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, 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 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
- French Onion Soup
- Clam Chowder
- Broccoli Cheddar
- Scotch Broth
- Avgolemono
Video
Save
Authentic Cajun Gumbo Recipe
5 from 28 votes
You'll love this delicious authentic Gumbo recipe jam-packed with chicken, andouille sausage, and okra in a homemade chicken stock.
Servings: 10
Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 3 hours hours 5 minutes minutes
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
Notes
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.
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.
Nutrition
Calories: 449kcalCarbohydrates: 19gProtein: 16gFat: 35gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 13gMonounsaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 59mgSodium: 592mgPotassium: 539mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 1532IUVitamin C: 38mgCalcium: 76mgIron: 2mg
Course: Main Course, Soup
Cuisine: cajun, southern
Author: Chef Billy Parisi
Elevate Your Every Day Cooking
Get Chef Billy’s go-to tips that transform “blah” into “brilliant” plus weekly newsletter!
Add a comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
52 comments
- Sandy
Made this tonight. Well worth the time. Everyone loved it.
- Reply
- Susan Riedel
I have always used butter as the fat, but Chef Billy says no. Why is that? I am not one to ever doubt Billy. He is always spot on.
- Reply
You can use butter as the fat
- Reply
- Linda
My first gumbo, and I had a rosemary pork roast to shred instead of chicken…I am over the top with this delicious recipe! So proud to serve it…that roux makes the flavor everything I love about gumbo! Our local meat market had cajun andouille sausage, so it just popped the flavor even more! Keeping this recipe!!! thank you!
- Reply
my pleasure! Great job on making it work for you.
- Reply
- Sharon Gautreaux
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!
- Reply
One thing I’ve learned about gumbo over the years is that everyone has their own version, but only theirs is correct 🤣
- Reply
- Steve Gil
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!
- Reply
- Nikki
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.
- Reply
- sue 😁
Fabulous about to thank you ChefBilly tasty for sure 😁😋🤩😍
- Reply
- sue 😁
Thank you kindly ChefBill
- Reply
- sue 😁
Thank you Chef Billy love learning new foods fantastic 😁😋🤩
- Reply
- sue😁
Thankyou Chef Billy loving this also 😁😋🤩
- Reply
- sue 😁
Thank you ChefBilly fabulous tasty recipe 😁😋👋
- Reply
- sue😁
Thank you ChefBilly tasty recipe 😁😋
- Reply
- sue 😁
Fabulous recipe wow😋thank you so ChefBilly😁😋🤩👋
- Reply
- sue 😁
Oh wow 🤩 😁🤩thank you ChefBilly shall do tasty 😋
- Reply
- Rosalind White
South Louisiana native here! I must say chef did an awesome job!!! Keep up the great work!
- Reply
- Cherie Tom and Cherie
Made this tonight. It was delicious!!! I used your Cajun spice recipe too. I loved it and doubled the amount of spice So yummy. Thanks for the recipe.
- Reply
- Chef Billy Parisi
Thank you!
- Reply
- Evelyn Risse
I think he needs to edit the recipe. Time on caramelizing onions should not take that long. There is another suspicious spot but I’d like him to look it all over & correct if needed.
- Reply
It’s correct and when properly done that’s how long it should take.
- Reply
- sue
Thank you ChefBilly for your recipes so tasty 😁😋🤩👋
- Reply
- Chef Billy Parisi
Appreciate you for trying this recipe!
- Reply
- Adam Ahrens
Amazing!
- Reply
many thanks!
- Reply
- Josephine
Hands down. Delicious 👌
- Reply
- Ray
Nailed It ! I have 122 of your recipes and have made almost 100 of them, You sure don’t disappoint. Your recipes are the BOMB, they just keep getting better if that’s at all possible. Keep em coming CHEF your the Best!!! Hope to meet you in person one day.
- Reply
- Jerry E Raley
Made this with just smoked sausage and was super delicious 😋.
- Reply
amazing!
- Reply
- Lauren
This is always either hiding in the fridge as leftovers, or there’s a batch in the freezer. DE-LICIOUS. Take a while but 100% worth the time.
- Reply
so good!!
- Reply
- Gary William Kinard
My wife and I took the time to make this dish according to the recipe. EeMy wife, in my opinion, makes the best potato salad, and her’s works incredibly well as a side. Thank you for your videos.
- Reply
- Cindi
My roux did not turn dark. I stirred it for 35 minutes. What did I do wrong?
- Reply
heat too low?
- Reply
- Linda
keep going…you were almost there.. mine took 45
- Reply
- Angee Hughes
Although I cook mine a tad differently, and don’t use okra (unless it’s an shrimp & okra gumbo), this is the gist of most Cajuns’ ingredients. We all have our own tweaks, as anyone does. I, for example, use almost exclusively Rabideaux’s smoked sausage…love the smokiness and the fact that the texture isn’t mush. Thanks for another great recipe, and for doing a gumbo right! (Don’t forget to put a scoop of potato salad in the bowl with the rice before you ladle the gumbo over all of it!😉)
- Reply
- Melinda
Born and raised in South Louisiana. This is legit! This is the video I send all my out of state friends when they ask “how did you make this gumbo”. I do add that even us Cajuns buy store bought roux in a jar from time to time. ❤️😂
Well done, Chef!- Reply
I appreciate that!
- Reply
- Maui Maggie
You’ve become my go-to recipe reference. Everything just “works.” Beautifully done.
- Reply
I appreciate that.
- Reply
- Bob
Really enjoyed this recipe. Consider using pasilla or poblano peppers instead of the green bell pepper and – if you have enough stock – cook the rice in it.
- Reply
Nice swap out!
- Reply
- Brian
Billy,
Try using an equivalent amount of bacon grease instead of vegetable oil – for the sauté as well as for the roux. The flavor is noticeable, but more subtle than you might imagine.
I don’t do my gumbo quite the same as yours, pretty close, but will incorporate what you’re doing with the way I do it. Can’t wait to try it.
- Reply
- Cristina
So 45 minutes to 1 hour to cook the onions?
- Reply
Correct
- Reply
- Linda Robinson
I cooked this recipe today and it turned out great!!! I think the hardest part was making the roux. The two of us took turns mixing it.
Thank you so much for the recipe and the easy to follow video/directions.
- Reply
- Ed
As someone from SWLA, you nailed this. The ONLY thing I would add is the potato salad should have some mustard in it.
- Reply
Thanks. The potato salad does have mustard in it 🙂
- Reply
- Carol B
This was totally fun to watch you make! You’ve convinced me to try the potato salad and egg with it! I couldn’t tell when you dished it up, how thick is it supposed to be? Is the thickness from the roux?
- Reply
