Andouille Sausage-Chicken Gumbo

This authentic andouille sausage-chicken gumbo is made with a traditional roux and full of rich, flavorful spices that you can customize to your own heat preference. Plus, this recipe makes a huge batch of gumbo that freezes beautifully.

Given my Houston roots, I grew up eating lots of gumbo. Houston is so close to Louisiana that Cajun cooking hugely influences the food scene. Plus, my college years were filled with plenty of weekend trips to New Orleans, which is full of amazing gumbo. With all that gumbo-eating experience, I know a good gumbo, and I promise you this andouille sausage-chicken gumbo is legit.

Matt, however, did not grow up in gumbo land. I still feel sad that he missed out on so many years of enjoying gumbo, but I remember how excited I was to introduce him to this delicious dish. My gumbo instantly hooked Matt --- so much so that when he eventually visited New Orleans for a work trip, he made a point to try as much gumbo as possible to see how it compared.

The verdict? This andouille sausage-chicken gumbo recipe is every bit as good as what you'll get in New Orleans. I know you might think, "Well, he's your husband. Of course, he'd say that." But Matt is a terrible liar. I didn't know he put himself on this self-imposed mission, and if he didn't think this gumbo was just as tasty as the New Orleans fare, he wouldn't have brought it up. True, true.

Seriously, Matt gets downright giddy when I make a batch of gumbo. This andouille sausage-chicken gumbo recipe is one of our absolute favorite recipes, so I'm extra excited to share it. Let's get to it.

How Long Does It Take to Make Gumbo?

Before we get started, I want to be clear that making an authentic roux-based gumbo is a time-consuming process. The flavor basis of a good gumbo is all in the roux, which is a cooked mixture of fat and flour. While we can cook a roux to many different color stages, we want a dark roux for the best flavor and complexity. Turning a roux into a deep, chocolate-like color simply takes time.

But that doesn't have to be a bad thing. We're all in such a rush these days, and there's nothing more relaxing than leisurely making a home-cooked meal. Take a little time for yourself and enjoy the process. Plus, this recipe makes a huge batch of gumbo, and it freezes beautifully.

Oven Roux Versus Traditional Roux

OK, now that you cleared your schedule, let's make some gumbo. To make the roux, you have two options. One is to stand over the stove and whisk the fat and flour constantly for about an hour. That's the traditional stove-top roux method.

The other is the oven roux method. With the oven roux method, you let the roux cook uncovered and whisk every 20 minutes. Although the oven roux method takes longer --- about an hour and a half to two hours --- you're free to brown the meat, chop vegetables or hang out on the couch with a little Netflix. Both methods result in a delicious gumbo, but I much prefer the oven roux method. Even if it takes longer, I like the freedom the oven roux method gives me.

As far as the fat for the roux, I like to use a combination of bacon fat and canola oil. Whenever I cook bacon, I always pour off the fat into a storage container and keep it refrigerated. Bacon fat is delicious for cooking, so it's nice to have some on hand. If you don't have bacon fat, you could always fry up some bacon or replace it with more oil, but I love the depth of flavor it gives.

How to Make Andouille Sausage-Chicken Gumbo

Along with the roux, we remove the skin from bone-in chicken thighs, dust them with Cajun seasoning and brown. I definitely recommend using bone-in thighs as opposed to boneless. The bones add great flavor to the broth, and shredding the meat off the bone only takes about five minutes or so. If we're already spending the time to make a proper roux, we might as well spend an extra few minutes to create the best broth flavor, right? Right.

If you'd like, you can also brown the andouille sausage. Browning the sausage gives it a crust for a nice texture contrast while skipping the browning makes for a more tender bite. I do it both ways, depending on how the mood strikes. This step is ultimately up to you.

Once we make our roux and brown the meat, we're ready to cook our onion, celery and green bell pepper --- also known as the Cajun Holy Trinity. Now we add some garlic, chicken stock, more Cajun seasoning, some bay leaves, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce.

If you have a homemade chicken stock, great. You're on top of it. However, if you don't, I highly recommend using Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base for your stock. I use Better Than Bouillon in a lot in my cooking, and it's by far the most flavorful stock you can get at the store if you don't have a homemade stock on hand. In case it's helpful, I included a link below, though it's widely available at your typical grocery store.

For the Cajun seasoning, you can use your favorite store-bought brand, but I highly recommend making your own and have just the recipe. You most likely already have the ingredients in your pantry, it only takes a few minutes to mix together, the flavor is much richer, and you don't have to worry about any weird additives. I think I made my case.

Oh, and if you need a good hot sauce recommendation, I love Louisiana Hot Sauce with Cajun food. This hot sauce has a vinegary bite, and I love how the acidity adds a touch of brightness.

What's File Powder?

We now let our gumbo simmer for about an hour. After the gumbo simmers, we shred the chicken as mentioned earlier and finish the gumbo with plenty of fresh parsley and file powder, which are ground leaves from sassafras trees. File powder is an essential ingredient that gives this gumbo a distinctive taste and mouthfeel, so don't skip this. Your gumbo will not be the same without file powder.

Fortunately, I've seen file powder make its way onto more shelves these days --- even in Denver, which isn't exactly known for Cajun cooking. And if you can't find it, that's why we have Amazon, so I included a link below. Please, please, please don't skip the file powder. I beg of you.

Our gumbo is now done! I like to refrigerate it overnight to give the flavors time to meld, but it's still plenty delicious fresh off the pot. Serve it with fluffy white rice and get ready for one incredible meal.

Perfect Pairing

Beer is my favorite gumbo pairing, and I have two recommendations: a crisp pilsner or a bold doppelbock. With a pilsner, you get the ultimate palate cleanser, which I always love with spicy food. To me, a pilsner really allows the deep, rich flavors and spice to shine because each bite hits like a new experience. A doppelbock is also great because its body is big enough to hold up to the thick gumbo, and the subtle sweetness from the malt contrasts the spices nicely.

If you're hankering for a glass of wine, a pinot noir is a perfect option. We want something low in tannins, and the fruit offers a nice contrast against the spice. Plus, those herbal, earthy flavors are straight-up delightful with the file powder.

I hope you carve out some time for yourself to make this incredible andouille sausage-chicken gumbo. Trust me. You'll love taking the time for yourself to make a leisurely meal, and you'll be rewarded with a seriously delicious gumbo. Please let me know how you enjoyed this andouille sausage-chicken gumbo recipe in the comment section and don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter. You can also catch me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and Twitter.

Cheers!

In Need of More Cajun and Creole Dishes?

• Summer shrimp etouffee
• Shrimp and crab gumbo
• Instant Pot red beans and rice

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