If you want to bring the taste of Louisiana into your kitchen, this recipe is for you! My authentic chicken and sausage gumbo recipe uses andouille sausage, okra, Cajun Creole spices, and more for top-tier flavor. This post will teach you how to make it right on your very first try.
And if you enjoy this recipe, you'll love my shrimp and crayfish okro soup, too!
Jump to:
- What is Gumbo?
- ❤️ Why You'll Love this Recipe
- What You'll Need for this Recipe
- Substitutions & Variations
- How to Make Old Fashioned Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
- Pro Tip #1
- How to Get the Roux Right
- Pro Tip #2
- Pro Tip #3
- Pro Tip #4
- Frequently Asked Questions
- How to Serve
- More Favorite Southern Style Recipes
- 📖 Recipe
Featured Reader Review
★★★★★
"We're no strangers to this cuisine and this was about the best gumbo any of us had tasted. Served it up with cornbread, collards, and potato salad. Couldn't have been any better."
-Lynn
What is Gumbo?
Gumbo is an okra-thickened stew made with either meat (like poultry, sausage, or ham) or seafood (like shrimp and crab), or some combination of the two. Of course, gumbo hails from the southern American state of Louisiana, and it mixes West African, Native American, and French culinary traditions and flavors to create something uniquely Cajun or Creole, depending on your style.
❤️ Why You'll Love this Recipe
Roux from Scratch - This authentic chicken and andouille sausage gumbo recipe uses a brown roux cooked slowly on the stovetop. You can't make good gumbo without a good roux, so be sure to check out my pro tips below for the best results!
Layers of Flavor - We are adding flavor in every step so you can taste it in every bite. You'll taste savory, salty, and spicy notes with hints of herbs and umami throughout my New Orleans-style gumbo.
👉🏾 I grew up in Southeast Texas, where traditional Louisiana-style cooking abounds, so I have plenty more goodness for you to try next: Cajun roasted turkey wings, red beans and rice with andouille, stewed okra and tomatoes, seafood cornbread dressing, and Gulf Coast shrimp and grits!
What You'll Need for this Recipe
Andouille Sausage is the best sausage to use because it's already perfectly spiced, so it will add great flavor to the gumbo. If you don't have access to Andouille, look for a smoked sausage with a coarse grind.
Creole Cajun Spices and herbs like basil and bay leaves. You can use a blend like Zatarain's, Tony Cachere's, my homemade Creole spice blend, or whichever brand you like best, or combine individual spices as I listed in the recipe card below.
Holy Trinity of Creole cooking is green bell pepper, celery, and onion, and this combination adds flavor and texture to gumbo as well as other dishes like jambalaya and etouffee.
Okra belongs in gumbo, and I don't entertain arguments to the contrary. From a practical standpoint, okra adds thickness to the liquid, so there's no need to add filé powder or anything else. And from a historical standpoint, the word "gumbo" stems from a West African word for...okra!
Check out the recipe card below for full ingredients list, measurements, nutrition facts, and step-by-step instructions!
Substitutions & Variations
Broth - You can use any poultry broth or stock in this recipe, or even leftover pot liquor from cooking stewed vegetables like greens or beans. If you don't have any of these, you can also crush up a bouillon cube and dissolve it in water for a similar flavor to broth.
Chicken - I use chicken thighs here, but you can use whichever cut of chicken you like or even duck.
Shrimp - You can add shrimp to this recipe, but don't cook it before the roux like the other proteins because it has such a short cooking time. I recommend seasoning the shrimp when you season the chicken, but adding it at the same time as the okra.
Prepped Ingredients - Feel free to use pre-chopped celery, pepper, onion, garlic, etc., if that will make things easier. And you can use fresh or frozen okra interchangeably here.
Oil - I like avocado oil for the roux, but you can use other oils that have a high smoke point, including vegetable oil and canola oil. Lard and duck fat also work well!
Filé - If okra is just not your thing or if you want an extra thick gumbo, add a couple of spoonfuls of gumbo filé in place of or in addition to the okra toward the end of the recipe instructions.
Hot Sauce - Everybody has their favorite hot sauce brand, and mine is Louisiana Hot Sauce, but feel free to use Crystal, Tabasco, or whatever you prefer.
How to Make Old Fashioned Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
- Step 1: Prep all your ingredients: chop and slice the vegetables, cut and season the chicken, and slice the sausage.
- Step 2: Cook the sausage until browned on both sides.
Pro Tip #1
You can prep your ingredients up to three days in advance if needed. Store them separately in airtight containers, except for the celery, onion, and bell pepper, which can be stored together.
- Step 3: Cook the chicken in the rendered fat from the sausage.
- Step 4: Make the roux: whisk together oil and flour until smooth, then cook until dark brown in color, stirring constantly.
How to Get the Roux Right
- Begin with a Blank Slate: If you are new to making roux for gumbo, I recommend starting with a clean pot just so you can be sure it's not burning. My roux has bits of leftover seasoning from the chicken and sausage, which can be confusing if you don't know what to look for.
- Mind the Heat: You might be tempted to crank up the heat in order to cook your roux faster, but there's no coming back from a burnt roux! The burnt and bitter taste will carry over all throughout your gumbo, and the only option to avoid that is to toss out the burnt roux and start again.
- Keep it Moving: Roux requires near-constant stirring or movement in order to keep the flour from burning. I picked up a great tip from my food blogger friend Sense & Edibility - Stir the roux for 30 seconds straight, then take a break for one or two minutes, then repeat. This has worked for me across multiple batches of gumbo.
- Step 5: Add bell pepper, celery, garlic, and onion, and cook until fragrant.
- Step 6: Add hot chicken broth to the pot, along with bouillon, hot sauce, and bay leaves, then bring to a boil.
Pro Tip #2
I like to heat up the broth in the microwave while my Holy Trinity is cooking and add it in one cup or so at a time. This avoids drastic temperature changes, which can break the roux and make it lumpy.
Pro Tip #3
You'll likely notice foam on the surface of the gumbo after it starts boiling. This is from the flour in the roux and will dissipate as it continues to cook.
- Step 7: Reduce heat, then add the chicken and sausage back to the pot and simmer. Skim off any fat from the surface of the gumbo.
- Step 8: Stir in okra and cook a few minutes more, then taste test and adjust seasonings, if needed.
Pro Tip #4
Skimming off the fat may seem like a step you can skip, but if you leave it in, your gumbo will taste greasy, and the texture won't be the best--you'll feel the oily film in your mouth when you eat it. Not cute!
Frequently Asked Questions
Gumbo is just as good, if not better, the next day, but it spoils quickly after that, so I don't recommend making it any further than a day in advance. However, you can make the roux up to six months ahead of time and store it in the fridge or up to one year in the freezer! Just thaw it, then reheat it gently and slowly so it doesn't split.
Let the gumbo come to room temperature, then transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Yes, you can freeze gumbo, and it will keep for up to six months. I recommend freezing your gumbo in Souper Cubes in perfectly sized portions for thawing and reheating later.
How to Serve
Temperature and Pairings: Gumbo is traditionally enjoyed nice and hot with a side of fluffy white rice or, depending on which part of the South you're in, a scoop of southern potato salad.
I personally love gumbo with jollof rice. Trust me, you have to try it!
Garnishes: Whatever you go with, finish your bowl of gumbo with a sprinkle of fresh parsley, a side of saltine crackers, and serve it with a bottle of hot sauce--it's just good Southern manners.
More Favorite Southern Style Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
I hope you'll enjoy this easy chicken and sausage gumbo soon and very soon. And sharing is caring, so be sure to pin this recipe for later and follow me over on Pinterest. Thanks for reading!
📖 Recipe
Chicken and Andouille Sausage Gumbo with Okra
Equipment
- 1 knife
- 1 garlic press optional
- 1 large Dutch oven or stock pot
- 1 whisk
- 1 ladle
Ingredients
- 3 stalks celery
- ½ sweet yellow onion
- 1 green bell pepper
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley optional garnish
- 2 cups okra fresh or frozen
- 8 cloves garlic
- 1 pound Andouille sausage
- 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup avocado oil
- 8 cups chicken broth or stock
- 3 bouillon cubes
- 3 bay leaves
- hot sauce to taste
Instructions
- Prep the Ingredients: Chop celery, onion, bell pepper, and parsley; trim and slice okra, and mince garlic. Slice sausage into roughly ⅓ inch rounds. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces then season with smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, sea salt, black pepper, oregano, basil, thyme, white pepper, and cayenne pepper. Line a baking dish or tray with paper towels and set aside.3 stalks celery, ½ sweet yellow onion, 1 green bell pepper, 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, 2 cups okra, 8 cloves garlic, 1 pound Andouille sausage, 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, 2 teaspoons smoked paprika, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 2 teaspoons onion powder, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, ½ teaspoon white pepper, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Brown the Sausage: Heat Dutch oven or large pot on stove top over medium flame. Add sausage slices to heated pot and sear for about five minutes on each side. Remove sausage from pot and place on paper towel-lined dish to drain.
- Cook the Chicken: Add half the chicken to the pot and cook through. Remove cooked chicken and place on dish with sausage then repeat the process to cook and drain the remaining chicken. Add a teaspoon or two of cooking oil to pot, if needed, between batches of chicken.
- Make the Roux: Remove any burnt bits of seasoning from the pot, reduce heat to just below medium, then sift flour into pot and pour in avocado oil. Whisk the flour and oil vigorously until combined and free of lumps. Stir the roux regularly until it reaches a deep chocolate brown color (about 50-60 minutes)* See recipe notes.1 cup flour, 1 cup avocado oil
- Cook the Holy Trinity: Add the chopped onion, celery, and bell pepper to the roux and stir and saute it until fragrant and softened (about five minutes). Add in the garlic and cook for one more minute. Meanwhile, heat the broth in another pot or in the microwave until steaming (about five minutes).8 cups chicken broth
- Add broth to roux mixture, one cup at a time, stirring between each addition until smooth.
- Finish the Flavor: Stir in bouillon powder, a few shakes of hot sauce, and bay leaves then bring mixture to a boil. You will notice foam on the surface of the gumbo after boiling-this is from the flour in the roux and will dissipate as it continues to cook.3 bouillon cubes, 3 bay leaves, hot sauce
- Reduce heat to medium-low then add chicken and sausage back to the pot and simmer for at least 20-30 minutes. Stir in sliced okra and cook for another five minutes then remove from heat.
- Use a big kitchen spoon to skim fat off the surface of the gumbo and discard. Skipping this step will result in an oily gumbo with a greasy taste.
- Taste test and add more seasonings and/or hot sauce to taste then serve with rice and saltine crackers or a scoop of potato salad. Garnish with parsley, if desired.
Video
Notes
- If you are new to making roux for gumbo, I recommend starting with a clean pot just so you can be sure it's not burning. My roux has bits of leftover seasoning from the chicken and sausage, which can be confusing if you don't know what to look for.
- Roux requires near-constant stirring or movement in order to keep the flour from burning. I picked up a great tip from my food blogger friend Sense & Edibility - Stir the roux for 30 seconds then take a break for one or two minutes then repeat until roux reaches your desired color.
Lynn. Flewelling says
I put my sons and their families to work chopping and measuring. It was a lot of fun and the gumbo was so good! We're no strangers to this cuisine and this was about the best gumbo any of us had tasted. Served it up with cornbread, collards, and potato salad. Couldn't have been any better. Thanks Jazzmin, for creating such a great recipe.
Jazzmine Woodard says
Thanks so much for your feedback, Lynn! I'm so happy to hear y'all enjoyed the gumbo and love that you made it a family affair.