Homemade Chicken and Sausage Gumbo from The Pioneer Woman. The wonderful flavors and textures of gumbo come from a blend of West African, French, German, and Choctaw cooking styles and ingredients. It’s a hearty stew made with a variety of meats and shellfish in a spicy, savory sauce or gravy. Enjoy The Recipe.
What is Chicken And Sausage Gumbo?
Chicken And Sausage Gumbo is a hearty soup that is similar to a stew and is made with a variety of meats (such as chicken, sausages, and shellfish), okra, and Creole and Cajun seasonings. To this day, its contents, method of preparation, and even place of origin are all the subject of heated debate.
What’s The Difference Between Gumbo And Jambalaya?
Gumbo and jambalaya are both Creole dishes, but they are different in taste, how they are made, and what they contain. Most of the time, chicken or seafood is the main ingredient in gumbo, while local red and white crayfish give jambalaya its flavor. Gumbo is a soup or stew served over rice, while jambalaya has the rice cooked within it.
Ingredients That You’ll Need:
- Salted butter: used in conjunction with flour to make the roux.
- All-purpose flour: Making the roux and thickening the broth.
- Onions, green bell pepper, and celery: Traditionally, gumbo is flavored with three kinds of vegetables.
- Garlic: for a more savory flavor.
- Sausage: In addition to andouille sausage, kielbasa and other varieties of smoked sausage can be used.
- Chicken broth: Store-bought or homemade broth will both work well as a base for the gumbo.
- Petite diced tomatoes: You will use the tomatoes’ juice in your gumbo’s gravy, so choose a big 28-ounce can rather than the smaller one.
- Thyme, oregano, bay leaf, paprika, and cayenne: They all add great flavor to the stew. Add more cayenne if you want it spicier!
- Chicken: In order to make this recipe, you’ll need cooked, shredded chicken. I often use a store-bought rotisserie chicken, but you can also boil your own chicken at home. You’ll need about 1 1/2 lbs. of raw, skinless, boneless chicken breasts or thighs that yield about 3 cups of cooked, shredded meat.
- Okra: You can use fresh fruit if you can find it, or substitute frozen fruit when necessary.
- Green onions and fresh parsley: At the end of cooking, add a more bright, fresh flavor to the stew.
- Filé powder: It’s a thickener and flavor enhancer that can be found on spice aisles of most supermarkets, or you can order it online. Sassafras leaves can also be found dried and ground.
- Cooked rice: for serving.
Possible Substitutions for Gumbo
- Chicken – This recipe can be made with either chicken breasts or thighs.
- Sausage – If you cannot find Andouille, any other smoked sausage will do if you can’t find it.
- Veggies – You can substitute green and red bell peppers for my recipe. You can also add okra if you’re an okra fan!
- Spice – The cayenne pepper adds a spicy kick to the gumbo. I recommend starting with a teaspoon of cayenne and increasing from there. Some people use a store-bought Cajun or Creole spice blend for their Gumbo, and that will also work.
- Seafood – Raw shrimp could be added to this to turn it into a seafood gumbo. Just add the raw shrimp to the hot gumbo and let them cook for a few minutes until pink throughout.
How To Make Pioneer Woman Chicken And Sausage Gumbo?
1. Start by melting butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Sprinkle flour over top and cook, stirring constantly, for about 10 minutes, or until roux is dark caramel in color. Be careful not to burn it.
2. Stir in onion, bell pepper, and celery, and cook for about five minutes. Stir in garlic and sausage; cook for one more minute.
3. Now, whisk in the chicken broth then increase the heat to high and whisk until smooth.
4. Next, you want to add the diced tomatoes (don’t forget their juices), whisk, and bring to a boil.
5. Then reduce the heat to low and add the thyme, oregano, bay leaf, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Let simmer for 30 minutes while stirring occasionally.
6. After that, add the shredded chicken and okra to the pot and simmer for 10 more minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the green onions, parsley, and filé powder.
7. In the end, taste the dish and adjust the seasoning, if necessary with additional cayenne. Serve with warm rice.
How Do You Make Roux?
Gumbo, like other sauces, benefits from a thickening agent called a roux, which is a combination of flour and fat. Roux requires regular stirring during cooking. The flour will burn in a matter of seconds if you turn your back. Depending on how dark you prefer your gumbo, the roux can be cooked to a variety of different shades. For this dish, I cooked mine until it reached a rich golden hue.
Can I Change Up The Chicken And Sausage In The Gumbo Recipe?
Yes! We recommend using both chicken breasts and chicken thighs, but feel free to use whatever you choose. When fresh Andouille sausage is unavailable, we’ve discovered that a combination of sweet and spicy Italian sausage works well.
While swine Andouille is the more traditional sausage to use, we’ve found that chicken Andouille adds just as much flavor to the recipe. The freshest Andouille I’ve ever found was in the meat counter of my local grocery, and I’ve also found it in shops that specialize in making their own sausage.
How To Thicken This Gumbo?
You can greatly improve the thickness of your gumbo with just one cup of cornmeal, and you won’t even notice a difference in the flavor. Whisk together 1 cup of cornmeal and a small amount of water until there are no more lumps and the mixture is smooth. Put the ingredients into the gumbo and stir it up.
Is this Dish Kid Friendly?
If you want to make chicken and sausage gumbo kid-friendly, just swap out the Andouille Sausage for another mild smoked sausage. I’ve even used Cheddarwurst to make it for my 4-year-old twins.
How to store?
Gumbo can be kept for up to 5 days in the fridge in the original container, with the lid off. If you want to keep it for more than 5 days, put it in a heavy plastic container with a weight on top.
What to Serve With Chicken And Sausage Gumbo?
All you need to complete this dish is a batch of fluffy white rice, some sliced green onions, and a bottle of your favorite Louisiana spicy sauce, and you’ll have yourself a delicious bowl of Gumbo.
The following are some suggestions for side dishes:
- Creamed Peas And Potatoes
- Cheesy Potatoes
- Mashed Potatoes
- Mac And Cheese
- Garlic Bread
- Cornbread Salad
Recipe Tips & Variations
- The chicken can be replaced by another meat of similar weight, such as 1 1/2 pounds of shrimp or oysters.
- If you can’t find fresh okra, you can use frozen okra that has been sliced as a substitute.
- To increase the heat, additional cayenne can be added (or serve the bowls with hot sauce).
- Andouille sausage is the most iconic Cajun sausage, although any smoked sausage can do.
- In addition to the roux, gumbo makes use of both filé powder and okra as thickeners. One or the other of these elements can be left out, but not both (or your gumbo will not taste or have the texture you desire).
- In order to prevent the roux from burning, you must constantly whisk it while it cooks. If it catches fire, you’ll have to start all over.
- To save time, you can use rotisserie chicken meat with any leftover cooked poultry. Boil roughly 1 1/2 pounds of raw, boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs for 15-18 minutes, or until done, if you wish to cook chicken at home. Prepare the dish by shredding the beef.
Pioneer Woman Chicken And Sausage Gumbo
Ingredients
- ¼ cup salted butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup finely diced onion
- ½ cup finely diced green bell pepper
- ½ cup finely diced celery
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 12 ounces andouille kielbasa, or other smoked sausages, cut into ¼-inch-thick pieces
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 (28 ounces) can petite diced tomatoes, not drained
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper or more, to taste
- 3 cups cooked shredded chicken (such as from a rotisserie chicken)
- 1 cup cut okra
- 2 green onions white and green parts, chopped
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2 teaspoons filé powder
- Kosher salt to taste
- 4 cups cooked long-grain white rice
Instructions
- Start by melting butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Sprinkle flour over top and cook, stirring constantly, for about 10 minutes, or until roux is dark caramel in color. Be careful not to burn it.
- Stir in onion, bell pepper, and celery, and cook for about five minutes. Stir in garlic and sausage; cook for one more minute.
- Now, whisk in the chicken broth then increase the heat to high and whisk until smooth.
- Next, you want to add the diced tomatoes (don’t forget their juices), whisk, and bring to a boil.
- Then reduce the heat to low and add the thyme, oregano, bay leaf, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Let simmer for 30 minutes while stirring occasionally.
- After that, add the shredded chicken and okra to the pot and simmer for 10 more minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the green onions, parsley, and filé powder.
- In the end, taste the dish and adjust the seasoning, if necessary with additional cayenne. Serve with warm rice.
Ella
Tuesday 12th of November 2024
Hearty and just perfectly spiced.