Gumbo Recipe
Spice up your weeknight meals with the best gumbo recipe in town! This chicken, sausage, and seafood stew is bursting with authentic Cajun flavors from Creole seasoning, paprika, and gumbo filé. And the richly flavored broth and roux make every spoonful simply delicious and comforting.
If you’re looking for the best Louisiana gumbo recipe, then you’ve come to the right place. (Ahem!) Many years of trial and error have finally led this gumbo lover to the perfect recipe. And now, I can proudly share this recipe with you. Not to brag, but this gumbo will surely be your new favorite!
Cajun vs. Creole Gumbo
The debate rages on among the purists. However, I’m not a purist, so for me, it’s all good. The simple difference is the tomatoes. Creole cuisine goes for the tomatoes, and Cajun does not. Cajun roux tends to be darker than the Creole.
However, the similarities are unifying. The holy trinity, bell pepper, celery, and onion, provides the authentic flavor, and a roux thickens it. So, adapt it to your tastes and call it your own.
How to Make Gumbo
- Season the chicken and sear it in a hot pan. Set aside, and brown the sausage. Set aside, and make the roux.
- Add the holy trinity, stir well, then add the broth. Add the chicken and sausage, then add the seafood and simmer until the shrimp are done. Add tomatoes if desired. Adjust the gumbo to your desired consistency.
Recipe Tips and Twists
- For a Cajun gumbo, leave out the tomatoes and make the roux a little darker.
- Throw a flame-throwing party with scotch bonnets, serrano peppers, jalapenos, or habaneros. Or a dash of cayenne adds a kick of heat that’s not too overpowering.
- Enjoy a plant-based gumbo with vegan meat substitutes, mushrooms, and cauliflower.
- If using okra to thicken the soup base, chop the okra and add it to your gumbo 10 minutes before it’s done.
Make-Ahead and Leftovers
Gumbo (and most tomato-based dishes) tastes even better the next day. So, if you want to save time before the big event, cook the gumbo the day before, and wait for reheating time to add the crab legs and shrimp. Heat it up, and add the seafood when you’re ready to serve. Relax and enjoy!
Transfer cooled, leftover gumbo into an airtight container or ziplock bag. It will last in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for 3-4 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, and heat it up in a saucepan for a quick weeknight dinner.
What Goes Well With Gumbo
A bowl of steaming hot rice and a loaf of crusty French bread is a must, but it also goes great with mashed potatoes if you’re grain-free. A potato salad and cornbread are also tasty sides for gumbo.
More Comforting Soul Food Recipes to Try
Watch How to Make It
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This post was first published in January 2014 and has been updated with additional tips, beautiful new photos, and a video.
Gumbo Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (900g) skinless chicken thighs
- salt and pepper to taste (see notes)
- 1 tablespoon (12g) Creole seasoning or to taste
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) canola oil
- 8 ounces (250g) smoked sausage (andouille, kielbasa, and Polish sausage work well)
- ¼ cup (60g) unsalted butter
- ½ cup (60g) flour
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 teaspoons (10g) minced garlic
- 1 medium green bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup (120g) chopped celery (about 3 stalks)
- ½ pound (250g) crab legs
- 1 tablespoon (12g) Creole seasoning
- 1 tablespoon (10g) chicken bouillon powder (1 cube)
- ½ tablespoon (4-5g) smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon (6g) thyme (fresh or dried)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 14-ounce can tomatoes, chopped (optional)
- 6 cups (1.5l) chicken stock (or 6 cups water and 6 teaspoons of bouillon)
- 1 pound (450g) shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 tablespoon (6g) gumbo filé
- 2 green onions, chopped
- ¼ cup (15g) chopped parsley
Instructions
- Lightly season the chicken with salt, pepper, and Creole seasoning.
- Heat the oil over medium heat in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven. Then cook the chicken until browned on both sides, remove it, and set it aside.
- Brown the sausage, and set it aside.
- Melt the butter with the oil in the same pan, then sprinkle in the flour and stir until smooth.
- Cook on medium heat, stirring continuously, for about 20-30 minutes or until it turns a rich dark brown color, just like chocolate. Please don't walk away from the stove during this process, or it could burn. The time it takes is so worth it.
- When you have achieved your desired color, remove the Dutch oven from the heat and let it cool slightly.
- Return it to the heat. Add the onion, garlic, green pepper, and celery, and cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Then add chicken, sausage, crab legs, Creole seasoning, chicken bouillon or cubes, paprika, thyme, and bay leaves, and let it cook for 5 minutes.
- Follow with the tomatoes (if using) and about 6 cups of chicken stock, then bring to a boil and simmer for 45-50 minutes. After that, add the shrimp and simmer for 5 more minutes.
- Stir in filé powder, green onions, and parsley. Adjust the soup's thickness and flavor to preferences.
Tips & Notes:
- The standard for salting to taste is ¾-1 teaspoon per pound of meat. If you are on a low-salt diet, start with ½ teaspoon or less and do a taste test after making the sauce to see if it needs more. You should taste all the wonderful spices, not the salt.
- There is no shortcut to a good roux. Take your time and cook your flour-fat mixture until it’s beautifully dark and smooth. Keep your eye on the roux and stir continuously when cooking it because it burns quickly. If available, use a wooden spoon to mix your roux.
- Creole and Cajun seasonings are similar, and they work interchangeably in this recipe. If the sauce tastes bland, add more.
- If using okra to thicken the soup base, chop the okra and add it to your gumbo 10 minutes before it’s done.
- Please keep in mind that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
Do you have a cookbook?
Not at the moment. Definitely by the end of the year.
It’s the end of the year….cookbook? Lol. Trying this gumbo Wednesday night!
Oh my! LIFE! It got to me. Just couldn’t bring myself to accomplish this. Keeping my fingers crossed for 2018. Happy Cooking !
Wishing you all the best of 2018.
My only comment is….there is no mention of chicken stock as part of the ingredients needed. Had to go back out to get it. Once I got to the part where is says add 6 cups. 🙁
So sorry about the confusion . Hope you enjoyed it .
This gumbo looks so good! I’m definitely going to try it. Do you shred the chicken or leave it whole?
I leave it whole. At the end the chicken is falling apart- depending on the size of chicken.
I am drooling at this gumbo. I need to make this soon.
You are going to love it chi-chi!!!
Hello. Got all the ingredients but couldn’t find the gumbo file. But from reading the comment and your responses you said sub with okra. No one in my household don’t like orkra. So what can I do if I don’t have either one.
Just make the gumbo without the file. If you are including everything else it’s still going to be fabulous!
Happy Holidays!!!
Ok. Thanks.
Thanks for clarifying that your recipe is for Gumbo Filé and not a straight gumbo. The powdered sassafras leaves give it a distinctive flavor and texture. I keep some on hand for times that I wish to make the variation. In my house, and for my money, if a gumbo doesn’t have okra and a roux – it isn’t gumbo. It’s just a soup or stew.
Thanks for taking the time to share with us.
Do you cook or steam the crab legs first before you add or do you just add them uncooked?
Also, why do you have to let the roo cool?
So everything should be at the same temperature. Not a Biggie though. It works just fine without letting it cool.
I just add them. No steaming required.
I want to try this, my family is from Louisiana, and it’s hard to get that gumbo that I’m used to, the real deal, this seems pretty close, minus the tomatoes. Anyway, my question is- since we don’t like the crab, and only because it requires wrk breaking through the shell for the meat. I was thinking of real lump crab meat (not the canned stuff) instead. So by using that, would I still need to add it in at the last minute, or can it cook along with the other ingredients?
Thanks
Hi Michelle! Add it at the last minute- about 5 minutes towards the end.
This gumbo was delicious!! Even my extremely picky husband said it was good. This was my 4th recipe and I haven’t been disappointed yet. I am trying 2 more tonight. I am looking forward to it.
Thank you so much for sharing your recipes.
This was Sooooooooo delicious! I made it twice in two weeks! I added scallops and it was a hit! Thanks for sharing!
My pleasure! Nice touch with the scallops.
Did you com the scallops first before you added them? I love this recipe and I think scallops would be great in it!
I did not use scallops here. If using scallops I would add it at the very end- about 3-4 minutes , before turning the stove off.
Is gumbo traditionally served with gritz or rice and is meant to be spicy with the creole seasoning?
It’s traditionally served with rice. And it’s slightly spicy . Not overwhelmingly hot. Served with rice you can barely feel the heat.
I love this dish ,not only is it delicious it also healthy. Thanks Imma
Imma, I just bought the ingredients that I didn’t have for this gumbo today. Couldn’t find the file powder so will try World Market tomorrow. Can’t wait to make this, it’s going to be my weekend project. Looks yummy in the pictures. Thanks in advance, I love gumbo and this sounds just wonderful!
Hi Nina! Hope you found the gumbo powder. It truly is packed with flavor . You are definitely going to enjoy it. Happy Cooking!!!
Delicious
How much does this make?
It serves about 5-6 depending . More or less.
This is a great recipe and easy to follow. I have made gumbo two different ways (including Imma’s version) and both are delicious!
I made a few substitutes. Since I had every bell pepper color except green, I primarily used red with a few slivers of yellow and orange. I also used chicken breasts instead of thighs. I also used brown jasmine rice.
The ingredients were fairly inexpensive except for the shrimp because I was too lazy to peel and devein the shrimp. Plus I wanted colossal shrimp. Don’t judge me! lol
Overal great dish that was an absolute hit!
YES!! Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with us.
I am SO EXCITED I came across this recipe! I will definitely be making it for game day! ❤
Awesome!! Glad you liked it.
After the butter and flour mixture cool down do I cook the garlic onions peppers and celery with it or separate?
You cook the garlic, onion, peppers and celery with it.
Do I leave the juices from the chicken and sausage when I cook the roux??? I am making it now.
Leave it out . Then add when you add the chicken.
Where do I get gumbo file? Is there a recipe for the herbs and spices to grind?
In the Super Market depending on location located at in the spice section- Check your local walmart or on line at Amazon. Sorry there is no recipe for it.
This was Fabulous, I added some Okra and File. Only had 4 Cups chicken stock so added 1 Cup White Wine and water. One layer at a time. Thank you, will watch for more of your recipes
Best
Catherine
I ,love this. Gumbo, after going to New Orlreans
I was hook on it i had to buy a cook book witn 3 different recipes on this and i take a, litte of ea, 1 of the recipes.
And i find i have to have orka in ea,
1 but didn’t know it was used as a thickner?
I put orka in other recipes i just love it,
I never had of it till i was in New Orlleans,
I have seen a recipe where they keep rinseing it & rinceing it to get the slime out?
I don’t think it wouldn’t taste the slime off i wouldn’t like it? Also when in.
New Orleans, we ate a fabulas sandwich called Muffaulada,
It was great we bought a jar of there olive spread on it we asked what was the meat and cheese in it they told us when we come home for the longest time we could’t find some of the cheese & meat to make it and we couldn’t find the kind of roll for the sandwich!
So we iponprovised it was ok but the olive salad made it taste it better we even ate the olive salad on other sandwich!
When i ran out of the olive relish i looked on the jar & they put some of the recipe but not all of it so i experaminted & just abt, got it to taste like the real stuff,
I even used the olive relish in my potato salad,
Well someone told us abt a Italian store opening up, so we drove there to see if they had any of the meat & cheese we needed to make the mufalada! Well low & behold they not only had all the meat & cheese they even had the rolls,
We bought the meat cheese & the rolls!
And even had a little spot in the back where u could sit @ a table and chairs, & u can have a sandwich and even had a hat bar where there was hot food,
Like soups, red beans & rice! And other stuff we had the red eans and rice it was not like i made it but ok!
But buy suprised they even had a mufalada sandwich?
It was close to what we had in New Orleans,
I think mine tasted better lol,
But @ least we could buy the meat & cheese we needed!
Well untill about a week ago they closed the Italian store or sm.
Deli/ Resturant now we have to drive 60 miles to ee if we can find some place we can find the meat , cheese & rolll we need !
I know how to make the olive salad myself,
I live in a very sm town, so we have to go to a larger town,
I appreciate the personal experience you’ve shared with us Rose! And hope you’ll let us know what you think of this recipe after you try this out!