Classic Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

Easy Chicken and Sausage Gumbo is a delicious Cajun recipe that starts with a simple roux, the holy trinity of vegetables, chicken and spicy Andouille sausage. This gumbo brings all the southern flavor and rich gravy you want in a classic gumbo and makes a satisfying family meal served over rice. With a few dashes of Louisiana hot sauce, you'll be going back for seconds.

Easy Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

Let me start by saying that I LOVE Southern food. While Cajun food has it's own unique flavor profiles that set it apart from other southern dishes, it still brings all of that homestyle comfort and easy laid back, spicy, flavors.

I call this EASY gumbo because it only requires one big pot and a bunch of chopping. Pretty darn simple if you ask me.

Why this Gumbo is THE BEST

This Gumbo is (in my opinion) the best because it calls for ingredients that you can find most anywhere! Chicken, smoked sausage and classic veggies like bell peppers and onion are all common ingredients in American grocery stores.

In fact, you might already have them in their fridge and pantry! Now, that's my kind of recipe. 

Ingredients in Cajun Gumbo

I'm sure you can find a dozen classic gumbo recipes that all have a slight variation of ingredients, some with okra, some that call for Creole seasoning blends, but I keep mine simple with the basics of really good classic chicken and sausage gumbo:

• Chicken - for this recipe you can use either chicken thighs or chicken breast. Thighs always add more flavor to dishes but use whichever you can find or have in your fridge. 
• Andouille Sausage - this is a smoked Cajun pork sausage and man does it bring the flavor to gumbo! It's slightly spicy and packed with spices. 
• Roux - this is just a mixture of fat and flour which thickens the gumbo, in this case we use butter and flour. 
• The Holy Trinity - in Cajun and Creole cooking everything starts with the holy trinity which consists of onion, celery and bell pepper. 
• Garlic - this is not optional. HA!
• Spices - I use paprika, thyme, garlic, bay, salt and pepper. Easy and traditional.
• Chicken Stock - this is the base to your gumbo.
• White Rice - there isn't any rice cooked into the gumbo but it's traditional to serve it over rice.

Possible Substitutions for Gumbo

• Chicken - you can use either chicken breasts or thighs for this recipe.
• Sausage - it's traditional to use Andouille but if you can't find it, any other smoked sausage will do. 
• Veggies - I call for green and red bell pepper but alternately you can use just green which is classic. You can also add okra to this gumbo if you are an okra fan!
• Spice - if you like SPICY gumbo add an the addition of cayenne pepper. I recommend starting with a teaspoon and going from there. Some people use a short cut of store bought Creole or Cajun spice blend for their Gumbo and that will work as well if you have it!
• Seafood - you could add in raw shrimp to turn this into a seafood gumbo. Just add the uncooked shrimp to the hot gumbo and cook for a few minutes just until pink throughout. This should be added as a last step.

What is a Roux and How Do You Make One?

Roux is a mixture of equal parts flour and fat cooked together and used to thicken sauces or in this case gumbo. I use a roux to make the cheese sauce for my Creamy Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese for example!

The secret to cooking a roux is to never stop whisking or stirring it. If you leave it unattended even for a second the flour can burn. Roux can be cooked to the desired level of brownness you want depending on how dark you like your gumbo! I let mine brown to a deep golden blond for this recipe. 

How to Make Gumbo

Gumbo is actually incredibly easy to make! It only requires one pot and if you chop all of your veggies before getting started (which I DEFINITELY recommend,) this dish comes together quickly.

1. Chop- chop your bell pepper, onion, and celery and set aside. Mince the garlic, measure out your spices, chop the chicken and slice the andouille. This way you will have all of your ingredients ready so that you can throw them in the pot when the time comes. 
2. Roux - next make the roux! Like I mentioned before, this isn't the time to step away. Keep whisking the butter and flour until it's a deep blond color. Then throw in your veggies and sweat them down. That just means cook them for a bit to soften them up.
3. Spices - add in your spices and garlic and cook a bit longer. This brings out the flavors in the spice!
4. Meat - throw in the chicken and sausage and cook, browning up the chicken a bit. It won't be completely cooked at this point.
5. Deglaze - now we add in the chicken stock which is going to bring up all of those stuck on bits from the bottom of the pot which add so much flavor to your gumbo!
6. Cook - cook and simmer until the chicken is cooked and the flavors of the sausage cook down into the soup. You can't really overcook gumbo so let it go (on low) until dinner time.

What If I Want My Gumbo Thicker?

This gumbo will already thicken up thanks to the roux that you made in the beginning, however if you like your gumbo even thicker, you can do two things:

1. Cornstarch - you can make a quick slurry by scooping out about ½ cup of broth from the pot and whisking in 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch. Then pour the mixture back into the gumbo and cook until it thickens up. 
2. Okra - adding in this southern vegetable thickens up any soup or stew!

What to Serve With Gumbo:

All you need to enjoy this gumbo is a pot of fluffy white rice to spoon it over, sliced green onion for garnish and a bottle of your favorite Louisiana hot sauce.

If you are looking for side dishes, I would recommend Creamy Macaroni and Cheese, Mashed Potatoes, Potato Salad or even my easy No-Knead Bread for dipping!

Is this Dish Kid Friendly?

This gumbo can absolutely be kid friendly if you switch out the Andouille Sausage for another smoked sausage that isn't spicy. I've even made it for my twins (who are 4 years old) with Cheddarwurst!

Sounds a bit odd but they absolutely loved it and it had zero spice to it. You will also want to make sure to skip adding any cayenne or hot sauce as are optional in the recipe. Everything else is mild.

Mmmm...are you ready for your new favorite dish serve this Gumbo to your family and it will guaranteed be the best meal you'll have all week. I am absolutely obsessed with making this Gumbo...it's that crave worthy. I hope your family will enjoy it as much as mine does!

More Recipes You'll Love:

• Grandma's Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole 
• Big Batch Chunky Chicken Noodle Soup
• Chicken and Dumplings
• Creamy Baked Sausage Rigatoni
• Tortellini Zuppa Toscana
• Seafood Cioppino

If you make this recipe, please leave me a comment in the box below letting me know what you think! I also love to see your cooking over on Instagram so make sure to tag me #freutcake @freutcake so that I can see your Gumbo bowls. Happy Cooking!

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Easy Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

Yield: 6

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

A spicy and traditional Cajun chicken and Andouille sausage gumbo.

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Ingredients

• 6 Tablespoons salted butter
• 6 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 cup diced yellow onion
• 1 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1 cup diced green bell pepper
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups sliced Andouille sausage (about 4 links)
• 32 oz chicken breast or thighs, cut into bite sized pieces
• 32 oz chicken stock (4 cups)
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves (not ground)
• 1 ½ teaspoons paprika (not smoked)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional if you like spicy.
• * white rice for serving
• * diced green onion for garnish
• * Louisiana hot sauce for serving

Instructions

1. TIP: Start by prepping all of your ingredients before beginning as this gumbo comes together quickly! Chop veggies, measure out spices, chop the chicken and slice the sausage. That way you are ready to add ingredients as needed.
2. In a large Dutch oven or pot melt butter over medium heat.
3. Make a roux by adding the flour to the melted butter and whisk continuously until the roux begins to turn a dark golden brown. This step can take between 4-5 minutes. Do not walk away at this point or your roux can burn.
4. Stir in the onion, bell peppers, and celery. Continue cooking stirring veggies into the roux with a wooden spoon for about 3 minutes just to soften the veggies a bit.
5. Add in minced garlic, and all of your dry spices: thyme, paprika, garlic powder, salt, pepper and bay leaves (also cayenne if you chose to add it.) Cook an additional 30 seconds stirring constantly and scraping the bottom of the pan.
6. Add the chopped chicken and Andouille and cook to begin cooking the chicken about 2 minutes. Your chicken will not be fully cooked at this stage. Don't worry if it looks like a sticky mess at this point. We are about to deglaze the pan!
7. Pour in the chicken stock slowly scraping up any stuck on bits from the bottom of the pot.
8. Bring the gumbo up to a boil then reduce and simmer covered for 20 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through, the broth thickens and the sausage flavor has cooked down into the soup. You can't really OVER cook Gumbo so let it simmer on low until you are ready to eat.
9. If after simmering for 30 minutes you want a thicker Gumbo, remove ½ cup of the soup to a small bowl or measuring cup and whisk in 1 Tablespoon cornstarch with a fork to form a slurry. Return that mixture to the gumbo and cook for a few more minutes until it thickens the soup.
10. Before serving, remove the bay leaves.
11. Serve over a bowl of cooked white rice, garnish with sliced green onion and a dash of hot sauce.

Notes

Possible Substitutions:

• Chicken - you can use either chicken breasts or thighs for this recipe.
• Sausage - it's traditional to use Andouille but if you can't find it, any other smoked sausage will do. 
• Veggies - I call for green and red bell pepper but alternately you can use just green which is classic. You can also add okra to this gumbo if you are an okra fan!
• Cayenne Pepper - if you like SPICY gumbo add an the addition of cayenne pepper. I recommend starting with 1 teaspoon.
• Shrimp - you can add raw shrimp to turn this into a seafood gumbo. Just add the uncooked shrimp to the hot gumbo and cook for a few minutes just until pink throughout. This should be added as a last step before serving.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 796Total Fat: 44gSaturated Fat: 17gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 21gCholesterol: 238mgSodium: 1495mgCarbohydrates: 30gFiber: 2gSugar: 8gProtein: 68g

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