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Hearty Chicken Gumbo over rice is the ultimate Mardi Gras dinner. This chicken and sausage stew is so delicious, though, you’ll want to make the easy gumbo recipe all year long.
Although few cooks can agree on the essential elements of the best gumbo recipe, gumbo recipes as an entire category are iconic in Louisiana. This hearty, fragrant stew crosses all class and race lines and is a delicious example of the melting pot nature of the jazzy, spirited southern state.
Historians are still seeking the definitive origin of gumbo, but its name is derived from a West African word for okra. (Okra is a common gumbo ingredient, but since its texture can be a bit polarizing, I omitted it from my homemade Chicken Gumbo recipe below.)
The first written reference of gumbo seems to be in the early 1800s, when the spiced-up stew was served in New Orleans to celebrate a governor’s election. Today, you can now find gumbo recipes across the state and the globe stoked with seafood, chicken, sausage, and more.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
Ingredient notes
- Andouille sausage: If desired, swap in kielbasa or another smoked sausage.
- Chicken broth: Feel free to use homemade chicken broth or your favorite store-bought brand. You’re dressing it up enough in this Chicken Gumbo so the results will be similar.
- Homemade Creole Seasoning: In an airtight jar, add 3 tablespoons paprika, 2 tablespoons garlic powder, 2 tablespoons salt, 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper, 1 tablespoon onion powder, 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper, 1 tablespoon crushed dry oregano, and 1 tablespoon crushed dried thyme. Shake vigorously and store leftover seasoning in an airtight container in the pantry up to 6 months.
- Hot sauce: This is optional, but highly recommended if you, like me, enjoy spice. The Louisiana brand would be a marvelous option to fit the theme.
Step-by-step instructions
- In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, brown sausage, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from pan and place on a paper towel-lined plate. Reserve drippings in pan.
- Add chicken breast to Dutch oven, and cook until brown, about 5 minutes per side. Remove from pan and place on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add the oil and flour to the drippings, whisk together to combine, and continue to cook roux over medium heat until dark brown, about 20 to 30 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Add onion, bell peppers, and celery. Cook until vegetables are tender, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add broth and stir until blended.
- Add chicken, garlic, Creole seasoning, bay leaves, and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, chicken is fork-tender, about 1 hour.
- Return sausage to pan, and cook until sausage is thoroughly cooked, about 30 minutes.
- Remove chicken and bay leaves. Cut chicken into strips and return to gumbo. Season gumbo to taste with salt and additional hot sauce, as desired. Add green onions, and parsley. Serve over hot cooked rice.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This Chicken Gumbo recipe makes eight hearty 1-cup servings, ideal for enjoying over a little (or a lot) of hot cooked rice.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Freeze gumbo in freezer-safe containers (leaving 1/2-inch headspace for expansion) for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
- Mix up your meats: If you have leftover turkey, cooked chicken, or rotisserie chicken, simply skip Step 2 and add that already cooked when it’s called for again in Step 5. Leftover ham, while not authentic, would taste good too.
- Mardi Gras: Gearing up for Fat Tuesday? I’ve pulled together 30+ Mardi Gras Recipes to help you celebrate. Start with Crab Cakes with Remoulade, Fried Okra, or Hush Puppies. For the main event, consider Cajun Chicken with a bowl of Red Beans and Rice or Shrimp Étouffée. Finish your meal with a sweet treat such as Bananas Foster, a slice of King Cake, or some Pecan Pralines. Classic cocktail options include a Sazerac or a Hurricane cocktail.
Recipe FAQs
Gumbo is a stew made with a spiced, darkened roux and a variety of meats, poultry, or seafood. It starts with the “holy trinity” of vegetables: onions, celery, and bell peppers. Gumbo may contain one or more of the following: andouille sausage, polish sausage, chicken, duck, shrimp, crab, or oysters. It is often served with rice.
Jambalaya is a rice dish and gumbo is a stew. Both may contain chicken, sausage, and seafood.
More Mardi Gras favorites
Fish and Seafood Recipes
Shrimp Creole
Mardi Gras Recipes
Beignets
Cocktail Recipes
Hurricane Cocktail
Mardi Gras Recipes
Fried Green Tomatoes with Remoulade
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Chicken Gumbo
Ingredients
- 1 pound Andouille sausages cut into 1/4-inch slices (see note 1)
- 4 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 medium onion chopped (1 cup)
- 1 small green bell pepper stem removed, seeded and chopped (½ cup)
- 1 celery rib chopped (½ cup)
- 2 quarts chicken broth (see note 2)
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons Creole seasoning (see note 3)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 teaspoon fresh thyme)
- hot sauce to taste (see note 4)
- 1/4 cup green onions chopped (white and green parts)
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
- cooked rice hot, for serving
Instructions
- In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, brown sausage, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from pan and place on a paper towel-lined plate. Reserve drippings in pan.
- Add chicken breast to Dutch oven, and cook until brown, about 5 minutes per side. Remove from pan and place on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add the oil and flour to the drippings, whisk together to combine, and continue to cook roux over medium heat until dark brown, about 20 to 30 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Add onion, bell peppers, and celery. Cook until vegetables are tender, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add broth and stir until blended.
- Add chicken, garlic, Creole seasoning, bay leaves, and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, chicken is fork-tender, about 1 hour.
- Return sausage to pan, and cook until sausage is thoroughly cooked, about 30 minutes.
- Remove chicken and bay leaves. Cut chicken into strips and return to gumbo. Season gumbo to taste with salt and additional hot sauce, as desired. Add green onions, and parsley. Serve over hot cooked rice.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Andouille sausage: If desired, swap in kielbasa or another smoked sausage.
- Chicken broth: Feel free to use homemade chicken broth or your favorite store-bought brand. You’re dressing it up enough in this Chicken Gumbo so the results will be similar.
- Homemade Creole Seasoning: In an airtight jar, add 3 tablespoons paprika, 2 tablespoons garlic powder, 2 tablespoons salt, 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper, 1 tablespoon onion powder, 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper, 1 tablespoon crushed dry oregano, and 1 tablespoon crushed dried thyme. Shake vigorously and store leftover seasoning in an airtight container in the pantry up to 6 months.
- Hot sauce: This is optional, but highly recommended if you, like me, enjoy spice. The Louisiana brand would be a marvelous option to fit the theme.
- Yield: This Chicken Gumbo recipe makes eight hearty 1-cup servings, ideal for enjoying over a little (or a lot) of hot cooked rice.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Freezer: Freeze gumbo in freezer-safe containers (leaving 1/2-inch headspace for expansion) for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.
I added a bit of Gumbo Filé to thicken mine. Love Andouille sausage. For a bit less spice, simmer the sausage in some water first for a little bit. Add the hot sauce to taste upon serving. Yum.