Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 12 oz. fully-cooked chicken andouille sausage cut lengthwise and sliced into 1/4″ half circles
- 1/2 tsp. Cajun seasoning approximate measurement
- 1 green bell pepper diced
- 4 ribs celery diced
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 6–8 green onions sliced thin
- 1/4 c. chopped parsley
- 4 cloves garlic minced or crushed
- 1/4 c. olive oil
- 1/3 c. all purpose flour
- 4 c. chicken broth
- 2 c. hot water
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper or to taste
- gumbo filé powder optional
- 4 c. cooked white rice
Instructions
- Spray a large dutch oven with cooking spray, and heat over medium-high heat.
- Sprinkle both sides of chicken breasts with Cajun seasoning, and arrange on one side of the pan. Place the sliced sausage on the other side. (If all your meat can’t fit in your pan at once, you can do the sausage first, then chicken.) While your meat is cooking, dice your vegetables. Cook chicken for about 5 minutes per side, and stir sausage occasionally for even browning. Transfer cooked meat to a bowl and set aside. (It’s OK if the chicken isn’t completely cooked through at this point.)
- Your pan will likely be left with lots of brown bits from the meat, and that is OK. Turn the heat down to medium, and add flour and oil. Stir together until smooth, and keep stirring constantly as this roux cooks. Cook until it smells a bit like popcorn and is the color of peanut butter or a tad darker, 5-7 minutes.
- Stir in diced onion, bell pepper, and celery until coated with roux. Cover and cook, stirring often, until vegetables are tender, 10-12 minutes. Stir in green onions, parsley, and garlic, and cook 3 minutes longer. (Some flour will stick to the pan and look a bit burned during this step. Do not even worry. That will be incorporated into the gumbo and add wonderful flavor.) While your vegetables are cooking, shred your chicken. Now is also a good time to start the rice cooking.
- Add chicken broth, about 1/2 c. at a time, stirring until the mixture is smooth before adding more. Scrape the bottom of the pan as you stir to loosen the browned bits from earlier steps. Add water, salt, cayenne, sausage, and shredded chicken. Increase heat to medium high, and bring to a boil. Cook at a low boil for for at least 10 minutes before serving.
- To serve, place about 1/2 c. rice in each bowl, and ladle gumbo over the rice. Sprinkle about 1/4 tsp. of gumbo filé powder over each serving, to be stirred in before eating.
Notes
Gumbo filé powder is ground sassafras leaves. It is traditionally added to gumbo to add flavor and thicken the soup. If you can not find it in your area, you will still love this recipe without it!
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 45
- Category: Main Dish
- Cuisine: Cajun