Gumbo Recipe

The official state cuisine of the state of Louisiana, gumbo features the goodness of meat, seafood, chicken and veggies. Every good cook in the state has their own version of this delicious dish, but we are certain that our recipe will be a great one to add to the soup file in your recipe box. Most gumbo recipes feature meat in a delicious broth cooked for a long time and served over a bed of rice.

However,  different styles of gumbo exist in the state. The New Orleans style gumbo features a dark roux that thickens the broth and adds color and flavor to it. Frequently, New Orleans gumbo includes tomatoes.

Creole gumbo uses a dark roux but does not include tomatoes and adds shellfish, like crawfish or shrimp, and chicken.

Table of Contents Show

Gumbo Recipe

Equipment

Ingredients 1x2x3x

Instructions

Notes

Gumbo Recipe

Our recipe gives you two options for creating gumbo. You can make it in the traditional way, by cooking it on low heat in a tightly lidded Dutch oven. Alternatively, you can make it in a slow cooker.

The latter is quite practical if you have things to do all day and you won’t be around to check that your gumbo isn’t scorching on the stove top. Either way, this recipe will be amazing!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Add to Collection Go to Collections

Prep Time 30 mins

Cook Time 6 hrs

Cuisine American

Servings 8 servings

Equipment

• Skillet
• tablespoons 
• stirrer
• Knife
• Slow Cooker
• Oven
• Wire whisk
• Pot
• Bowl

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 piece green bell pepper diced
• 1 piece onion diced
• 15 oz tomatoes diced
• 4 pieces boneless skinless chicken tenders
• 1 pack smoked sausage sliced
• 1 lb frozen shrimp
• 1 tsp Creole seasoning
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 tsp minced garlic
• Cooking oil
• 2 cups cooked rice for serving
• 4 tbsp butter
• ¼ cup flour

Instructions

 

•  In a large, heavy bottomed skillet, heat 2 to 3 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Add the sliced smoked sausage and cook it for about five to ten minutes, stirring and flipping the slices so that the sausage rounds are fully browned and fragrant. Remove the sausage to a slow cooker or a large Dutch oven.
  
• To the oil that remains in the skillet, add the onion, bell pepper, and celery, cooking them all together for about 5 minutes at medium heat, stirring frequently. At this point, the onion should be lightly browned and the celery and bell pepper should be soft. Scoop out the veggies and place them with the sausage in the Dutch oven or slow cooker.
  
• To the slow cooker or Dutch oven, add the tomatoes, raw chicken, Creole seasoning, salt, thyme, chicken broth, and minced garlic.
  
• Now you will make a roux to add flavor, color, and thickness to the broth. Using the same skillet that you used to brown the sausage and cook the veggies, melt the butter. When the butter is completely melted and bubbly, add the flour and use a wire whisk to incorporate it, whisking away any lumps.
• Cook the roux over medium heat, whisking frequently. The sauce will turn light brown, then golden brown. Finally, it will turn a dark brown. At this point, take the roux off the heat and stir it into the pot containing the other ingredients.
  
• Do not add the shrimp to the pot. You will add that when it is time to serve the Gumbo.
  
• Put the lid on the pot or the slow cooker. If you are using a Dutch oven, place the pot on the stove over low heat and cook it at a slow, low simmer for about 2 or 3 hours. Check on the Gumbo from time to time as you cook it, stirring it, scraping the bottom of the pot and making sure that it isn’t scorching. If you need to add extra broth or water to the pot, you should do so.
  
• If you are using a slow cooker, you can cook it on high for 4 to 6 hours or on low for 6 to 8 hours.
• Right before you are going to serve the gumbo, you will add the shrimp. If you’re using a Dutch oven, turn up the heat under the pot a bit and add the frozen shrimp. Simmer the shrimp for about 5 minutes.
• If you are using a slow cooker, add the shrimp in the last half hour of cooking time, turning the heat on the slow cooker up to high.
• To serve the gumbo, put a bed of cooked rice in a bowl and top it with a ladle full of the gumbo.
  
• Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.

Notes

Both versions of gumbo depend on the “holy trinity” of Louisiana cooking. This name is given to a combination of diced onion, celery, and bell peppers that are sautéed and cooked down before being added to the gumbo. Often, both styles of gumbo include sausage or ham.

Gumbo simmers for at least three hours to allow the flavors of the veggies, meats and seasonings to meld.  Typically, gumbo is served over a bed of rice and eaten with a spoon, soup style. Gumbo may or may not include okra, and some recipes add something called “file’ ” powder.

This thickening powder is made from dried and ground sassafras leaves. Our recipe gives you two options for creating gumbo. You can make it in the traditional way, by cooking it on low heat in a tightly lidded Dutch oven.

Alternatively, you can make it in a slow cooker. The latter is quite practical if you have things to do all day and you won’t be around to check that your gumbo isn’t scorching on the stove top. Either way, this recipe will be amazing!

Keyword Gumbo

All Recipes | Breakfast | Dinner (Mains) | Dessert | Side Dishes | Soups | Appetizers | Salads | Snacks | Beverages | Breads

See More RecipesClick Here for All Our Recipes

Related: Gumbo Recipes (All Types)