This is a Louisiana Classic - a New Orleans Chicken and Sausage Gumbo Recipe that is an old Cajun version. Smoked sausage, delicious soft chicken cooked with Cajun spices. It's comfort food heaven.
Chicken and Sausage Gumbo is thought of as more a cold weather food, but we eat it year round. It's too good to only have during one season.
Chicken Gumbo is the best comfort food you'll ever eat.
Classed as a soup, served with rice and potato salad, it's a combination of chicken, smoked sausage, broth and most importantly the rich flavor of a good gumbo roux.
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❤️ Why you'll love it
- It's not too hard to make. The most time consuming is the roux - once you have all the ingredients added it cooks by itself pretty much.
- A Chicken Sausage Gumbo Recipe is one of those dishes that gets better the next day. That's why I love to make such a big pot of it. It feeds us a couple of days then should I have any extra I freeze some.
- I would never have thought potato salad would go with something like this - but boy I'm glad I tried it. That is a flavor combination that will knock your socks off. Try my Cajun Potato Salad to go with this gumbo recipe.
🧅 Ingredients
- Vegetable Oil - we just keep it simple and stick with vegetable oil.
- All Purpose Flour
- Smoked Sausage - my favorite to use is Johnsonville's Polska Kielbasa.
- Smoky Andouille Sausage - my favorite is Savoies. Andouille is an important part of a Louisiana gumbo as it has a unique flavor.
- Yellow Onions
- Green Bell Pepper
- Celery
- Garlic
- Chicken Broth - instead of buying a rotisserie chicken, sometimes we boil it in water to make our own stock. Using store bought works fine too.
- Fresh Thyme
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Creole Seasoning
- Bay Leaves - bay leaf is great for lightening up a hearty meal adding a subtle extra layer of flavor.
- Chicken Thighs
- Rotisserie Chicken - we use both, mostly because we like both textures - the rotisserie chicken is so soft whereas the thighs retain their shape a little more.
See recipe card for quantities.
🥣 Instructions
- Step 1: Add the vegetable oil to the large pot and turn on the heat to medium.
- Step 2: Add the flour and stir to combine.
- Step 3: Cook this roux until you get a dark roux - dark chocolate in color.
- Step 4: Add the sliced sausage and andouille sausage and caramelize.
- Step 5: Add the holy trinity of vegetables - chopped onion, bell pepper and celery and cook over medium-high heat until translucent.
- Step 6: Add the garlic and cook another 2 minutes.
- Step 7: Add the chicken broth and stir well.
- Step 8: Add the seasonings, thyme and bay leaves.
- Step 9: Add the cut up chicken thighs. Add the lid to the pot and simmer for 3 hours.
- Step 10: Add the deboned rotisserie chicken and cover again.
- Step 11: Simmer another 20 minutes.
- Step 12: Serve with white rice and potato salad.
Hint: Cooking the roux is one of the most important parts of making your gumbo (see my post about making a roux here). Cook over a low heat and don't rush it. You cannot burn it, if you do you will HAVE to start again.
It truly is a labor of love.
🔄 Substitutions and Variations
- Canola Oil - you can use canola oil too. It's just as good.
- Cayenne Pepper - If you want to imbue some heat you can do it with Cayenne pepper, or hot sauce for more spicy flavors.
- Chicken - I use chicken thighs and a rotisserie chicken but you could use chicken breast too if you like - it won't break up like the thighs though.
- Chicken Stock - if you prefer you could use stock - it's slightly more expensive though - this is because it's better.
- Cajun Seasoning - pretty much the same as Creole Seasoning.
- Tomatoes - Creole gumbos have tomatoes in them. This gumbo recipe is a Cajun recipe and so has no tomatoes.
- Okra - a lot of people have okra in their gumbo. It's ok, I don't mind it but I find the kids don't appreciate it.
- Worcestershire Sauce - to add more umami flavors.
- Crab Meat - add a little of this for a more seafood gumbo.
- Various Meats - if you have some leftover pork, or chicken, or beef you could use these. It will all taste good.
- Filé Powder - from Sassafras, adds flavor and is a thickening agent.
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🔌 Equipment
This recipe is for a big pot. It'll make somewhere around 14-16 servings. You'll need a big stock pot (around 12 Quart or more). In the images, I have used my large Dutch Oven.
I also recommend a good roux spoon (or flat wooden spoon) - I have the pot and the roux spoon listed in my recipe card below.
🧊 Storage
Once the sausage & chicken gumbo has cooled completely it will need to be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. It will stay good for 3 days.
This classic Gumbo freezes really well, store in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months.
🍚 What To Serve With Gumbo
Always have white rice, a long grain white rice is our favorite. Some people also like to use Jasmine rice.
A delicious southern potato salad also works well on the side. I actually spoon mine into my gumbo then just get busy.
You could offer some cornbread, and some gumbo file (a powder made from the leaves of the sassafras tree - it helps thicken).
👉 More Great Southern Recipes
💡 Tips
Expert Tip: As soon as the gumbo has cooled take enough for another meal on another day for your family and put into the freezer. Chicken and sausage gumbo is one of those dishes that tastes even better the day after.
👩🍳 FAQs
It's a soup from Louisiana, in fact it's the State dish!
You don't have to, but the reason I caramelize them in the roux is the flavor that this adds to the gumbo can't be beat.
One of the reasons one would do this is to help keep the meat holding its shape. We don't want the chicken to hold its shape. It's better that it fall apart - trust me. So no, browning the chicken is not necessary.
Creole gumbo recipes will have tomatoes - a lot of Creole cuisine does. This recipe is for a Cajun Gumbo so does not have tomatoes.
You don't want to go less than 3 hours, you need to allow the ingredients time to mesh together and develop their flavor. Gumbo is not a dish to be rushed.
Gumbo literally translates to Okra. When gumbo was first created they would use okra as a way to thicken the soup.
Gumbo as a soup is not supposed to be too thick, or too thin. It's not the consistency of a stew, but it's also not just a broth. I like to make it more on the thin side then offer the gumbo file powder if anyone wants a thicker gumbo.
🥣 More Gumbo Recipes
If you're a fan of chicken, you should try this copycat recipe for Bojangles Fried Chicken, it's so good!
If you’ve tried this CHICKEN AND SAUSAGE GUMBO RECIPE or any other great recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section below, how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers!
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Chicken and Sausage Gumbo Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 Cup Vegetable Oil
- 1-¾ Cups All Purpose Flour
- 2 lb Smoked Sausage sliced
- ⅔ lb Andouille Sausage chopped
- 2 Yellow Onions diced
- 2 Celery Stalks diced
- 2 Green Bell Peppers diced
- 5 Garlic Cloves minced
- 3 48oz Containers Chicken Broth
- 2 Tablespoons Creole Seasoning
- 2 Teaspoons Garlic Powder
- 2 Teaspoons Onion Powder
- 3 Bay Leaves
- Thyme Fresh, a few sprigs
- 8 Chicken Thighs deboned and skinned, cut into 2" pieces
- 2 Cups Shredded Rotisserie Chicken
- 2 Green Onions chopped
Instructions
- Add the oil to a heavy bottomed stock pot (12 Quart is a good size). Add medium heat.
- Add the flour and stir to combine. Keep the heat on low-medium and continue stirring.
- You'll notice the 'roux' will start to change color. You need it to be about the color of dark chocolate.
- Add the smoked sausage and andouille sausage. Stir into the roux and slightly caramelize the sausage.
- Add the trinity of onions, bell pepper and celery. Cook over medium heat until translucent.
- Add the minced garlic and cook a further 2 minutes.
- Add the chicken broth, stirring, and turn the heat to medium-high.
- Add the seasonings, thyme and bay leaves.
- Add the chicken thigh meat and stir to combine. Once you have a boil turn down the heat to a simmer and cover. Simmer for 3 hours.
- Remove the lid and add the deboned rotisserie chicken. Stir into the gumbo and replace the lid. Allow to simmer again for 20 minutes.
- Remove the bay leaves and thyme stalks (if you can find them). Garnish with the chopped green onions.
- Serve with white rice and potato salad.
Notes
Nutrition
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Linda says
Thought it was suppose to have okra. How much?
Melanie Cagle says
A lot of people choose to use okra. In fact, it was how it was originally made. I choose not to use it and make a roux instead. My family are not okra fans.
Sadie Broussard says
Nor I. No okra for me.
Sadie Broussard says
Hi! I am from South Louisiana and am always looking for better ways to make gumbo. I love your recipe! It says we need rotisserie chicken in ingredients but I didn’t see it on the recipe card. I only saw 8 chicken thighs. Can you clarify the chicken quantity and type?
Sadie Broussard says
Never mind! I see it in the instructions. 🙂 I can’t wait to make this next cold front!
Kimberly Washington says
Hi! Your roux recipe calls for equal parts fat and flour. However, this gumbo recipe calls for 1 cup of oil and 1 3/4 cups of flour. Is there an advantage to using more flour? Thanks!
Melanie Cagle says
Hi Kimberly, good catch! Yes, sometimes I like to add a little more flour than oil, mainly to avoid the amount of grease that sometimes forms on the top.
babedahl says
I am not originally from Louisiana, however I have lived here for 40 + years. I have learned how to make most of the Cajun dishes that I have grown to love, but somehow I just could never get the gumbo to come out like those I've eaten and wanted to duplicate. I made this yesterday and it is amazing. I did cook my chicken first (because I didn't read thoroughly) and I used chicken thighs and chicken tenderloins, then I added enough oil to make the 1 cup required and made the rue. I followed the rest of the recipe to the "t" and this is the best gumbo I have ever made. Thank you from one transplant (me from Kentucky) to another (you from England) for this wonderful recipe.
Melanie Cagle says
Thank you so much, for the very kind comment. I'm glad you enjoyed it!! Chicken and Sausage gumbo is truly one of the best Cajun recipes.
Eddie says
I'm not seeing rotisserie chicken in the ingredients but it's calling for it in the instructions.
Melanie Cagle says
You are absolutely right, thanks for the heads up Eddie. I use 2 cups of shredded chicken - The recipe card has been fixed. Thanks again!
Rabeka says
I'm from southwest Louisana but I live in northern California now. My dad and brother are much better cooks than my mother but I never, ever remember them making a roux to start. My mother recently visited and showed me how to make roux.. as soon as I cooked it, it smelled like home.
I love the pictures with the description. It really helped because I tend to not measure things. Thank you for posting the recipe.
Melanie Cagle says
Awww, I'm so glad you appreciated it. Thank you for coming back and commenting Rabeka!