GLUTEN-FREE GUMBO
Gumbo! If you have never made it at home before, the idea of making gumbo from scratch might feel a little intimidating to you. It was for me before I made my first batch.
The base of this gumbo is a nutty dark brown gluten free roux, which may sound involved but all it requires is a little patience. Once you’ve made the roux, it’s as simple as adding all of your ingredients to a pot and letting everything simmer for an hour. Your house is going to smell incredible!
This easy recipe is perfect for Sunday dinner and makes plenty of leftovers or feeds a crowd. Keep reading to learn how to make gluten-free gumbo!
HOW TO MAKE THE ROUX FOR A GLUTEN-FREE GUMBO:
The base of any good gumbo is a roux. A roux is a mixture of equal parts fat (usually butter) and flour that is used as a base in sauces. The longer you let a roux cook the more flavorful it becomes. Cooking the flour allows the raw flavor of the flour to cook out and creates a rich nutty flavor.
Making the roux is the most labor-intensive part of this recipe and if you have never made one before, you may feel a little intimidated. Trust me, don’t be nervous! All you need is a little patience and attention to make the perfect roux.
Typically in gumbo, you would use melted butter and wheat flour to make your roux, but in this gluten-free version you will use a gluten-free flour instead.
To make the gluten-free roux for this gumbo, add half a cup of butter to your pot or dutch oven and let it melt over medium heat. Next, whisk in half a cup of gluten-free flour to make a paste.
After you add the flour, just let the roux cook over medium heat until it becomes a deep brown color while stirring constantly.
THE REST OF THE INGREDIENTS:
Bell Peppers: This recipe uses a mix of green, orange, and red.
Onion: White or yellow onion will both work well in this gumbo.
Okra: Remove the tops and slice into even rounds. You can also buy pre-cut okra to make things even easier.
Tomatoes: You’ll need one can of diced tomatoes in their juice. No need to drain them.
Chicken Thighs: This recipe uses boneless skinless chicken thighs. Chicken thighs are great for dishes like this that have a longer cooking time because they stay tender.
Smoked Andouille Sausage: One 12 oz package sliced into rounds.
Shrimp: If you don’t like shrimp or if you are allergic, feel free to leave them out! Just increase the amount of chicken or sausage you use to keep this gumbo hearty.
Herbs: For this recipe all you need are fresh thyme and dried bay leaves.
Chicken Stock: If you have seafood stock available you can also use a combination of both chicken stock and seafood stock in this dish.
Gluten-Free Gumbo
Ingredients
- 1/2 tbsp Avocado Oil
- 1.5 lbs Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs diced
- 12 oz Smoked Andouille Sausage sliced
- 1/2 tsp Salt plus more to taste
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 cup Butter diced
- 1/2 cup Gluten Free Flour
- 1 cup Yellow Onion finely diced
- 1 cup Green Bell Pepper finely diced
- 1 cup Red Bell Pepper finely diced
- 1 cup Orange Bell Pepper finely diced
- 1 cup Celery finely chopped
- 6 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 tbsp Tomato Paste
- 1 tbsp Cajun Spice Blend
- 2 cups Okra sliced
- 1 14.5 oz can Diced Tomatoes
- 3 Bay Leaves dried
- 6 Fresh Thyme Sprigs
- 4 cups Chicken Broth
- 1 tbsp Coconut Aminos
- 1 tsp Hot Sauce
- 1 lb Shrimp peeled & deveined
- Green Onion sliced, for serving
- White Rice for serving
Instructions
- Heat a large heavy-bottomed pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Once hot, add in ½ tablespoon of avocado oil. Next, add the chicken thighs to the pot and season with salt and pepper. Cook the chicken until mostly brown, and then add in the smoked sausage. Let the meat continue to cook until the chicken is fully cooked. Transfer the chicken, sausage, and any remaining liquid from the pot to a bowl and set aside.
- Next, make the roux. Add the diced butter butter to the pot and let it melt over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, whisk in the flour to create a thick paste.
- Let the flour and butter mixture cook over medium heat, whisking frequently, for around 20 minutes until it becomes a dark rich color. Be careful to watch the roux so it does not burn.
- Add the bell peppers, onion, garlic, celery, cajun seasoning mix, and tomato paste to the hot roux and allow the veggies to cook for a few minutes until they start to become tender.
- Add the herbs, diced tomatoes, okra, chicken stock, coconut aminos, hot sauce, and cooked chicken and sausage back to the pot. Stir until well combined and then bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and let the gumbo simmer for an hour.
- Create a slurry to thicken the gumbo by whisking together ¼ cup of gluten free flour with ¾ cup of water until a slurry forms. Be sure to whisk the slurry mixture well so that there are no lumps. Stir the slurry mixture into the gumbo and allow it to cook for a few more minutes until it begins to thicken.
- Lastly, stir in the shrimp and let it cook for a few more minutes until done. Once the shrimp is done, serve the gumbo over white rice and garnish with green onion.