Crockpot Chicken Gumbo
This homemade slow cooker chicken gumbo features chicken, Andouille sausage, okra, and lots of fresh veggies! I’ve added in rice to make it a complete meal in one! It’s easy to set up and turn on before work, so you can have a family meal ready to go when you get home.
I shared this recipe originally in September of 2012. I have updated the recipe to make it more simple to prepare, and I have added new photographs and a video to share it with you again today.
Table of contents
Why We Love This Recipe For Chicken Gumbo Stew
If you’re looking for a crockpot meal that doesn’t fall short on flavor, then this recipe is for you! It has fresh herbs, spices and smoky and spicy andouille sausage to give it tons of hearty and savory flavor. The thick stew with veggies, chicken, sausage and rice is so satisfying it makes a complete meal in one!
This crockpot gumbo is great for weeknights because you can set it up the night before or in the morning and then it is ready to go when you get home. You can serve it with bread, rolls, whole-wheat cornbread or skillet gluten-free cornbread.
I have also used this recipe for casual entertaining with families because it can be left warm while everyone mingles, and then folks can just serve themselves.
Newly Improved Recipe
This Gumbo, as it was originally published in 2012 was both too complicated and had way too many ingredients in it. This new gumbo today is the new and improved Slow Cooker Gumbo Stew.
- It’s has a shorter prep time
- The steps are easier
- It has far fewer ingredients too
- Crazy enough, it is just as delicious!
What is Gumbo?
Gumbo is a thick stew that’s most commonly eaten in Southern Louisiana. Gumbo can be made with whatever meat you have on hand, but seafood gumbo, sausage gumbo, and chicken gumbo are the most popular takes on this dish. It should also be noted that gumbo is almost always made with okra and some kind of thickening agent like a roux and also gumbo file powder.
How to Make Slow Cooker Chicken Gumbo Soup
Sear the Chicken First For More Flavor
To really make the flavor of this crockpot recipe rich tasting, sear the chicken on the stovetop first. It will brown which adds so much additional flavor to the gumbo.
Add Canned Tomatoes
- Many gumbo recipes do not have tomatoes in them, but I really love the acidity that they bring to the overall taste profile. I love how the tomatoes help balance the salty andouille sausage.
- Use a whole can (28-ounce) of peeled tomatoes and then crush them by hand into the slow cooker. This will give the best rustic chunky texture to the gumbo.
- You can use fresh tomatoes if you have them on hand, but it’s better to peel and seed them. See notes in the recipe card how to do so.
Use Andouille Sausage
- Andouille is a traditional Louisiana sausage with a smoky spicy flavor and adds a flavor kick to the gumbo. I like the Andouille Sausage by Niman Ranch if you can find it.
- If you have a hard time finding Andouille, you could use kielbasa, because that is also a smoky sausage. Or you could use a hot Italian or even chicken sausage if you want to. It won’t be traditional, but it will surely taste great!
Bulk up the Serving with Vegetables and Rice
- In Cajun and Creole cooking the Holy Trinity is a combination of bell peppers, onions and celery. It’s like what odori is to Italian cooking, and mirepoix is to French. This Gumbo is no exception and I used a heavy hand to bulk up the serving size.
- In addition to the celery, onion and peppers, gumbo almost always has okra in it. Today I used frozen okra, but if you can find fresh, use that! Just make sure when you’re cutting it, if you come across a stalk of the okra that seems pithy, don’t use it. That’ll be tough and fibrous.
- Usually Gumbo is served with rice, but in this case, to make it a complete one pot meal, I added the rice to the gumbo. It’s brown rice for additional fiber.
Skip the Roux (and Added Saturated Fat) and Instead Thicken with Okra and Gumbo Filé
- Traditional gumbo is made with a roux which is a cooked mixture of butter and flour. In Cajun cooking, the fat is usually oil instead and the roux is darker.
- I tested this with and without the roux, and I didn’t think that it really added too much to the overall texture of the dish. This is very thick as it is, and the gumbo file really makes it nice and thick. So I opted to save the extra fat calories, and grams of saturated fat, and not use a roux at all.
- If you’re not familiar with gumbo filé, it can be found in the spice section of good grocery stores, and with the bulk spices in natural food stores. It is made from ground sassafras. The flavor of it is actually not as strong as you would think, but it has a subtle slightly licorice and minty taste to it. It doesn’t need to cook, so you can just stir it in at the end.
- The okra also adds body to the gumbo. Don’t worry they won’t be slimy at all! After cooking in the slow cooker, they are super tender and practically melt into the gumbo.
Seasonings
When you look at the ingredient list below, it’ll seem like this is a big one, but a lot of the ingredients are spices. I did pair it down for this new 2.0 version of this recipe to just sage, thyme, garlic and salt. I used a whole sprig of rosemary, which adds nice flavor without being overly bossy. Once the gumbo is done cooking, just remove the sprig.
Slow Cook For 8 Hours
Once you have seared the chicken and stirred everything together in the insert of the slow cooker you are ready to let the appliance fo the rest of the work.
Turn to low heat for 8 hours or 4 hours on high. Allow the chicken gumbo to cook, covered and undisturbed until the timer goes off. Remove the rosemary sprig and stir in the gumbo file. Ladle into bowls and serve with Tabasco.
FAQs For This Recipe
Cool the chicken gumbo and transfer it to individual serving storage containers or transfer to a pot and cover with a lid. Refrigerate up to 4 days.
Yes! Freeze up to three months.
Reheat on the stovetop, stirring occasionally (it will be thick!) Or microwave on high for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring once or twice. Microwave times may vary so heat until steaming hot.
Serving Suggestions
More Slow-Cooker Chicken Recipes:
- This Slow Cooker Chicken Tortilla Soup is possibly even easier, because there is no searing step!
- Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore, an all time favorite of mine and readers. If you think you don’t like chicken thighs, I dare you to try this recipe!
- Slow Cooker Thai Chicken Coconut Soup, this recipe toes the line of tasting exotic and being 100% comforting!
- Slow Cooker Maple Chipotle Pulled Chicken, I adore the combination of chipotle pepper and maple syrup. You’ll never go back to pulled pork. Okay maybe you will, but you’ll at least also love pulled chicken too!
- Slow Cooker Chicken and Okra, totally along the same vein as this recipe here. It’s got a great story to go with it too.
- Our Crockpot White Chicken Chili is another favorite recipe here.
Thanks for reading! If you make this recipe, please make sure to come back and leave a star rating and review! And if you’re new here you may want to sign up for my email list or follow me on facebook to keep up with the latest posts.
PrintCrockpot Chicken Gumbo Recipe
- Total Time: 4 hours 15 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
This homemade slow cooker gumbo soup features chicken, Andouille sausage, okra, and lots of fresh veggies!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 28–ounce can whole tomatoes, or 3 large tomatoes, peeled and seeded
- 1 large onion, diced
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 4 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
- 8 ounces Andouille sausage cut into 1/2-inch slices
- 2 cups sliced fresh or frozen okra
- 2 cups diced celery
- 2 cups diced green bell peppers
- 1/2 cup long grain brown rice
- 1 tablespoon rubbed sage
- 2 tablespoons chopped garlic, about 4 cloves
- 1 teaspoon dry thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon gumbo file
- Tabasco for serving
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until browned 2 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to the insert of a large slow cooker.
- Hand crush tomatoes into the slow cooker and add any remaining liquid from the can. Add onion, rosemary, broth, sausage, okra, celery, peppers, rice, sage, garlic, thyme and salt in the insert of the slow cooker.
- Turn to low heat for 8 hours or 4 hours on high. Allow the gumbo to cook, covered and undisturbed until the timer goes off. Remove rosemary sprig and stir in gumbo file. Ladle into bowls and serve with Tabasco.
Notes
To peel and seed fresh tomatoes: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Make an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice and water. Set aside. Core tomatoes and score an “x” on the bottom. Dip the tomatoes into the boiling water and boil until the skin starts to peel away, but the flesh isn’t mushy, 40 seconds to 2 minutes. Drain tomatoes and transfer to the ice bath to cool. Drain and slip skin off of the cooled tomatoes. Cut in half along the equator. Gently seed tomatoes over a bowl lined with a fine mesh sieve to catch any juices. Roughly chop the tomatoes. You’ll need 2 1/2 cups for this recipe
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 hours
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Slow Cooker
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 cups each
- Calories: 356
- Fat: 16 g
- Carbohydrates: 29 g
- Protein: 26 g
Let me just say this was amazing!!! I was looking for a low carb version of Gumbo (no flour) and this was perfect!! I followed your instructions to a “T”. I put it over low carb pasta and between my 3 family members and myself. We darn near ate the whole thing in one sitting. I had very little leftovers. AND I was so full, I went for a walk after dinner. Woke up the next morning and I lost weight. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You! And for those of you who are experts on what this is called. Why are you looking for recipes for something you seem to know so much about. I don’t care if you call it dog food!! I am already stalking up on the ingredients to make this again!!
This was very tasty. It makes a tons! More than 6 servings. Mine wasn’t as soupy as your photo shows. I might add liquid when I reheat leftovers. I wish I had one more chicken thigh. I followed this exactly. For all the nay sayers criticizing that it’s not gumbo because of no roux, make it your way and don’t be mean. Thanks for a keeper.
I am glad you liked it and really appreciate your support. Thanks for coming back to let me know you liked it!!
Hi! I plan to try this tomorrow, when do you add the rice?? I don’t see a mention of it and if you did and I missed it I apologize!
It goes in the slow cooker with the other ingredients in step 2. Please let me know how it comes out Cor!
My husband doesn’t eat tomatoes, anything I can substitute
I haven’t tried making this without tomatoes but I bet you could make it by simply omitting them. They add acidity so you may want to deglaze the skillet with 1/2 cup dry red wine. Reduce it for a minute or two to cook out the alcohol then pour it into the crockpot.
Thank you!
Sooooo simple and so good. I used the slow cooker on my instant pot so I could brown the chicken there and not dirty another pan. I dumped some of the broth in first so I could deglaze the bottom before putting everything else in. I also added 2 tsp of no salt Cajun seasoning.
LOVE this one and will be putting it into my meal rotation. Thanks!
I am thrilled you liked it and really appreciate the comment and 5-star rating. Thank you!
This looks amazing! Making it soon. Could I use a rotisserie chicken instead and would I add that at the end? Also could I just add creole seasoning instead of the individual spices?
You can def use rotisserie and yes add it at the end. However, I would not sub creole seasoning as it is not the same herbs and is spicier.
This was amazing! Can I freeze it?
Yes! Go right ahead. It should be good in the freezer for several months.
Very good and full of flavor!
Thanks Kevin. I appreciate the review.
Made with green beans, and it was amazing!
Cooked in my insta pot for 18 minutes!
I did not use any okra file or cornstarch, it was still tasty. Plenty leftover for the next day.
Oh wow! Good to know it worked in the IP! Awesome!
I made this for my family. It was very bitter. It did not have enough, salt, fat or any sweetness. Too much rosemary, sage and thyme I think. Disappointing for the amount of time spent preparing.
Shanna,
I am sorry to hear you didn’t like it. That is so strange because I have made this recipe more times than I could count. I recently made it for company and everyone raves. I’m wondering if there was something we did differently? I’d love to get to the bottom of this. Did you use chicken thigh or breast? Did you chop the rosemary or leave it whole? Did you use table salt or another type of salt. Let me know and we can trouble shoot further.
Try it without okra next time if you want it less bitter. The herbs don’t make it bitter; the okra does. Also make sure to choose an andouille that is made from high quality pork if you want more fat and salt. This recipe is amazing and you shouldn’t have to miss out!
This looks like a great recipe and I plan to make it this week. One question: Should the sausage be pre-cooked? I bought raw store-made andouille sausage but am guessing I need to fry it up first. Thanks.
Thanks Laurie. Yes, you should cook it first so that you can slice it into rounds. Let me know how the recipe comes out! Enjoy!