Hearty and absolutely bursting with Cajun flavor, this Easy Gumbo Recipe is a family favorite comfort food! It starts with an authentic dark roux and is loaded with chicken and andouille sausage (and shrimp, if you want to mix gumbo styles), as well as plenty of vegetables. Take your tastebuds on a trip to the Bayou with this easy Louisiana recipe!
We love warm, comforting, healthy stews throughout the fall and winter! You'll love our colorful and healthy San Francisco Cioppino Seafood Stew. And make sure you try this Eastern European Georgian Chicken Stew with Tomatoes & Herbs - it's so simple and delicious!
It's Louisiana Week on House of Nash Eats and I'm celebrating the Bayou State with this warming stew that is sure to satisfy hungry bellies! This recipe is part of my American Eats series where I'm visiting the most popular foods and flavors of each state, one state at a time.
There is nothing like a bowl of hot, spicy gumbo to warm you up when it's cold outside! Gumbo is like a cajun stew, thick and full of Louisiana flavor from the cajun seasoning and the andouille sausage. It is so good, and surprisingly easy to make! The hardest part is making the dark roux, which just requires some patience and stirring.
Not only does this easy gumbo recipe taste amazing, it's a pretty wholesome dish as well. It's loaded with plenty of healthy protein like chicken, andouille sausage, and shrimp, as well as great nutrition from the cajun holy trinity: celery, green bell peppers, and onion. All of these flavors combined is what makes this authentic gumbo recipe one of the best out there. And it's ready in just over an hour!
If you do a little digging around on the internet, you find that most cajun gumbo recipes have either seafood in them or meat - typically not both. I'm breaking with tradition in this gumbo recipe though, and opting for a best of both worlds approach! Adding the shrimp into the meat gumbo really adds a whole new level of flavor, as well as a fantastic texture that I can't get enough of!
Cajun Gumbo Ingredients
Roux
- Flour & oil: Roux is really simple to make, although it takes a bit of time! You just add a little oil to some all-purpose flour and cook it slowly to make a thick, incredibly flavorful and concentrated paste. When you add extra liquid like broth to it, it becomes a thick sauce.
Gumbo
- The Cajun Holy Trinity: Onion (I used a yellow onion), green peppers, and celery, of course. I also added chopped green onions for some extra flavor and freshness and because I just love them!
- Fresh Parsley: Parsley brings a little extra fresh flavor as well as color to this sausage, shrimp, and chicken gumbo recipe.
- Garlic: Again, adding an extra boost of flavor. You can definitely tell if the garlic is missing from this dish!
- Cajun seasoning: Cajun seasoning is what really brings that southern Louisiana flavor to this dish! It's a spicy blend usually consisting of lots of paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, black pepper, thyme, and oregano.
- Chicken broth: This broth makes this gumbo stew the right consistency - not too thick and not too thin like soup.
- Chicken: This is a great recipe for using up a rotisserie chicken. You could also use chicken thighs or breasts in this gumbo recipe, if that's what you have on hand. Thighs add a lot more flavor and are more tender than chicken breasts, but either would work!
- Andouille sausage: Andouille is a strong-flavored sausage that is essential for jambalaya. Chorizo, kielbasa, or spicy Italian sausage will work too, in a pinch, although they will each impart a slightly different flavor and aren’t as authentic to real Louisiana-style cajun gumbo.
- Shrimp: This isn't a traditional addition to chicken and sausage gumbo, but it adds even MORE protein and we love them so we snub tradition and include them (but feel free to leave them out)! These are mixed in right at the end so they’re not over-cooked. Traditionally, a gumbo recipe would have either seafood with shrimp, crawfish, mini scallops, and lump crab meat; or meat gumbo with sausages and chicken, but I love the flavor and variety of textures all 3 meats bring to this dish.
How do you make Gumbo from scratch?
The bulk of the work in this recipe is making the dark roux. It's not something that can be rushed, but it's totally worth the extra effort for a really authentic flavor.
- Make the roux. Firstly, make the roux by combining the flour and oil in a large dutch oven or other large heavy-bottomed pot. Cook and stir over medium-low heat for 30-45 minutes, stirring almost constantly, until dark brown, almost chocolate-colored, and a very thick consistency. This step can be done days in advance and the roux can be stored in the fridge until you are ready to make your gumbo.
2. Cook the meat. Brown the sausages in a large skillet over medium-high heat with a little bit of oil. Place them in an even layer and cook for 2-3 minutes per side, working in batches if needed. Use a fork to flip them. Transfer to a plate when done.
3. Deglaze. Next, deglaze the pan with ½ cup of the chicken broth. Use a wooden spatula or spoon to scrape any browned bits off the bottom of the pan.
4. Bring to boil. Add remaining broth, vegetables, parsley, and roux to the pot and stir well. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook for 5-7 minutes, until the celery, peppers, and onions start to soften. Add cajun seasoning and stir.
5. Add it all and cook the shrimp. Finally, add sausages, chicken, and cook until everything is heated all the way through. If you plan to add shrimp to your gumbo, add it in the final five minutes and cook until the shrimp are pink. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Serve warm over white rice.
How to store gumbo
Store any leftover gumbo in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat it on the stove in a saucepan until it hot.
Want to freeze this gumbo recipe for later? No problem! Place the gumbo in an airtight container (ziploc bags work perfectly!) and freeze it for up to 3 months. Allow it to thaw before reheating it on the stove until it is piping hot.
What is traditionally served with gumbo?
Here are some of my favorite dishes that go perfectly with this gumbo recipe!
- Rice: This is what gumbo is usually served over. We used plain white rice this time, brown or wild rice would be great too.
- Cornbread: Perfectly Moist Cornbread or Moist Cottage Cheese Cornbread
- Southern Hush Puppies
- Potato Salad
- Corn on the Cob
- Corn Fritters
What is the difference between a gumbo recipe and jambalaya?
The main difference between jambalaya and gumbo is that jambalaya is a rice dish, similar to paella, while gumbo is more like a soup or stew, served separately over rice. Gumbo sometimes also uses other unique ingredients like okra, which is not typically found in Jambalaya.
More Hearty Recipes Like This
- Shrimp Étouffée
- Slow Cooker Beef and Noodles
- Dublin Coddle (One Pot Irish Potato, Sausage & Onion Stew)
- Crock Pot Pork Green Chili
- One Pot Lasagna Soup
- My Best Classic Chili Recipe
- Zuppa Toscana
Did you make this recipe?
Let me know what you thought with a comment and rating below. You can also take a picture and tag me on Instagram @houseofnasheats or share it on the Pinterest pin so I can see.
Gumbo
Ingredients
Roux
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- â…” cup vegetable oil
Gumbo
- 1 bunch celery diced
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 1 bunch green onions finely chopped
- 1 bunch fresh parsley leaves finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1-2 Tablespoons Cajun seasoning
- 6-8 cups chicken broth
- 12 ounces Andouille sausages, sliced into ¼-inch thick discs
- 1 rotisserie chicken shredded
- 1 pound raw shrimp
- Cooked white rice for serving
Instructions
- Make the roux by combining the flour and oil in a large dutch oven or other large heavy-bottomed pot. Cook and stir over medium-low heat for 30-45 minutes, stirring almost constantly, until dark brown, almost chocolate colored, and about cookie dough consistency. May need to add more oil or flour.
- Brown the sausages in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place them in an even layer and cook for 2-3 minutes per side, working in batches if needed. Use a fork to flip them. Transfer to a plate when done.
- Deglaze the pan with ½ cup of the chicken broth, then pour this into the pot with the roux.
- Add remaining broth, vegetables, parsley, and roux and stir well. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook for 5-7 minutes, until the celery, peppers, and onions start to soften. Add cajun seasoning and stir.
- Add sausages, chicken, and shrimp. Cook until shrimp are pink. Adjust salt and pepper as needed. Serve warm over white rice.
Notes
- Keeps in the fridge for 3-4 days or can be frozen for 2-3 months.
- Traditionally, you would do either a chicken and sausage OR a seafood gumbo with shrimp, crawfish, mini scallops, lump crab meat, etc. rather than combining them as I have done here. But I love all of the different textures and flavors of the different proteins combined.
Nutrition
More States I Have Visited in my American Eats Series
Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Kentucky • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Mississippi • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • New Jersey • New York • Oregon • Puerto Rico • South Carolina • South Dakota • Texas • Utah • Wisconsin
Wow! This recipe was perfect! So delicious! Thank you for sharing it!
Thanks for the review! I'm glad you liked it!
I have just one suggestion. In New Orleans we add the trinity to the roux after it is the desired color, and cook it until the vegetables are tender. Add the garlic to the pot and cook until fragrant. Then add the chicken stock and deglaze the pot.
Thank you for the helpful tip! I'll have to try it!