Authentic Cajun Gumbo Recipe
Published February 17, 2023. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
You will love this delicious authentic Gumbo recipe jam-packed with chicken, andouille sausage, and okra in a tasty homemade chicken stock. The flavors in this dish are nothing short of incredible.
I’m a huge fan of Cajun and creole food and love exploring cuisine from that region of the United States. If you’re the same way, you must try my Jambalaya or Red Beans and Rice.
Gumbo
Gumbo is a Cajun and creole specialty throughout the state of Louisiana. It’s a thick, stew-like dish with several ingredients, such as the trinity (onions, celery, and bell peppers), okra, and meat. The most common proteins are chicken and sausage, but you can make a seafood-specific combo. According to the recipe evangelists, you should never combine seafood with chicken.
This recipe and ingredients will be completely different depending on who makes it. There are many arguments on whether the recipe should be thickened with a roux or with gumbo file. File is a powder consisting of dried sassafras leaves. It can be a thickening agent or a flavor garnish before serving the gumbo.
You can extract the most flavor using a roux, gumbo, and okra. After all, one of the many definitions for Gumbo is, in fact, okra. Regardless of how you make this, it’s a time labor of love, much like my Cajun chicken pasta and if you follow the procedures closely, the flavors and results are fantastic.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Chicken – I prefer a whole chicken to use the meat and make chicken stock.
- Trinity – In classic creole and Cajun cooking, the trinity is a must which consists of onions, bell peppers, and celery.
- Sausage – Use a good andouille sausage.
- Oil – Vegetable oil is the traditional fat to use.
- Garlic – A few garlic cloves will go a long way toward the gumbo flavor.
- Flour – All-purpose flour is what you will need to make the roux.
- Seasonings – You will need to use a Cajun seasoning, whether a homemade or store-bought. You will also need a few bay leaves.
- Okra – Fresh sliced or frozen sliced will work.
How to Make Gumbo
Add the whole chicken to a large pot, cover it with 1 gallon of water, and simmer on low to medium heat for 75 to 90 minutes or until the chicken is thoroughly cooked.
In the meantime, add some oil to a large pot over medium heat and sauté the sausage slices for 5 to 6 minutes or until they have sear marks. Set them aside in a bowl or on a plate.
Add the onions to the pot and cook over low heat until very well caramelized, which usually takes 45 to 60 minutes.
Next, add the celery and bell peppers, and sauté over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes or until the vegetables are a little brown and tender.
Stir in the garlic and cook until it’s fragrant, which takes 45 to 60 seconds.
Set the sauteed vegetables to the side on a plate or in a bowl and then return the pot to the burner but do not turn the heat on just yet.
Go Back to the pot with the chicken, carefully remove it, and set it to the side on a large plate. Cool it slightly.
Strain the chicken stock through a chinois or fine-mesh strainer.
Return the chicken stock to the cooktop and keep it warm over low heat.
Remove the skin from the cooked whole chicken, and then remove as much meat as possible from the breasts, wings, thighs, and drums.
Roughly chop the pulled chicken and set it to the side.
Next, go back to the pot where the trinity vegetables were cooked and add in the oil over low to medium heat and heat for 2 to 3 minutes.
Slowly sprinkle in the flour while continuing to whisk until combined.
Frequently whisk or stir the roux in the pot until it reaches the dark roux stage. It should be the color of a dark penny. This will take around 30 minutes to achieve.
Pour back in the cooked vegetables and stir until combined.
Sprinkle in the Cajun seasonings and stir to combine.
Pour 2 to 3 ladles of warm chicken stock into the pot and mix it with the vegetables, spices, and roux until it becomes dark and creamy.
Now pour all the chicken stock, the roughly chopped chicken, and the seared sausage slices.
Next, add the bay leaves and sliced okra and stir it well.
Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat to help activate the roux to help thicken the stock.
Once boiling, turn the heat down to low medium, and cook it on a lid for 1 hour.
Adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper. Serve, store, or keep it warm over low heat.
How to Serve Gumbo
Traditionally gumbo is served with cooked long-grain rice. However, if you do some digging, you will find there are several areas in Louisiana that serve it with potato salad on the side or right in the center of your gumbo bowl.
Additionally, there are variations where you can add some hard-boiled eggs to the gumbo right after the boil and then simmer it alongside everything else. The egg will take on some incredible flavors and help stretch the recipe’s amount.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: You can make this gumbo up to 1 day ahead of time. Follow the reheating instructions below.
How to Store: You can store this covered in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days. This will also freeze covered for up to 6 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating and serving.
How to Reheat: Add the desired amount of gumbo to a medium-sized saucepot and cook over low heat until hot. Adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper and serve.
Chef Notes + Tips
- If you can’t find andouille sausage, try, and use a good smoked sausage.
- When making the stock, you can add any vegetable scraps if it’s not bell peppers.
- If you aren’t pressed for time, you can simmer the gumbo for an additional hour.
- This soup will get better with time.
More Soup Recipes
Video
Authentic Cajun Gumbo Recipe
Ingredients
- pound Whole chicken
- 1 gallon water
- 2 large peeled small diced yellow onions
- 1 ½ pounds andouille sausage cut into ¼” thick slices
- ¾ cup vegetable oil + 3 tablespoons
- 4 ribs small diced celery
- 1 seeded and small diced red bell pepper
- 1 seeded and small diced green bell pepper
- 5 finely minced cloves of garlic
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons Cajun seasonings
- 2 bay leaves
- 1- pound thick cut sliced fresh or frozen Okra
- gumbo file for garnish
- cooked long grain rice for garnish
- optional potato salad for garnish
- sea salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the whole chicken to a large pot and cover it with 1 gallon of water and simmer on low to medium heat for 75 to 90 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked.
- In the meantime, add some 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil to a large pot over medium heat and sauté the sausage slices for 5 to 6 minutes, or until they have sear marks. Set them aside in a bowl or on a plate.
- Add the onions to the pot and cook over low heat until very well caramelized, which usually takes 45 to 60 minutes.
- Next, add the celery and bell peppers and sauté over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes or until the vegetables are a little brown and tender.
- Stir in the garlic and cook just until it’s fragrant, which takes 45 to 60 seconds.
- Set the sauteed vegetables to the side on a plate or in a bowl and then return the pot to the burner but do not turn the heat on just yet.
- Go Back to the pot with chicken and carefully remove the chicken and set it to the side on a large plate. Cool it slightly.
- Strain the chicken stock through a chinois or fine-mesh strainer. Return the chicken stock to the cooktop and keep it warm over low heat.
- Remove the skin from the cooked whole chicken and then remove as much meat as possible from the breasts, wings, thighs, and drums. Roughly chop the pulled chicken and set it to the side.
- Next, go back to the pot where the trinity vegetables were cooked and add in the oil over low to medium heat and heat for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Slowly sprinkle in the flour while continuing to whisk until combined.
- Frequently whisk or stir the roux in the pot until it reaches the dark roux stage. It should be the color of a dark penny. This will take around 30 minutes to achieve.
- Add back in the cooked vegetables and stir until combined. Sprinkle in the Cajun seasonings and stir to combine.
- Pour in 2 to 3 ladles of warm chicken stock into the pot and mix it with the vegetables, spices, and roux until it becomes dark and creamy.
- Now pour in all the chicken stock along with the roughly chopped chicken and seared sausage slices. Next, add in the bay leaves and sliced okra and stir it well.
- Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat to help activate the roux to help thicken the stock. Once boiling, turn the heat down to low medium and on a lid and cook it for 1 hour.
- Adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper. Serve, store, or keep it warm over low heat
Southern Louisiana Cajun lady here.I’ve been making gumbo for the last 50 yrs.I agree with others that this is a good recipe. Glad you added the potato salad with it!It’s a must! And you are so correct.It only gets better after refrigerated.😊 Keep those good recipes coming Chef!
One thing I’ve learned about gumbo over the years is that everyone has their own version, but only theirs is correct 🤣
This is such a winner of a gumbo! Perfect meal for this sub-zero weather here in Denver right now. Followed the recipe to the letter, which means it took a looong time! It’s worth the time specified here to carmelize the onions and develop the depth in the roux. I’ve made much simpler gumbo in the past but this one is by far the best. The only thing I’ll change next time is to eliminate the okra. Probably sacrilege if your a Cajun, but I’m not, and therefore don’t care for the bit of “slime” it adds to the dish. Thank you, Billy!
If your okra was slimy, it wasn’t cooked enough. I like the flavor, color, and heft that well-cooked okra adds. I cook it for the 45-50 minutes with the onions. Or no okra–lots of people do it like that.
Cajun here. Not sacrilege to eliminate the okra. My mom & I are the only ones who like okra in our family, so our gumbo never includes it. She will, though, smother some okra in onion, garlic & tomato, cooking it way down, thus eliminating most of the “slime” and she serves it on the side so we can add it to our own bowls.
Fabulous about to thank you ChefBilly tasty for sure 😁😋🤩😍
Thank you kindly ChefBill
Thank you Chef Billy love learning new foods fantastic 😁😋🤩
Thankyou Chef Billy loving this also 😁😋🤩
Thank you ChefBilly fabulous tasty recipe 😁😋👋
Thank you ChefBilly tasty recipe 😁😋
Fabulous recipe wow😋thank you so ChefBilly😁😋🤩👋
Oh wow 🤩 😁🤩thank you ChefBilly shall do tasty 😋