Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

Step 1: Prep the Ingredients

Start by prepping all of the ingredients.

This is really important when making gumbo. Once that roux gets going, you don’t want to be walking away from it to chop vegetables or measure ingredients.

Start by cutting the Andouille sausage into small pieces and set it aside.

Next, dice the onion, green bell peppers, and celery and combine them in a mixing bowl.

This is the Holy Trinity, and it’s going to form the flavor base of our gumbo.

Now chop the parsley, slice the okra and green onions, and set each of those aside as well.

Next, in a separate cast-iron skillet from the Dutch oven we’ll be using for the gumbo, cook the Andouille sausage until it’s nicely browned on all sides.

Once it’s browned, remove it from the skillet and set it aside.

Step 2: Make the Roux

In a large enameled cast-iron Dutch oven over medium-low heat, add the vegetable oil.

Then gradually begin sprinkling in the flour while stirring constantly.

I don’t recommend dumping all of the flour in at once.

Adding it gradually makes it easier to work everything together into a smooth roux without having to fight a bunch of lumps.

And from this point forward, patience is the name of the game.

Keep stirring.

The roux will slowly begin changing color as the flour cooks.

Continue stirring the roux over medium-low heat and be patient.

Depending on your stove and how dark you like your roux, this can take upwards of an hour or possibly even a little longer.

This is one step you really don’t want to rush.

As it cooks, you’ll see the roux gradually move through different shades of brown.

For this gumbo, I’m looking for something around a medium brown, similar to milk chocolate, with a rich, nutty, almost buttery aroma.

And remember, the roux is going to continue darkening once we add the vegetables, so you don’t necessarily need to take it as dark as you ultimately want the gumbo to be.

But here’s the most important part.

If the roux starts smelling burnt or you begin seeing black specks appear throughout the mixture, it has burned.

Unfortunately, there’s really no fixing it at that point.

You’ll need to start the roux over.

It’s frustrating, but starting over is a whole lot better than building an entire pot of gumbo on top of a burnt roux.

Step 3: Add the Holy Trinity

Once the roux reaches that beautiful milk-chocolate color, immediately add the onion, bell pepper, and celery.

Keep stirring as the vegetables begin to soften.

Not only are we cooking the Holy Trinity here, but adding those vegetables also helps slow down the cooking of the roux.

Once the vegetables have softened slightly, add the fresh minced garlic.

Stir that in and let it cook just until it becomes aromatic.

Then add the chicken bouillon powder, Cajun seasoning, dried thyme, and filé powder.

Give everything another good stir so those seasonings are evenly distributed throughout the vegetable and roux mixture.

Step 4: Build the Gumbo

Now add the Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce.

Then slowly pour in the chicken stock while continuing to stir.

Make sure you scrape along the bottom of the Dutch oven and work everything together until the roux is completely incorporated into the stock and you have a smooth base for the gumbo.

Now add the chopped parsley and sliced green onions, followed by the browned Andouille sausage.

Give everything another good stir.

Cover the Dutch oven and bring the gumbo to a boil.

Step 5: Add the Chicken

Once it reaches a boil, carefully add the chicken thighs and bay leaves.

Make sure the chicken is submerged, cover the pot, and let everything cook for about an hour.

This gives the chicken plenty of time to become tender while the sausage, vegetables, seasonings, and roux continue building that deep gumbo flavor.

Step 6: Finish the Gumbo

After an hour, remove the chicken thighs and bay leaves.

Discard the bay leaves, then shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces.

Return the shredded chicken to the pot along with the sliced okra.

Reduce the heat and let the Chicken and Sausage Gumbo simmer for another 45 minutes.

This is where everything really starts coming together.

The okra becomes tender, the broth continues developing, and all of those individual flavors we’ve been building throughout the recipe start tasting like one finished gumbo.

Now, if you want to add shrimp, this is when I would do it.

After the gumbo has simmered for 45 minutes, add your shrimp and continue simmering for about another 15 minutes, or just until the shrimp are fully cooked.

The shrimp are completely optional, though.

There’s already plenty going on in this Chicken and Sausage Gumbo without them.

Once everything is finished, taste the gumbo and adjust the seasoning if needed.

Then serve it hot with cooked white rice, a side of homemade Southern cornbread, and, of course, some Louisiana or Crystal Hot Sauce.