This chicken and sausage gumbo is a delicious Louisiana gumbo recipe that is full of bold flavors and textures. This easy chicken and sausage gumbo takes no time to make and it is SO good. Serve this easy cajun gumbo with a nice heaping mound of fluffy rice to pick up the flavors from the gumbo and it will definitely be a hit at dinner.
Why I love this chicken and sausage gumbo recipe
Normally when I think of Louisiana gumbo, I think of of shrimp gumbo which is delicious and very southern. For this chicken and sausage gumbo recipe, I wanted to make a gumbo that uses ingredients that are more readily available like chicken and sausage.
I you like the shrimp in your gumbo, by all means go ahead and add that in! You just need to add the shrimp into the pot during the last 10 minutes of cooking time.
The history of gumbo
I am sure you have heard of gumbo and have probably had it before as well. It is actually from the southern part of the U.S., specifically Louisiana and it is a dish that has evolved over the years.
Today, it is a thick stew made up of the Cajun holy trinity (peppers, onions and celery), a thickener (usually flour) and meats (sausage, chicken, seafood, etc.)
Many people believe that this was originally a cajun dish but we now know that this was a dish that was made by Africans who were the slaves in the southern U.S. The exact ingredients they used were a bit different but today's gumbo is an evolved version of the African "Gombo".
Gumbo is now deeply rooted in Louisiana and southern culture and is in fact the state food of Louisiana. Today, we can enjoy gumbo from our own home thanks to the internet and online recipes!
It is easy to make and very hearty. Remember gumbo is not jambalaya which is different. You can see from my sausage jambalaya recipe that gumbo is more like a stew and jambalaya is more of a rice dish.
Ingredients you will need
- Boneless chicken breast
- Andouille sausage
- Bacon
- Red pepper. You can also use green bell pepper.
- Celery
- Onion
- Garlic
- Flour
- Chicken stock
- Cajun seasoning (recipe below)
- White rice (I prefer basmati but a short grain rice is fine and traditional)
The first thing you want to do before you make the gumbo is to make the cajun seasoning. If you already have cajun seasoning then by all means go ahead and use that.
If you prefer to buy the cajun seasoning, that is fine too. No one is judging 🙂
Cajun seasoning for Gumbo
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Sweet paprika
- Cayenne Pepper
- Salt
- Pepper
- Oregano
I have also included the cajun seasoning recipe below!
Once you have made your seasoning, you can have this meal ready to eat in 30 minutes. It does not take that long to cook and the flour in the recipe creates a very fast thick stew.
How to make chicken and sausage gumbo
When making this cajun chicken and sausage gumbo, the first thing you want to do is to cook your bacon until crispy and remove that from the pan leaving the bacon fat in the pan.
You saute your veggies in the bacon fat until almost browned. Once they are cooked, you add your Andouille sausage to to pot and cook that for a few minutes.
Now you take your cut up chicken pieces and dredge them in your flour and then add them to your pot to brown on the outside and to cook out the rawness of the flour.
This step of dredging the chicken in flour takes the place of making a traditional roux and makes things so much easier when making this recipe.
The last step in making this chicken and sausage gumbo is adding your chicken stock and scraping the brown bits off the bottom of your pan. Add your seasonings and then let it all simmer for 15-20 minutes.
How to serve gumbo
When thinking about how I have enjoyed chicken and sausage gumbo, it is about the traditional presentation. Here are my tips for serving this chicken and sausage gumbo the traditional way!
Best rice for gumbo
The most traditional rice to serve with gumbo is a short grain rice that has been seasoned with butter and salt before cooking. Traditional Southern rice is a little bit starchier than some of the long grained rice varieties.
I prefer a fluffy white rice made from basmati. I just make sure the rice is nicely buttered and seasoned, the way traditional Southern dishes do it.
Plating the gumbo
The gumbo is ladled around a mound of rice leaving some of the rice exposed (at the top of the mound) and some of it will absorb that gumbo base.
This chicken and andouille gumbo is a great meal to make for celebrating Mardi Gras (a traditional dish for that), when you want a little taste of southern food or just because!
If you love cajun inspired food you will love this dish. Another great recipe to try is my cajun chicken pasta! It is not traditional but the cajun flavors in this creamy pasta dish are out of this world delicious.
Substitutions and Add-ins
This chicken and sausage gumbo is not meant to be difficult or time consuming and is very versatile. Here are some ideas of what you can swap out if you don't have some of the ingredients:
- Use green bell pepper- You can use green bell pepper if you do not have red peppers. The traditional Cajun holy trinity is actually green peppers, celery and onions so this substitution would make it more traditional.
- Creole seasoning. If you have your own creole seasoning, that would work just fine in place of the cajun seasoning.
- Vegetable stock. You can use vegetable stock in place of the chicken stock if that is what you have on hand.
- Add some Okra. Nothing says cajun like a stew with okra. Adding okra not only would bulk up the recipe and add some veggies but it will thicken the gumbo too.
FAQS
Chicken stock is going to add the most flavor to your gumbo recipe so try to use that if you have it. Either chicken stock or broth are better than using water to make the base for gumbo.
The best sausage to use in gumbo is going to be andouille sausage. Andouille sausage is smoked and has the perfect spices to go with a gumbo. If you cannot find andouille sausage, any smoked sausage will work.
Pairing Ideas
If you are looking for ideas of what to serve with this chicken and sausage gumbo recipe, here are some ideas:
More Spiced Up Recipes
If you love this chicken and sausage gumbo recipe, you might also love these recipes:
Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
Tried the Recipe? We Would Love To Hear From You In The Comments Below!
Ingredients
Gumbo
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 1 inch pieces.
- 1 1b Andouille sausage, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 3.5 cups chicken stock
- 4 strips of bacon
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- 1 red pepper
- 1 stalk celery
- 1 small onion
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon cajun seasoning (recipe below)
- salt and pepper to taste
Cajun Seasoning
- 4 tablespoon sweet paprika
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
- ½ tablespoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- In a large heavy bottom pot add your olive oil and heat over medium heat.
- Once pot is heated add your bacon strips and cooked until brown and crispy. Remove and set aside.
- Dice your onions, garlic, red pepper and celery and add to your pot.
- Saute until all the veggies are golden brown.
- While your vegetables are cooking, add your cut up chicken to a bowl and add your flour. Mix the chicken in the flour until well coated.
- Now add your chicken and the extra flour to your pot of cooked vegetables and cook until the chicken is lightly browned.
- Next add your cajun seasoning and mix that evenly into the vegetables and chicken cooking for 1 minute.
- Next add your chicken stock and scrape all the brown bits at the bottom of your pot.
- Add your cut up pieces of andouille sausage.
- Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for 20 minutes.
- Serve with white rice mounded in the center of an individual serving bowl and the gumbo ladled around the rice.
- Take your reserved bacon and crumble it. Sprinkle the bacon on top of your bowl of gumbo before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition Values are estimates only.
See full nutrition disclaimer here
Blake says
So good and everyone really enjoyed it!
Steph says
This was really delicious and much easier to make than other gumbo recipes I've made.