil in a separate saucepan.
Add onion, bell pepper and celery, then add garlic and tomato paste:

Add the onion, peppers and celery to the roux and mix well. Let this cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the garlic, stir again and cook for another 2 minutes. Mix in the tomato paste.
Scoop the hot broth into the gumbo and stir in some spices:

Using a large ladle, add the hot chicken broth to the gumbo. It will sizzle and stick as the roux absorbs the liquid.

Gradually add more broth, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom of the saucepan to incorporate all of the broth and roux.

You may not need all 2 liters, but add enough to end up making the gumbo a little more watery than you’d like. Keep in mind that you will be cooking this for several hours.

Stir in half (3 tablespoons) of the Cajun spice mix, taste the gumbo and add more if you like.
Reduce the heat and add the chicken:

Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the chicken thighs back in. Now you can either eat the skin while it’s still crispy or toss it in the gumbo and finely chop it later. I tend to do half and half.

Let this simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until the meat is ready to fall off the bones of the chicken, about 90 minutes. Take the chicken out and let it cool down a bit.
Add the sausage, okra, and chicken:

While the chicken is cooling, thickly slice the andouille and add to the gumbo.

Add okra.

Pull the chicken off the bones and roughly chop. Add it back into the gumbo.

At this point, you can cook the gumbo for an additional hour, or up to several hours, depending on how cooked you want the finished stew to be.
Add spring onions, parsley and bacon to serve:

When ready to eat, add the scallions, parsley, and bacon and stir well. Serve over rice or with good baguette bread.

nutritional information (per serving)
709	calories
52g	Fat
18g	carbohydrates
45g	protein