Chicken and Sausage Gumbo (No Okra)
This chicken and sausage gumbo is made with a rich dark roux (cajun style), chicken, seared smoked sausage, cajun seasonings, and the ‘holy trinity’ (bell pepper, onions, and celery). It’s served over a bed of rice with chopped parsley and green onions. If you are in Southern Louisiana, you’ll often find it served with potato salad.
Table of Contents
Classic Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
I’ve been making gumbo for over 30 years, and I’m about to share with you the best cajun chicken and sausage gumbo recipe ever! Plus, I’ll tell you what I think the secret ingredient to gumbo is and give you tips and tricks I’ve learned along the way.
A bit of history of Gumbo
Many food historians believe that gumbo is not a Louisiana dish. They believe it has origins from West Africa. The word gumbo in West Africa is “ki ngombo” for “okra”. Africans used okra as a thickner in their version of the dish.
The Origin of Gumbo
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Ingredients for Cajun Gumbo
Chicken: I use a whole chicken when I make a pot of gumbo. If you don’t want to go to the trouble of having to cut up a chicken, you can use chicken thighs. Chicken breast will work, too, but the thighs will give this gumbo recipe more flavor. You can also mix chicken breast with the thighs. I’ve done that before, and it works great.
Sausage: This is one of the secret ingredients to a great cajun gumbo! You will want andouille sausage or a really good smoked sausage. I learned quickly that sausage was one of the secret ingredients to a great gumbo when I moved away from Louisiana and couldn’t purchase it anymore. Every time I’d visit my girlfriend, or she came to visit, I’d stock up on sausage.
Richard’s sausage is a decent one if you can find it. You can also order from the Cajun Grocer. I’ve ordered from them in the past and had a great experience, but I didn’t order anything perishable, so I’m not sure what their policy/shipping is with perishable items.
Richard’s Smoked Sausage (bottom picture)
The Holy Trinity: Oh, the “Holy Trinity” you can’t make gumbo without it. It consists of bell pepper, onion, and celery. You can use any color of bell pepper, but green is the most commonly used and my favorite. It just imparts a better flavor to the gumbo. In the picture above, I used a red bell pepper. It was all I had at the time, so that’s what I used…my gumbo still turned out yummy!
Seasonings: Bay leaf, garlic powder, Cajun seasoning like Tony’s or Emeril’s (you can even make your own), Salt, and cayenne pepper
File Powder: Gumbo File powder is sassafras leaves that have been ground. It can be used in one or two ways. Some people use it to thicken their gumbo, and some use it for flavor. If you can’t find it in your local grocery store, you can find it at The Spice House. (I love their spices/seasonings; everything is so fresh and flavorful. Very high quality!).
Green Onions: I love to add chopped green onions to the top of my bowl of gumbo before serving. I love the flavor it adds to the gumbo. Some just toss chopped green onions in the pot of gumbo after it’s removed from the heat. This is optional either way.
Parsley: Just like the green onions, this is optional, but it adds something ‘extra’ to the bowl of gumbo. Plus, it looks pretty sprinkled on top of the gumbo.
Louisiana Hot Sauce: We can’t have a good ole bowl of chicken gumbo without some Louisiana hot sauce! I like to add a bit while I’m cooking, plus I might add a little extra to my bowl. Use it however you like for that extra kick.
Gumbo Substitions and Add In’s
Chicken Gizzards: Wait! Hear me out. My girlfriend, that’s from Port Sulfur, LA, told me about adding chicken gizzards to my gumbo. Y’all, they are so good cooked in chicken gumbo! You add them in when you add your chicken, and they are so tender and flavorful.
Crawfish or Shrimp: I love the flavor crawfish gives my gumbo. I actually prefer it over the shrimp, but unfortunately, I don’t add either anymore as my son has seafood allergies. If you want to add crawfish tails or shrimp, add one or the other or (both) to your gumbo while you are deboning your chicken. It won’t take long for it to cook. If you put it in too soon, you’ll have rubbery shrimp.
Chicken: As I stated above, I use a whole chicken that I’ve cut up. If you don’t want to do that, my next choice would be chicken thighs. These two choices are great for gumbo as they will impart a richer broth and flavor. You can use chicken breast or even mix chicken thighs with the breast. Chef’s Choice!
Turn up the HEAT: If you want to kick up the heat, add more cayenne pepper or use a ‘Hot’ smoked sausage. I typically don’t want my gumbo super spicy hot, so I let everyone season their own bowl for what heat level they desire.
Okra: This chicken and sausage gumbo has no okra but if you like okra, then, by all means, add it. My family doesn’t like it in gumbo, so I never add it. Okra is sometimes used to thicken gumbo. You will want to add it during the last 30 minutes of cooking time to help the gumbo to thicken properly and to preserve the texture of the okra.
Let’s Get Started
Gather all your ingredients.
The first thing I want you to do is chop. Chop your onions, green bell pepper, and celery. Get that ‘Holy Trinity’ ready.
While you are chopping, go ahead and slice your sausage.
Make your roux. Follow my recipe for how to make a dark cajun style roux. Roux is another secret ingredient to making great gumbo. After you make your roux come back here, and we will finish up our chicken sausage gumbo.
After your roux is ready and still hot, you can do one or two things. You can add only your onion and let it cook for a few minutes (when you do this, you will notice your roux gets even darker), or you can just dump your holy trinity in at the same time.
Be warned, when you dump your holy trinity in the hot roux, the aroma that hits your nose and fills your home is intoxicating. I wonder if that’s why they call it the holy trinity. Because it smells heavenly while it’s cooking in that roux.
You are going to want to cook your holy trinity for a few minutes until it’s wilted, about 4 minutes. Oh, I almost forgot towards the end of sauteing, you can toss a couple of bay leaves in.
Next, add hot water or chicken broth to the pot and stir until it’s combined. Bring the mixture to a boil. Then reduce the heat.
Note: Don’t add cold water to hot roux. By adding hot water to your hot roux it will help prevent your roux from separating.
Add your chicken pieces and seasonings.
While that simmers, you can sear your smoked or andouille sausage in a hot skillet. I like to sear the sausage so I can cook off some of the fat. I skipped this step for years, but I prefer to sear the sausage.
Once you have your sausage seared and drained, add your sausage to your pot of gumbo.
Let this mixture cook on low-medium heat for an hour and a half to two hours, uncovered.
You will want to remove the chicken from the pot and set it aside to cool.
While the chicken is cooling, you may want to skim any excess fat off of your gumbo.
Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the meat from the bone. Add the chicken back to your gumbo mixture and break it into smaller pieces as you add it.
Stir well and remove from heat.
Serve over rice and garnish with chopped green onions and parsley.
Some enjoy eating gumbo with potato salad.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the secret ingredient to gumbo?
I believe there are two secret ingredients to gumbo. One is a good dark roux, and the other is finding a good smoked sausage or andouille sausage. In the gumbo pictured, I combined Richard’s sausage and andouille sausage, and it was excellent.
When we moved away from Louisiana many years ago, my gumbo was lacking flavor because I couldn’t find a good cajun smoked sausage. Now that we are living in New Orleans, I can find smoked sausage and andouille everywhere I turn, and my gumbo (not to toot my own horn) is delicious! The sausage takes it to a whole new level of flavor! Don’t stress if you can’t find a cajun smoked sausage. I’ve made gumbo for years with smoked sausage that I could get at our local grocery store, and it turned out fine. It just elevates the flavor when you have cajun sausage.
I’ve seen where some people add liquid smoke to enhance the smoky flavor of their gumbo when they can’t find andouille sausage or a good Louisiana sausage. I’ve never tried it, so I can’t tell you how well it works. If you try it or have tried it, let me know your thoughts on using it.
Should you brown sausage before putting it in gumbo?
It isn’t necessary to brown or sear the sausage before putting it in gumbo. I didn’t for years, and my gumbo still tasted great. I would just toss it in with the chicken and let it cook.
Several years ago, I began searing it and prefer it cooked that way. I like the sausage a little browned, and I like the flavor it adds. Plus, it renders some of the fat, and it’s less you have to skim off the gumbo after it’s cooked. Try it both ways and see which you like better and let me know.
Do you simmer gumbo with the lid on or off?
I always simmer my gumbo with the lid off. When you simmer it with the lid off, it allows the stock to reduce down, and it gets more concentrated by cooking off some of the water.
Can I use jar roux in place of homemade?
Of course! Jar roux is a fantastic time saver. It may be hit or miss on whether you can find it at your local grocery store. When I first learned how to make gumbo I learned how to make it using a jar roux. When I moved I couldn’t buy it from our local store so I had to learn how to make it homemeade.
If you decide to purchase jar roux here are two good ones to use Savoie’s and Kary’s.
I hope you enjoy this chicken and sausage gumbo as much as my family and I do. It’s so hearty and flavorful and perfect served on a cold day!
Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
Equipment
Ingredients
- Roux You can find the recipe for my dark roux on my blog.
- 1 chicken You can substitute the whole chicken with 3-4 pounds of chicken thighs or chicken breast.
- 1 lb smoked sausage, cut in ½ pieces, you can use andouille or a good smoked sausage.
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 3-4 stalks of celery, chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 9-10 cups water or chicen broth
- 2 tsp garlic powder, optional
- ½ cup green onions, chopped
- ¼ cup parsley, chopped
- 1 tbsp file powder
- ½-1 tbsp Cajun seasoning, like Tony's Creole Seasoing or Emerils
- cayenne pepper, to taste
- salt, to taste
- Louisiana Hot Sauce
- White Rice
Instructions
- Prepare dark roux. (You will find my roux recipe on the blog.)
- Add bell pepper, onion and celery to the dark roux and cook for about 4 minutes.
- Add bay leaves and stir.
- Slowly stir in hot water until well combined.
- Add cajun seasonings and garlic. Stir and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add chicken pieces.
- Sear smoked sausage in separate pan and drain. Add drained sausage to the pot.
- Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and cook uncovered stirring occasionally.
- Cook for 1½-2 hours until chicken is cooked.
- Remove chicken from the gumbo and set on a platter or cutting board to cool.
- Remove the chicken meat from the bones and shred or pull apart, tossing the bones and skin.
- Add chicken to gumbo and stir. Remove bay leaves.
- Remove gumbo from heat and add file powder.
- Season with salt and cajun seasoning to taste.
- To Serve: Spoon rice into bowl and put gumbo on top. Sprinkle with chopped green onions and parsley. Some may want to add file or hot sauce to their gumbo.
