Cajun Chicken & Sausage Gumbo

ingredients

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 pound chicken thighs chopped - chicken breast is good, too

Salt and pepper to taste

12 ounces andouille sliced into ¼ inch slices

½ cup peanut oil or vegetable oil

½ cup flour

1 medium bell pepper chopped

1 medium onion chopped

1 medium celery stalk chopped

3 cloves garlic chopped

1 cup okra I used frozen

2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning or more to taste

6 cups chicken stock

3 bay leaves

4 tablespoons chopped parsley + more for serving

1 tablespoon filé powder or to taste if desired

For Serving:

Cooked white rice if desired

Instructions

Heat a pan to medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon olive oil and heat.

Season chicken with salt and pepper and add to the pan along with the sliced andouille. Cook a couple minutes per side until browned. Set aside until ready to use.

Add ½ cup peanut oil to a large pot and heat to medium heat. Add flour and stir. Cook for 20-30 minutes, constantly stirring, until the roux browns to the color of chocolate.

Add peppers, onion, celery and garlic. Stir and cook about 5 minutes.

Add chicken and andouille. Stir and cook for 1 minute.

Add okra, Cajun seasoning and chicken stock. Scrape up the brown bits from the bottom.

Add bay leaves and cook at medium-low heat for 1 hour to thicken. You can simmer longer if you’d like.

Stir in parsley and cook 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in filé powder, if using.

Serve into a bowl, over white rice if desired, and garnish with extra parsley.

Notes

Heat Factor: Mild, though it is HUGE on flavor with the Cajun seasonings. You can make your own spicy Cajun seasoning blends. See my recipe - Homemade Cajun Seasoning.

If you'd like a spicier version, add in cayenne powder (or a hotter chili powder) as well as spicy chili flakes. You can also add in spicier chili peppers along with the bell peppers for some additional zest factor.