Smoked Sausage and Chicken Gumbo is a classic taste of the south. This mouthwatering recipe won me first prize at a family gumbo cook off!
Recently I had a conversation with friends about holiday traditions. I have fond childhood memories of candlelit Christmas Eve church services, playing card games on Christmas day, and eating my Dad’s gumbo the day after Christmas.
I know what you might be thinking. Gumbo? in Iowa? Despite having zero ties to the south – he’s lived in Iowa for decades and hails from Ohio – my Dad’s been making gumbo all my life. What can I say, it’s his thing!
While I don’t know what fun holiday traditions the future holds for our little family, I love that it could now include my own version of homemade gumbo – the Smoked Sausage and Chicken Gumbo I made for a recent family gumbo cook-off — and WON!
Smoked Andouille sausage and tender shredded chicken combine in a full-flavored, Cajun spiced broth that becomes thick and glossy after simmering low and slow for over an hour. Scooped over fluffy white rice, no matter where you live you’ll feel like you’re in the French Quarter at a restaurant older than you are while enjoying a big bowl of this perfectly spicy gumbo. Ice cold Abita on the side, naturally, if only in your imagination.
That said, I based this recipe on the gumbos I’ve enjoyed on my travels down south to New Orleans, Charleston, and Savannah, where I ordered gumbo nearly as often as I ordered Shrimp and Grits. What can I say, a good gumbo speaks to my soul.
Whether you’re a seasoned gumbo eater, or new to the dish, promise me you’ll try this easy Smoked Sausage and Chicken Gumbo. Rich, hearty, and warming, it’ll keep you cozy on the coldest of winter nights.
Start by browning Andouille sausage in vegetable oil in a Dutch oven or large soup pot over medium-high heat. Andouille sausage is a smoked sausage that’s spicy. That said, feel free to go with kielbasa if you want a more mild gumbo.
Slice then sear the andouille sausage until golden-brown and sizzling. Scoop the sausage onto a plate then set aside.
Next season bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs with Cajun or Creole seasoning on both sides.
Place the thighs into the Dutch oven skin-side down then sear for 3-4 minute a side. They don’t have to be cooked through at this point.
Transfer the seared chicken thighs to the same plate as the sausage then set aside.
Now it’s time to make the roux, which will thicken and flavor the gumbo.
First take the Dutch oven off the heat to cool for a couple minutes. The roux is made from oil and flour and since the Dutch oven retains heat very well, we don’t want it to burn the roux.
After a couple minutes, return the Dutch oven to the burner over medium-low heat then add oil and sprinkle in gluten-free flour (or AP flour if not GF). Whisk constantly for the next 10-15 minutes until the roux has turned the color of caramel.
Next add green bell pepper, celery, and shallot or onion that’s been chopped then saute until the vegetables are crisp-tender, 5 minutes.
I like using a wooden spoon with a flat edge to make sure the roux isn’t sticking to the bottom of the Dutch oven.
Finally, add tomato paste and minced garlic cloves then saute for 1 more minute.
I always keep extra tomato paste frozen in 2 Tablespoon segments in a plastic baggie. So easy to snap off a segment then throw it in the pot!
Next add a couple big glugs of low sodium chicken broth then start scraping the bottom of the Dutch oven to loosen any bits. Just keep adding glugs and scraping.
Add the remaining chicken broth plus bay leaves and a few spices including more Cajun seasoning, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper.
Add the sausage and chicken back into the Dutch oven, turn the heat up to high to bring the gumbo to a boil, then turn the heat back down to medium and simmer uncovered for 1-1/2 hours, occasionally skimming off any fat that raises to the top.
At this point your gumbo should be thick, rich, and luxurious. DROOL!
Remove and discard the bay leaves then take the chicken thighs out and discard the bones and skin. Shred the meat then add it back into the gumbo and stir to combine.
Scoop the gumbo over cooked white rice then devour!
Between the smoky Andouille sausage, buttery shredded chicken, and warming Cajun spices, this gumbo is packed to the max with flavor. Such a winner – enjoy!
More Gluten Free Comfort Food Recipes
- Gluten Free Lasagna
- One Pot Gnocchi Chicken Pot Pie
- One Pot Chicken and Rice
- Homestyle Chicken and Noodles
- Creamy Mushroom Parmesan Pasta
- Stove Top Beef Stew
- Skillet Shepherd’s Pie
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons + 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, divided
- 14 oz Andouille sausage, sliced into half moons
- 4 skin-on bone-in chicken thighs , ~1-1/4lb
- 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning, see notes
- 6 Tablespoons gluten free flour, or AP flour if not GF
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded then chopped
- 2 small celery ribs, chopped
- 1 large shallot or 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 7 cups chicken broth
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more or less
- cooked white rice, for serving
Directions
- Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium-high heat. Add sausage then saute until browned, 5-7 minutes. Transfer to a plate then set aside. Season both sides of chicken thighs with 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning then place skin side down in Dutch oven. Sear on both sides until golden brown, 3-4 minutes a side (does not need to be cooked through,) then transfer to plate with sausage and set aside.
- Remove Dutch oven from heat for a few minutes to cool slightly then place back over medium-low heat. Add remaining 3 Tablespoons oil then sprinkle in flour and whisk constantly until mixture is the color of caramel, 10-15 minutes (this is your roux.) Add bell pepper, celery, and shallot or onion then saute until vegetables are slightly tender, 5 minutes, scraping the bottom of the Dutch oven often with a wooden spoon to make sure roux doesn't burn. Add garlic and tomato paste then saute for one more minute.
- Slowly drizzle in the chicken broth while using the wooden spoon to scrape up any bits on the bottom. Add remaining chicken broth, remaining 1 Tablespoon Cajun seasoning, bay leaves, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, sauted sausage and chicken thighs then turn heat up to bring gumbo to a boil. Turn heat down to medium then simmer uncovered for 1-1/2 hours, occasionally skimming off any fat that rises to the top.
- Transfer chicken to a cutting board then remove and discard skin and bones. Shred chicken then add back into the gumbo. Remove bay leaves then taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Serve over cooked white rice.
Notes
- I like Emeril's Creole Seasoning.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
Love you Site.
Anxious to try this gluten-free gumbo recipe.
Had no luck at finding it on your search bar. Fortunately, I had the complete address on my tablet and was able to type it all into my desk-top. My tablet won’t connect to my printer. Always something :)
This is different from one I made last year for my GF friend, sounds great.
David2
[Cooking for Men; how to Please your Lady]
My husband made this gumbo 3 nights ago and it was SOOOO GOOD!!! I wish it was healthy so we could make another batch right now!
Ya, I could totally see why your gumbo won! Hello, DELICIOUS!!! Pinned.
PS Never mind the photo being out of focus, you are a beautiful mommy I have seen; and your little man is so cute!
Can you make this in a slow cooker?
Good question! I would for sure brown the meats, make the roux, and saute the veggies on the stovetop but you could probably transfer everything over to the crock pot to cook on low for 2-3 hours. Let me know if it works out, I’d love to try that in the future!
Recipe looks amazing! Planning on giving it a try this weekend. I’m not having much luck when I try to print it out. Anything you can do on your end?
Thanks!
Hi Elizabeth – bummer, I’m sorry about that! I’m going to email you to see if we can get it working!
I lived in Louisiana for 13 years and learned to make gumbo down there. Since moving back to Iowa 20 years ago, making gumbo on Christmas Eve has been a tradition with my family. I make chicken and sausage gumbo as well. One year my daughter said, “Mom, I bet we are the only people having gumbo in Waverly on Christmas Eve.” I said to her, “I bet we are the only people in Iowa having gumbo on Christmas Eve.” It’s nice to know that someone else loves gumbo as much as we do and has it during the holidays also. My recipe is very similar to yours. Gumbo is so good! Thanks for sharing your recipe so that others can enjoy too.
What a sweet story – I love it! Enjoy your gumbo this Christmas Eve – I’ll be thinking about you guys! :)
I lived in Louisiana for several years and make a very good gumbo. I base mine off of the Tabasco recipe website and this has many similarities! I have been making it every Christmas Eve for several years now. Yum!
Made this last night. It was very tasty and filling! I found that the sauce wasn’t really thickening up, so I added 1 T more of rice flour and later a 1/4 tsp. of xantham gum. Perhaps I had too much fat left from the chicken and sausage in the pan? I dunno–you have to be flexible sometimes :-)
Yes, totally – way to think on the fly! I will say it does thicken up quite rapidly in the last 15 minutes or so. So glad you enjoyed it though!
Yum, this looks fantastic! Do you think it would be pretty straight forward to double the recipe, or should I just stick to making two batches?
Doubling should be no problem! You’ll probably want to saute the chicken in two batches then give everything a bit more time (veggies 7 minutes, simmering maybe 2 hours, etc.) Enjoy!
The Johnsonville andouille is da-bomb! This looks so good, Kristin. If you don’t have a deathly hatred for okra I’d like to suggest throwing in bag of frozen pieces – it’s absolutely NOT slimy and adds an extra element of flavor and texture that I love in gumbo. = )
Ooo yummy, I’ll check that out! Thanks for the tip, Jamie!
Oh yes. This is the recipe I’ve been waiting for! Can’t wait to try this at home…need to find a good dutch oven first. Thanks for sharing!
I’ve never had gumbo, but this looks super tempting. And that picture of your boy running through the zoo just melts my heart.
This recipe screams freezer-ready to me, and as someone who is seven-ish weeks away from Baby, I’m definitely looking for good recipes that fall into that category. Any experience with freezing a batch or two for later?