Chicken & Sausage Gumbo Recipe

Prepare ingredients

Trim fat from sausage if needed and slice into 1/4-inch rounds. Pat chicken thighs dry and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Dice onion, bell pepper, and celery (the 'holy trinity'). Mince garlic. Measure out spices, stock, and other liquids.

Brown the sausage and chicken

In a heavy large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Add the sliced andouille sausage and cook 3–4 minutes until browned and some fat renders. Transfer sausage to a plate. In the same pot, add the chicken pieces (in a single layer if possible) and sear 3–4 minutes just until lightly browned; they will finish cooking in the gumbo. Transfer chicken to the plate with the sausage and set aside.

Make the roux

Reduce heat to medium-low. Add the remaining vegetable oil (about 11 tablespoons) to the now-empty pot. Sprinkle in the flour and whisk constantly. Cook the flour and oil mixture, stirring regularly and scraping the bottom, until it becomes a deep brown color (mahogany), about 20–25 minutes. Watch carefully to prevent burning; adjust heat lower if it is browning too quickly. This flavored roux is the base of the gumbo.

Add aromatic vegetables

When the roux reaches a deep brown color, quickly stir in the diced onion, bell pepper, and celery. Sauté in the roux for 5–7 minutes until softened and fragrant. Stir in the minced garlic and cook 30–60 seconds more, until aromatic.

Deglaze and build the gumbo

Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute. Slowly pour in 2 cups of the chicken stock while scraping the bottom to deglaze and loosen any browned bits. Whisk until the roux and stock are combined and smooth. Add the remaining stock, the browned sausage and chicken (and any accumulated juices), bay leaves, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, thyme, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper. Bring the pot to a gentle simmer.

Simmer

Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 30–40 minutes, stirring occasionally. The chicken should be tender and the flavors melded. If the gumbo is too thick, add up to 1 cup more stock or water to reach desired consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more salt, pepper, or hot sauce as desired.

Finish with file powder (optional)

If using file powder, remove the gumbo from heat and stir in the file powder (about 1 tsp). Let sit 3–5 minutes before serving — do not boil after adding file powder or it will become stringy.

Ladle hot gumbo over cooked white rice (about 1 cup rice per serving). Sprinkle chopped parsley and thinly sliced green onions on top. Serve with lemon wedges and extra hot sauce at the table.