Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

One bowl of Chicken Sausage Gumbo served with a scoop of white rice.

The Best Gumbo

If you love Gumbo and you’ve been looking for an authentic recipe that’s easy and turns out perfect, every time, this is the recipe for you. If you’ve never tried Chicken and Sausage Gumbo before, this is the recipe for you. It’s got everything you need and starts with the most basic ingredients, the “Holy Trinity”; onion, celery and bell pepper.

1 package of smoked Andouille sausage and 1 package of 8 raw boneless chicken thighs.

Chicken, Sausage or Shrimp

This is a Chicken and Sausage Gumbo which consists of smoked Andouille sausage, a classic Cajun delight. But this recipe can be easily converted to a shrimp gumbo recipe if you simply swap the proteins out, pound for pound and season the shrimp the exact same way I recommend you season the chicken.

One pot of cooked Cajun style Chicken and Sausage Gumbo.

The Love for cooking Gumbo

It’s important to note that any gumbo starts with making a roux, which is slowly cooked equal parts of oil and flour. This is the base of the flavor in any gumbo, and it takes a lot of patience to make because it’s constant stirring over medium heat for, approximately, 20 to 30 minutes.

In the south, or online, roux can be purchased pre-made in mayonnaise size jars just like the one I show you in the video tutorial. If you can get your hands on some, it saves a ton of time cooking this recipe and you can focus on the other ingredients, instead, that make this Chicken and Sausage Gumbo so amazing.

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo Ingredients: 4-6 servings

1 Onion, chopped
1 Bell Pepper, chopped
1 Jalapeno, chopped (optional for spicy tastes)
2 Celery sticks, chopped
4 Garlic Cloves, chopped
4 tbsp Roux, (4 tbsp vegetable oil 4 tbsp all purpose flour, cooked)
1/2 can Beer

Kosher Salt & Pepper to taste

1 tbsp Blackened Seasoning, on chicken
1 tsp Kosher Salt & Pepper mixed, on chicken
4 Boneless Chicken Thighs, sliced
1 lbs Andouille Sausage, sliced
1 qt Beef Broth
4 Bay Leaves
4 Green Onions, chopped
1 Bunch Fresh Parsley, chopped

6 cups Long Grain Rice, steamed
Louisiana File Powder, a few dash’s for topping each serving

I designed this recipe to easily be doubled or tripled, if need be. Just follow the instructions in the video tutorial and I’ll show you exactly how to make this Chicken and Sausage Gumbo.

Top 5 Mardi Gras Recipes

The Best recipes for Mardi Gras

We have been to many Mardi Gras celebrations in our travels. My husband went to a crawfish festival in Gillette WY before I started joining him on the road. He was out there building our nations biggest Power plant. I was so jealous that he got to go without me a few months later I decided that I was going to start traveling with him. That same year we attended a Mardi Gras Festival in the streets of Deadwood South Dakota. It was so much fun but none of this compared to the southern experience of Mardi Gras that we were able to be a part of when we were working in SETX building one of our nations biggest fuel refineries.

Crawfish Etouffee for Mardi Gras

With this recipe PMGK had me at Crawfish. Add in one of his amazing sauces and you are in for a real treat. I’ve been calling him the sauce man for years. He knows his sauces and with this dish he has taken traditional Etouffee to the next level. If you don’t already know what I mean you need to make this recipe for Mardi Gras. You’ll soon be calling him the sauce man too.

Bourbon Chicken for Mardi Gras

Bourbon Chicken is a dish named after Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Louisiana and for the bourbon whiskey ingredient. The dish is commonly found at Cajun style and Chinese restaurants. When we were living in the south we ventured into Louisiana a few times. For some good food and some gambling. The horse races and the buffets were a few of our must haves. Southern food is like nothing else and the people are such a breath of fresh air. Plus, it was only 20 minutes from where we were living so we couldn’t pass up the experience.

Jambalaya for Mardi Gras

What I love about Jambalaya is that you can just throw all the ingredients in one pot and it comes out with such a great flavor and ready to dish up. It’s so simple anyone can make this recipe. Plus, sausage and shrimp all in one dish. Whoever came up with this idea is a genius.

Oysters Rockefeller for Mardi Gras

My favorite thing about Oysters besides eating them, of course, is shucking them. I’ll admit I was intimidated when I was helping PMGK shuck these for the video but after the first two, I felt like a pro. I’ll never be even half the cook he is but he really makes it seem so easy. When I’m in the kitchen with him I feel empowered like I can make any dish. When you’re done preparing a recipe like his Oysters Rockefeller you’ll wonder how you managed to pull off making something so fabulous. Your guest will also be in awe.

Crawfish for Mardi Gras

We Chose this Crawfish video for the top five for a few reasons. It’s our newest crawfish video and most people don’t have access to live crawfish. We really do recommend getting them live if you can. The experience is what it’s all about. Just watch my daughter and husband in this video it’s priceless. We’ve had some really good times showing the little ones how to prepare live crawfish. We have caught them ourselves in the gulf coast and we’ve been able to buy them live at amazing deals. Once we got such a good deal on a bag that was way more crawfish than we needed. We made half the bag and used my resources from my side business to sell the rest. We had them in the bath tub to keep them alive until the person came to pick them up but they were such a good deal they were sold within the hour. This is what PMGK is all about. Using what you have to make cooking and eating not only a Gourmet experience but also a fun one.

Are you ready for your Mardi Gras party?

If we’ve helped you decide what you’re going to make for your celebrations then we’ve done our job. If you’re still undecided I’d like to make just one more suggestion that didn’t make the list. Boudin. I tried it for the first time when we were in the south and I fell in love. It has such a unique flavor that you just can’t find anywhere else. To me it’s not Mardi Gras without it.

Fried Crab – Jonah, Dungeness or Blue Crabs

The Best Fried Crab

Fried Crab can be found all over the world. Traditionally, it’s usually soft shell crab, like blue crabs, that are fried but the truth is, you can fry just about anything. Most of my experience with Fried Crabs have been at buffets and Cajun restaurants in the south. It’s real popular to put the majority of the breading over the meat from the body of the crab. I think mostly because the meat is already exposed, once the cavity shell has been removed, and you just sink your teeth right in and get a bight.

Jonah Fried Crab Recipe

Normally, for this Fried Crab recipe, I would use soft shell crabs but they aren’t available to me right now, unfortunately. I did find some Jonah crabs, however, which are the East coasts answer to the West’s Dungeness Crab. They’re typically a little bit smaller than the Dungeness and therefore a little cheaper as well. I picked up these two bad boys for just under $7 bucks. So you really can’t go wrong picking up a half dozen or so for frying.

Also, if you’re interested, be sure to check out a few relatable recipes I think you’ll enjoy. My King Crab Legs tutorial is phenomenal because I teach you how to peal the legs so quickly that your mouth never stops chewing between bites. My Stuffed Lobster recipe is one of the most amazing dish’s you’ll ever lay your eyes on; also incredible. And my Thai Red Curry Shrimp Recipe is easy and it’s to die for.

Fried Crab Ingredients:

6 to 8 Whole Crabs
1 stick Melted Butter
1 Garlic Clove, chopped

Egg Wash
1 egg
2 tbs milk
2 tbs Hot Sauce

Dry Mix
1/2 cup Plain Bread Crumbs
1/4 cup Potato or Corn Starch
1 1/2 tsp Crab Boil Seasoning

Oil for frying

Cook at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for only 2 to 3 minutes and enjoy your Fried Crab.