Colder temperatures and crunchy leaves always call for giant pots of hearty food, and our Gluten Free Chicken and Sausage Gumbo Recipe is the perfect meal to cook long and slow on the stove throughout the fall and winter.
Table of Contents
- This recipe is…
- Why You’ll Love This Gumbo Recipe
- Chicken and Sausage Gumbo Recipe Ingredients
- Gluten Free Gumbo Recipe Variations and Modifications
- How to Make Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
- Sausage Gumbo Recipe Tips
- How to Serve
- How to Store and Reheat
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More of Our Favorite Soup and Stew Recipes
- Gluten Free Chicken and Sausage Gumbo Recipe
This recipe is…
Gumbo is one of those foods that really has a rich history. This dish is actually a fascinating combination of several different types of cuisines ranging from French, Spanish, African, Caribbean, and Native American. It’s typically thought of as a Cajun or Creole dish, and there are three general types of traditional gumbos: those thickened with a filé powder, those thickened with okra, and those thickened with a roux. Our gluten free chicken and sausage gumbo happens to be of the roux-thickened variety, and we are obsessed with it!
Now, here at Fed + Fit we are all about easy, fast, weeknight meals…but there is also something really special about a slow-simmered dish that gives all the ingredients time to marinate and marry together. Gumbo can be a long, involved process. If you ask for a classic gumbo recipe, the type passed down through multiple generations, you’ll probably get a recipe that takes two full days to cook. With that in mind, we really thought long and hard about this recipe, wanting to make it faster and more approachable while still preserving the flavor. We took a few short-cuts to eliminate the need for homemade stock (though if you have some around, this is a great use for it), and then we cook it slowly over low heat over time. You can’t quite get the same flavors otherwise, and let me tell you this gluten free chicken and sausage gumbo is WORTH THE WAIT.
The prep process involves pre-cooking your proteins, sauteéing your veggies, and getting that perfect roux going. Once you’ve got all your elements prepped, you can combine them in a large pot and let the stove do the rest of the work! Don’t be intimidated by this dish, it’s bursting with flavor and cajun spice, and will be the perfect meal this weekend to simmer away on your stovetop.
Serve this gluten free sausage and chicken gumbo alongside steamed white or brown rice and some fresh greens like our Spinach Salad with Spicy Lemon Salad Dressing, Arugula Salad with Lemon and Sea Salt, or 3 Greens Refrigerator Salad.
Why You’ll Love This Gumbo Recipe
- We streamlined the traditional gumbo to save time where we could – but not skip the steps that matter most to a great gumbo with depth of flavor
- Just 15 minutes of prep…then let your stovetop do the rest
- Classic combination of chicken thighs, andouille sausage, peppers, and okra
Chicken and Sausage Gumbo Recipe Ingredients
Here’s everything you’ll need to cook up a big batch of this cozy and comforting gumbo. Find ingredient notes (including substitutions and swaps) below.
- Avocado oil or butter – 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons avocado oil or butter
- Chicken thighs – 2 pounds bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
- Andouille – 2, 12 ounce packages andouille sausage thinly sliced
- Onion – 1 large yellow onion diced
- Celery – 5 stalks celery diced
- Bell peppers – 2 bell peppers (either green or red both work here)
- Garlic – 5 cloves garlic minced
- Salt – 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt to taste*
- Flour – 1 cup gluten free flour blend
- Chicken broth – 3 quarts chicken broth 12 cups
- Cajun spice blend – 2 teaspoons Cajun spice blend
- Thyme – 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- Black pepper – 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- Bay leaves – 2 dried bay leaves
- Okra – 1 pound okra
- Parsley – 1/3 cup fresh chopped flat leaf parsley
- Lemon juice – 2 tablespoons lemon juice about one lemon
- White rice – White rice for serving
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Gluten Free Gumbo Recipe Variations and Modifications
Here are a few easy ways to tweak this recipe to your liking:
- Add some shrimp – if you don’t consider it gumbo without succulent, tender shrimp, add them to the pot for the last few minutes of cooking – until the shrimp turns pink and is fully cooked through.
- Adjust the spice level – if you want to make this recipe a little friendlier to kids (or adults who are spice-adverse), cut the Cajun spice blend by half. Serve the gumbo with hot sauce and/or cayenne pepper so those who want a little more kick up the heat.
How to Make Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
While this gumbo needs to cook for a couple hours, the prep actually comes together quickly. Here’s how to follow along, step-by-step.
Step 1: Add two tablespoons avocado oil to a large, heavy-bottomed stock pot over medium-high heat. Pat the chicken thighs dry and add to the pot (you may need to work in two batches) skin side down. Cook for 4-5 minutes, until skin is browned, then flip and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, until browned, then remove the chicken from the pot.
Step 2: Add the sliced sausage to the pot and cook for about 2 minutes, until browned, then flip the sausage and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, then remove the sausage from the pot.
Step 3: Drain off all but two tablespoons of oil from the pot and reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic, and salt to the pot. Cook for 5-7 minutes, until the onion is translucent and the celery and bell pepper have started to wilt. Remove the vegetables from the pot and set aside.
Step 4: Add 1 cup avocado oil or butter to the pot over medium heat. Once warmed through (about 1 minute), add the flour and whisk the two together to combine. Continue to stir the mixture for about 12-15 minutes, until the roux achieves a peanut butter color and nutty fragrance. (Note that the roux may immediately turn brown from picking up the browned bits in the pot, but it will continue to darken in color and become more fragrant as you cook).
Step 5: Stir the chicken broth into the roux, whisking constantly to ensure there are no lumps. Then, add in the chicken, sausage, vegetables, Cajun spice blend, leaves, black pepper, and bay leaves. Bring the soup to a boil over medium-high heat, then cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook for one hour.
Step 6: Remove the chicken from the soup and shred with two forks, discarding the bones and skin, then return to the pot.
Step 7: Add the okra to the pot, then cover and cook an additional 30 minutes, until the okra is softened and no longer stringy.
After 30 minutes, skim any excess fat off the top of the pot and stir in the parsley and lemon juice. Taste for seasoning and add additional salt or Cajun seasoning as needed, then serve alongside white rice.
Sausage Gumbo Recipe Tips
Better broth – The better quality your broth, the better the gumbo will taste! This is definitely a place to make your own stock (if you have time) or to splurge on one of your favorite brands.
Avoid over-seasoning – We recommend starting with 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt, the total amount needed will vary depending on which Cajun spice blend and broth you use.
How to Serve
Serve gumbo hot over a bed of white rice, or cauliflower rice.
How to Store and Reheat
Refrigerate the gumbo in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Gumbo also freezes really well, so you can also store it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Types of gumbo come down to the choice of thickener: some use filé powder, others call for okra, and some (like this one) are thickened by a roux.
The secret to good gumbo is a great roux! For those of you not familiar with a roux, it’s a paste/gravy made of equal parts flour and fat that is used to thicken gumbo, soups, sauces, and other dishes. For most soups and sauces, you’ll use just a few tablespoons of flour and butter to create a roux, but for gumbo you actually use a much larger amount of roux, and cook it until it turns a deep brown color. This process cooks off some of the starch so you aren’t left with a gummy soup, and it deepens the flavor of the gumbo.
The key to a boldly flavored gumbo is a Cajun seasoning mix. While exact recipes vary by brand, most blends usually include a mix of paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, oregano or Italian seasonings, and cayenne pepper.
More of Our Favorite Soup and Stew Recipes
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Gluten Free Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
Ingredients
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons avocado oil or butter, divided
- 2 pounds bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 2, 12 ounce packages andouille sausage, thinly sliced
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 5 stalks celery, diced
- 2 bell peppers, green or red both work here, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt, to taste*
- 1 cup gluten free flour blend
- 3 quarts chicken broth, 12 cups
- 2 teaspoons Cajun spice blend
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 pound okra, tops removed and thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup fresh chopped flat leaf parsley
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, about one lemon
- White rice, for serving
Instructions
- Add two tablespoons avocado oil to a large, heavy-bottomed stock pot over medium-high heat. Pat the chicken thighs dry and add to the pot (you may need to work in two batches) skin side down. Cook for 4-5 minutes, until skin is browned, then flip and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, until browned, then remove the chicken from the pot.
- Add the sliced sausage to the pot and cook for about 2 minutes, until browned, then flip the sausage and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, then remove the sausage from the pot.
- Drain off all but two tablespoons of oil from the pot and reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic, and salt to the pot. Cook for 5-7 minutes, until the onion is translucent and the celery and bell pepper have started to wilt. Remove the vegetables from the pot and set aside.
- Add 1 cup avocado oil or butter to the pot over medium heat. Once warmed through (about 1 minute), add the flour and whisk the two together to combine. Continue to stir the mixture for about 12-15 minutes, until the roux achieves a peanut butter color and nutty fragrance. (Note that the roux may immediately turn brown from picking up the browned bits in the pot, but it will continue to darken in color and become more fragrant as you cook).
- Stir the chicken broth into the roux, whisking constantly to ensure there are no lumps. Then, add in the chicken, sausage, vegetables, Cajun spice blend, leaves, black pepper, and bay leaves. Bring the soup to a boil over medium-high heat, then cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook for one hour.
- Remove the chicken from the soup and shred with two forks, discarding the bones and skin, then return to the pot.
- Add the okra to the pot, then cover and cook an additional 30 minutes, until the okra is softened and no longer stringy.
- After 30 minutes, skim any excess fat off the top of the pot and stir in the parsley and lemon juice. Taste for seasoning and add additional salt or Cajun seasoning as needed, then serve alongside white rice!
Recipe Notes
- *We recommend starting with 1/2 teaspoon coarse sea salt, the total amount needed will vary depending on which Cajun spice blend and broth you use
- The better quality your broth is, the better the gumbo will taste! This is definitely a place to make your own stock (if you have time) or to splurge on one of your favorite brands!
What color is the roux supposed to be?
I made this recipe with okra for thickening. Next time I wound use both okra and the roux. I did not however use 1 entire cup of avocado oil as it seemed like a LOT. Is this a typo by chance?? Otherwise it turned out great!
The 1 cup of avocado oil is correct, Karen! This is a really hearty soup!
Looks delicious. However, I live in an area of the country where fresh okra just isnโt available. Can I use frozen? I do find frozen okra from time to time.
Hi Sharon! You can absolutely sub frozen okra in this recipe. You could also try subbing eggplant if you’re looking for a similar texture and can find it in your area. Enjoy! ~Melissa
Can I make this ahead and take for tailgating the next day? I wasn’t sure since sometimes GF Flour doesn’t hold up well. It looks delicious!!
I think that’s a great idea, Karen! Have fun!!
I made this gumbo and it was so good
My momโs family is from Lafayette, LA and my aunt would make a light colored gumbo and this one was as good as hers!!!
That’s so great to hear, Nancy!! Thank you so much for sharing this with us!
Planning to make this tonight but all my local stores are out of fresh okra! Any ideas for a substitute?
You can use zucchini if you want, but we’ve also made this gumbo without the okra (or a replacement) and it still turned out really great!
I’ll be using frozen okra!
I made this tonight and it was really good. I didnโt add the Cajun seasonings, Bay or Thyme leaves. I added 3 cups brown rice right into the Gumbo about 30 minutes before I served it and it turned out fantastic. It was time consuming to make but if you have an afternoon to spend itโs well worth it.
So glad you enjoyed it, Missy! Thank you for sharing this with us.
I have been trying to make a roux using gluten free flour. But when I add it to the water to boil, it does not stay mixed together. When it cools or I stop stirring it the flour settles to the bottom. What am I doing wrong?
This was the most delicious gumbo! Yum.
I came looking for the Macro’s as well. A lot of work but taste great!
I would be interested also in what the macros for this recipe or any of your recipes are. Do you ever post them?
Hi Linda, right now we do not post macros but nutrition info is in the works for the future!
FINALLY!!!! A GF gumbo that so very closely resembles my Grandmothers from my childhood! This was a huge win at our house and my kiddo couldnโt get enough. I did add some shrimp, but it would have been just as fabulous without it! Keep it up lady!!!! You rock ๐
As someone with a Cajun grandmother we take that as the HIGHEST complement! So glad y’all enjoyed it!!
What flour did you use? Did the flour mix with the water? When I use gluten free flour, it separates from the water. Help.
Do you have a idea on the macroโs on this?
Ooh! I am going to have to try this one when I can really spend some time in the kitchen. With two littles, thatโs hard to come by these days. Weโve been making a chicken and sausage โgumboโ by Health-Bent (so sad sheโs no longer blogging!) for years, but that one skips the roux. Thanks for taking the time to put together this recipe!
Ah I loved her blog as well! I hope you find some time and enjoy this gumbo Regan!