If you are celebrating Mardi Gras this year, you can serve this delicious Chicken Sausage Gumbo and your whole family will love it! Packed with flavor and some heat (from the andouille sausage), you can customize it to suit your personal preferences and enjoy every bite!
Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez! Let the Good Times Roll at Mardi Gras this year. Grilling isn’t necessarily the first method of cooking that comes to mind when you are talking about the food of New Orleans, but it is a fabulous addition to the flavor profile.
Grilling the chicken and sausages on the BBQ
I love Cajun/creole foods and wanted to figure out a way to modify a traditional creole recipe for the grill as well as create something gluten-free. Enter gumbo. That’s right, gumbo on the barbecue. It’s not only possible, it is impossibly good!
I precooked the vegetables, chicken, and sausage on a charcoal fire and then combined them with the rest of the ingredients in a Dutch oven for one of the best gumbos I’ve ever tasted. The added smokiness blended perfectly with the classic New Orleans flavors.
This gumbo is thickened with a quick roux (use a gluten-free flour blend if needed) that doesn’t take the customary time and attention. It produces a lighter sauce with fewer calories. If you want to make a vegetarian version, just leave out the meats, double the vegetables, and add your choice of mushrooms, zucchini, eggplant, spinach, kale, etc.
You can add spicy seasonings if you like, but taste your Andouille sausage beforehand. Some varieties are much spicier than others and will provide plenty of heat. If you are serving this for a crowd, it is better to pass hot sauce at the table and let each person customize their own level of heat.
Many gumbos include shrimp and you are welcome to add some to this recipe. Be sure to devein them and hold under running water to get the whole vein out. Add them right at the end because they cook so quickly and you don’t want to overcook them.
Depending on the type of barbecue you have, you can do the whole dish outside or you can start the ingredients on the grill and then finish the cooking on the stove. Either way works great.
So, on February 21st, make sure you wear gold, green and purple, eat some King cake, and enjoy this Chicken Sausage Gumbo. Happy Mardi Gras everyone!!
Did you enjoy this recipe? Let me know in the comments and leave a star rating, I love hearing from you!
Ingredients needed for Chicken Sausage Gumbo:
- Rice, chicken, andouille sausage, celery, bell pepper, onion, garlic
- Scallions, flour, tomato paste, thyme, chicken broth, tomatoes, Tabasco
PRO Tip:
Many gumbos include shrimp and you are welcome to add some to this recipe. Be sure you devein them and rinse clean. Add them right at the end because they cook so quickly and you don’t want to overcook them.
How to make Chicken Sausage Gumbo:
- Cook the rice and set aside; preheat your grill with most of the heat on one side for two levels of heat, then grill the chicken, sausages, and vegetables until the chicken is nearly done, turning often and removing each item as it is cooked and place on a clean platter or baking sheet
- Peel the garlic cloves and remove the root end of the onion, then finely chop all the vegetables except the scallions and mince the garlic, set the vegetables to the side; chop the scallions and keep them separate from the rest of the vegetables because they will be added last, slice the sausage and cube the chicken
- Heat oil in a Dutch oven and add the chopped vegetables, stirring until they are coated with the oil, then sprinkle on the flour and stir until completely coated, add the tomato paste, stir in and cook about 2 minutes until the flour is lightly golden and fragrant; stir in the broth and tomatoes (with their juices) and bring to a simmer, stir in the thyme and a little salt, cook for 10 minutes to blend the flavors
- Add the chopped chicken and sausage to the pot, cover, and simmer over low heat until the chicken is cooked through about 10 to 15 minutes; stir in the cooked rice and scallions and cook another 2 to 3 minutes, then season with salt and pepper to taste
- Ladle into bowls and serve with hot sauce passed at the table
PRO Tip:
If your barbecue has a side burner, this can be cooked entirely outside. You can grill the meats and vegetables and finish the stew inside on the stove if you prefer, or even cook the entire dish inside. You’ll just have to adjust the cooking time to make sure the chicken is cooked all the way through if you don’t grill it first.
Recommended Tools (affiliate links; no extra cost to you):
- Chef’s knife
- Cutting board
- Saucepan or rice cooker
- Gas grill or charcoal BBQ
- Dutch oven or stockpot
- Wooden spatula
- Instant read thermometer
Gluten-Free Tips:
*You can adjust any baking recipe to gluten-free by using 120 grams per cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend. If you are using another brand of gluten-free flour, whisk the mix, spoon it lightly into a measuring cup until mounded, level off the top with the back of a knife, and weigh the flour left in the cup. Use that weight as your standard per cup of that specific flour. Do this for each flour blend you use. Commercial blends such as Pamela’s All-Purpose Artisan Blend, Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1, or King Arthur Measure for Measure are all good choices.
All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.
Chicken Sausage Gumbo for Mardi Gras (Gluten Free)
When you celebrate Mardi Gras this year, you can serve this delicious Chicken Sausage Gumbo and your whole family will love it! Packed with flavor and some heat (from the andouille sausage), you can customize it to suit your personal preferences and enjoy every bite!
Ingredients
- 2 cups (256g) cooked white or brown long-grain rice
- 2 bone-in chicken breasts with skin (about 1-1/2 lb; 680g)
- Organic olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 lb (154g) GF andouille sausage links or smoked sausage
- 2 celery ribs, trimmed
- 1 red bell pepper, cut in half lengthwise, stem & seeds removed
- 1 medium onion, sliced in half lengthwise (through the root) and peeled
- 2 to 4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
- 3 scallions, root ends discarded
- 1/4 cup (30g) all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour blend*
- 2 tbsp (29g) tomato paste
- 1 tsp dried thyme leaves
- 4 cups (940g) low-sodium chicken broth (make sure it is gluten-free)
- 1 (15 oz; 425g) can diced tomatoes
- Tabasco, Sriracha, or your favorite hot sauce, for serving
Instructions
- Cook the rice according to package directions. Set aside until time to add to the gumbo.
- Preheat your gas or electric grill to high on one side and medium on the other. If using a charcoal grill, build a medium-sized fire and bank the coals on one side of the grill creating two levels of heat.
- Brush the chicken lightly with the oil and season with the salt and pepper to taste. Prepare the vegetables and brush them and the sausages with a little oil. When the grill is ready, place the chicken (skin side down) over the hot portion of the fire and add the sausages and vegetables to the cooler section. Cook, turning often to avoid burning, until the chicken is nearly done and the vegetables are lightly marked and softened. Move the chicken to the cooler side if it is cooking too fast or getting too dark. Remove each item as it is done and place on a clean platter or baking sheet. Chicken is done when it hits 165°F (74°C) on an instant read thermometer.
- When cool enough to handle, peel the grilled garlic cloves and trim the root ends off the onions and discard. Chop all the vegetables except the scallions into small pieces and mince the garlic. Chop the scallions and keep them separate from the rest of the vegetables because they will be added last. Slice the sausage into thin rounds. Debone and cut the chicken into 1/2-inch cubes. (If the chicken isn’t quite cooked all the way through, it will finish in the gumbo.)
- In a large heavy pot, such as a Dutch oven, heat 1 tbsp of the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chopped vegetables, except the scallions, and cook about 1 minute, stirring often until coated with the oil. Sprinkle with the flour and stir to evenly coat the vegetables. Add the tomato paste and thyme and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon until the flour no longer smells raw, is lightly golden (it will stick to the bottom of the pan, scrape it up with the spoon) and the vegetables are evenly coated, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in the broth and tomatoes (with their juices) and bring to a simmer. Season lightly with salt. Cook for 10 minutes to blend the flavors. Add the chicken and sausage to the pot, cover and simmer over low heat until the chicken is fully cooked, about 10 to 15 minutes. The timing will differ depending on how long you cooked it on the grill. Add shrimp now if you are using them.
- Stir in the scallions and rice and continue cooking until heated through, about 2 to 3 minutes longer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into warmed bowls and serve with the Tabasco or Sriracha at the table for people to add to their individual liking.
Recipe found at www.theheritagecook.com
Notes
*You can adjust any recipe to gluten-free by using 120 grams per cup of my favorite gluten-free flour blend. If you are using another brand of gluten-free flour, whisk the mix, spoon it lightly into a measuring cup without a spout until mounded, level off the top with the back of a knife, and weigh the flour left in the cup. Use that weight as your standard per cup of that specific flour. Do this for each flour blend you use. Commercial blends such as Pamela's, Bob's Red Mill 1-to-1, or King Arthur Measure for Measure are all good choices.
Adapted from a Food and Wine recipe. All recommended ingredients are gluten-free as of the writing of this article. Always check to be sure the products haven’t changed and are still safe to consume.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 371Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 69mgSodium: 959mgCarbohydrates: 34gFiber: 2gSugar: 4gProtein: 27g
The nutritional information for recipes on this site is calculated by online tools and is merely an estimate.
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Jane Bonacci, The Heritage Cook
Stewed okra isn’t one of my favorites either, but you can absolutely leave it out! Because it is a thickener, you probably want to add either a roux or a cornstarch slurry to thicken to your liking. I hope you try this and let us know what you think!!
The Food Hound
I’ve made jambalaya but never gumbo- mostly b/c it usually contains okra and I despise the consistency of okra! But I love the flavors of Cajun cooking, so I supposed I could always make it and leave out the okra? Great recipe!