I love gumbo. It’s my number one go-to Cajun dish. And to really make a great gumbo you need to devote some time for it to really be something special. Give me a cold winter’s day and I won’t hesitate to take that time. But sometimes, I just don’t have the luxury. That’s where my quick fix gumbo comes in. All the flavors of a full-blown gumbo, but it takes a lot less time.
Skimp On Time, Not Flavor
The two major timesavers for this quick fix gumbo are using rotisserie chicken instead of cooking your own, and using a pre-made roux from the store. Making a roux takes a little time to do right, and it is worth the time… when you have the time. When you don’t, grab a jar of almost-as-good roux from the store. Our local grocery store has a (sadly, small) southern foods section. That’s where I found ready-to-use roux.
Also try my low-carb gumbo.
Quick Fix Gumbo
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large yellow onions chopped, divided
- 8 stalks celery chopped, divided
- 1 large green bell pepper chopped, divided
- 1 small red bell pepper chopped, divided
- 1 yellow bell pepper chopped, divided
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon garlic minced
- 4 teaspoons Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 tablespoons gumbo file powder
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
- 2 14 ounce andouille sausage cut into 1/4" rounds
- 12 cups chicken stock
- 1 large rotisserie chicken shredded
- 1 cup pre-made roux or more, to taste
- 4 cups rice cooked
Instructions
- Add oil to a large Dutch oven or stock pot over medium-high heat.
- Add half each of the onion, celery, peppers and the bay leaves. Saute until just tender.
- Add the remaining onion, celery and peppers and saute another 3 minutes.
- Add all of the seasonings, the sausage, stock and chicken.
- Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 1 hour.
- Stir in the roux in small amounts. Make sure it dissolves completely. Taste to see if you need to add more roux.
- Cover and simmer another 30 minutes.
- Add cooked rice and warm thoroughly.
- Serve.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are approximate.
