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–+ servings
A bowl of gumbo with sausage, chicken, vegetables, and a serving of white rice, garnished with chopped parsley.
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5 from 3 votes

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

🥘 Tender chicken and smoky Andouille sausage in a richly spiced broth with some traditional ingredients like bell peppers, onions, and celery with twists like fire-roasted tomatoes and jalapeños and for a nice kick! Served with rice, this gumbo is comfort food that sticks to your ribs and keeps you cozy from the inside-out!
Everyone's got their favorite recipe and way to make gumbo and I am providing all the details how I make my version and hope you give it a try.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 15 minutes
Course: Chicken, Dinner, Sausage, Soup
Cuisine: Cajun, Creole, Soup, Southern
Keyword: Cajun gumbo, chicken and Andouille sausage gumbo, chicken and sausage gumbo, Creole gumbo, gumbo with chicken and sausage
Servings: 6
Calories: 548cal

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces Andouille pork sausage sliced into thin rounds (I use previously cooked sausage so I'm just browning it, but you can use uncooked and then fully cook it)
  • 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs diced into small 1-inch pieces (boneless skinless chicken breasts may be substituted; or use previously cooked and shredded leftover chicken or from a rotisserie chicken)
  • ½ cup butter (I use salted butter but unsalted is fine, clarified butter or ghee is another option; vegetable oil may also be substituted rather than butter and the roux will take much longer to darken)
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika or to taste
  • 2 cups yellow onion diced small (sweet Vidalia is a good choice too; white onion may be substituted)
  • 1 medium green bell pepper seeded and diced small
  • 2 celery ribs diced small
  • 1 small jalapeño seeded and diced (omit if you want less heat)
  • 4 cloves garlic finely minced; or to taste
  • 10 ounces canned diced fire-roasted tomatoes with juice substitute with regular petite diced tomatoes f you want less heat
  • 6 cups chicken broth (I use regular, reduced sodium may be substituted and add more salt later; add additional broth as the gumbo simmers if desired based on your preferred thickness/broth level)
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano or to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper or to taste (omit if you want less heat)
  • 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
  • 1 cup sliced okra fresh or frozen (thaw if using frozen)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped

Instructions

  • Sausage: To a large 6 to 8-quart, heavy-bottomed, enameled, cast iron Dutch oven (or similar), add the sausage, and heat over medium-high heat to brown it. The sausage I use has already bee cooked so I'm not actually "cooking" it, just browning it to develop flavor. If your sausage is raw, you need to fully cook it now. When it's done, remove it and set it aside.
    Tip - Andouille sausage (smoked pork sausage with a bit of heat) is traditional, but if unavailable, use another smoked sausage with a bit of spice.
    A white pot on a wooden surface contains sliced sausage pieces browned and sizzling in oil.
  • Chicken: Don't wipe out the pot from the sausage, just add the chicken (there's likely enough leftover fat/grease from the sausage that you shouldn't need to add any olive oil or cooking oil, but add a bit if you need to), and then brown the chicken for about 3-4 minutes total, flipping once or twice during that time. Remove it and set it aside with the sausage when it's done.
    Tip - The chicken will continue to cook as the gumbo simmers for an hour later on, so be sure that it just browns now; you don't need to cook it through fully. The pieces are small, so you don’t want to take the risk of over cooking and having tough chicken.
    Chunks of seasoned chicken are browning in a large white pot on a wooden surface.
  • Butter: Reduce the heat to low, add the butter and allow it to melt, scrape up any brown bits and mix them in. It's very important to keep the heat at low so nothing burns or you will have to start over!
    Notes - Some gumbo purists advocate using vegetable oil because it has a much higher smoking point than butter, so it's less likely to burn, and there's no dairy protein so you're less likely to break/separate/burn the roux - for this reason using clarified butter or ghee is advantageous. You can use vegetable oil, noting that the roux will take much longer to come together, probably about 30-40 minutes, and you'll be stirring nearly continuously.
  • Flour + Dark Roux: Sprinkle the flour over the butter and whisk constantly until the mixture turns a rich, dark, chocolate brown color, about 5 minutes if your heat is on low. But cook it as long as necessary to bring it to a dark chocolate color similar to Hershey's Syrup, taking care not to burn it or you'll have to start over! Do not leave it unattended and just keep whisking!
    If you're using oil rather than butter, it may take 30ish minutes for a dark roux to fully develop; whisk nearly constantly.
    Notes - The dark roux is used to create a rich flavor for the gumbo and is much darker than the color roux you'd make for gravy.
    A large pot containing a thick, brown sauce or stew sits on a wooden surface.
  • Add the smoked paprika and mix in.
  • Vegetables: Add the onion, bell pepper, celery, jalapeño, and stir to allow the vegetables to become coated in the roux. Cook until beginning to soften, about 4-5 minutes; stir nearly continuously.
    Chopped onions and green bell peppers sauté with ground beef in a large white pot on a wooden surface.
  • Garlic: Add the garlic and stir constantly for 1 minute.
  • Tomatoes: Add the can of tomatoes with the juice and stir to combine.
    A pot of cooked vegetable mixture with tomatoes, onions, and green peppers on a wooden surface.
  • Liquids + Spices: While whisking slowly, add the chicken broth, Worcestershire, bay leaves, thyme, oregano, salt, pepper, cayenne, and stir to combine.
    Note regarding Spiciness - The spice level with the current proportions is nice. It has warmth and a bit of lingering heat. You can adjust the cayenne and add more jalapeños if you like really spicy gumbo. I would taste test it as you go and as the flavors develop while cooking.
    A pot of seasoned broth with chopped vegetables and two bay leaves on top, set on a wooden surface.
  • Reincorporate: Add the sausage and chicken back into the pot.
  • Simmer: Turn up the heat to medium and bring the mixture to a very gentle simmer, and then reduce the heat to low or medium-low, just so that the gumbo is very gently bubbling and allow it to simmer uncovered for 50-60 minutes, or as desired.
    Tips - The longer the gumbo simmers on a low temperature the more the flavors will develop and this is why leftovers taste even better - the flavors have married over time. If it gets too thick while simmering, add a splash more chicken broth to loosen up.
    A large pot filled with a dark, chunky stew containing visible pieces of meat, vegetables, and herbs, sits on a wooden surface.
  • Okra: In the last 15 minutes, add the okra which is known as a slimy vegetable but in this case, it thickens the gumbo and it's important to not skip it since the dark roux does little to thicken the gumbo and is for flavor. There is also something called filé powder (French, and not common in most parts of the US) and you can add a little bit, very sparingly, at the end to thicken the gumbo but be careful because it can make it overly thick. My advice is to stick with okra unless you're a gumbo expert.
    A pot of sausage and vegetable gumbo sits on a wooden surface, surrounded by bowls of white rice and chopped herbs.
  • Taste: Remove the bay leaves, add the parsley, and make any necessary flavor tweaks, making sure to properly salt it. If it tastes at all flat, boring, bland, or dull, it likely needs more salt. Add more pepper, cayenne pepper, or other seasonings as desired.
    A bowl of gumbo with sausage, chicken, vegetables, and a serving of white rice, garnished with chopped parsley, on a wooden board.
  • Serve: White rice is classic with gumbo, and cornbread or honey cornbread muffins are great.
    A bowl of gumbo with sliced sausage, vegetables, and shredded meat in a brown sauce, served with a mound of white rice topped with chopped parsley.

Notes

Storage: Gumbo will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3-4 months. Reheat gently in the microwave or as desired. Gumbo actually tastes better the day after you make it because the flavors really developed and marry as time passes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 548cal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 194mg | Sodium: 1959mg | Potassium: 711mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1293IU | Vitamin C: 31mg | Calcium: 95mg | Iron: 3mg
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