Chicken and andouille sausage are traditional ingredients in every good gumbo recipe, but when you add crab this gumbo goes from good to grand.
There are many stand-ins out there that simply don’t make the authentic cut. Cubic zirconium will never take the place of real diamonds, and saccharin will never, ever, ever edge out the sweetness of real sugar.
Butthis crab, chicken and sausage gumbo recipe…now THISgumbo recipe hasno comparison. Gumbo may originally hail from Louisiana, but this recipe is the real-Southern-Delta-blues-gumbo-deal.
I was first introduced tothis recipe for sausage and chicken gumbo when I visited one of my dearest friends atone of the coolest places I’ve ever visited, The Shack Up Inn in Clarksdale, MS where the tagline is “The Ritz it ain’t.” Staying at the Shacks is like walking into a real life House of Blues bar with all the quirks the original sharecroppers experienced (plus internet and bathrooms), butnone of the trappings of hotels, motels and inns of today (hotel bars and miles of hallways to get lost in).
Seriously, folks, these arethe original Airbnbs of the South.
My friend Laura was the proprietress of the restaurant, Rust at the Shack Up Inn, and her long-time partner Guy is a co-owner of the Shacks and its collection of 10 authentic share-cropper shacks that have been barely renovated to become a true Mississippi deltadestination for blues fans and travel enthusiasts alike.
This recap from The Huffington Post sums it all up pretty darn well.
One of the dinners we had while we were there included a big bowl of gumbo. While this was my first trip to the South and the Mississippi Delta, it was definitely not my first time having gumbo. Over the years I’ve become somewhat of a gumbo geek and have to try it every chance I get.
But Laura’s chef’s version of gumbo was a stunner and exceeded all my expectations. Well, not really. I KNEW I was going to get a great gumbo in the Mississippi Delta. And that’s why I KNEWI needed this recipe in my kitchen.
Thankfully, the chefkindly delivered.
Chicken and sausage are staples in gumbo and sometimes shrimp is tossed in — or make that always added in if I’m cooking it. But this time around wehad some leftover crab in the fridge so added that instead. Keep reading to see what else gets thrown into this homemade gumbo recipe.
Homemade Gumbo Ingredients
The ingredients list for this gumbo recipe is fairly simple, considering how much flavor is packed into this dish. Here’s what you’ll need to make this authentic gumbo recipe:
- Bacon (to make bacon grease)
- Olive oil
- Yellow onion
- Bell pepper
- Andouille sausage
- All-purpose flour
- Beer
- Garlic
- Chicken stock
- Chopped tomatoes
- Apple cider vinegar
- Shredded chicken
- Fresh parsley
- Dried basil and oregano
- Okra
- Crab meat
- Lemon juice
- Tobasco
How to Make Gumbo
First, you’ll need to cook the bacon in a large skillet. Once the bacon is cooked, set it aside to drain so you can use the renderings (you need about 1 cup of bacon grease for this recipe).
In the same skillet the bacon was fried in, sauté the onion and bell pepper until soft. Set the veggies aside, then brown the sausage in that same skillet. Set the sausage aside too.
Add your bacon renderings back to the pan and stir in the flour. Lower the heat and cook for at least 1 hour, stirring every 5 minutes. When the roux is dark tan and smells like toasted nuts, it is done.
While the roux cooks, add the rest of the gumbo ingredients (minus the roux and the okra) to a large stockpot and let the mixture simmer for an hour. Once the roux is finished, stir it into the gumbo mixture. Add half the okra to the gumbo and cook for 30 minutes before stirring in the remainder.
Serve your homemade gumbo over white rice and dig in!
Can I Use Shrimp Instead of Crab Meat?
Yes, absolutely! I typically add 1 to 2 cups of plump, salad size shrimp (so I get a little in each bite) at the end of cooking the gumbo so they don’t become tough, but still get warmed through.
What Type of Beer Should I Use?
Any beer you’d like! Just be sure to use an unflavored beer (i.e. none of that pumpkin spice seasonal stuff).
Tips for Making the Best Gumbo
As any great gumbo gourmet will tell you, the secret to the best gumbo lies in its roux and developing itsdark, rich, nearly chocolate-likeflavoring that permeates this Southern stew. This roux is made from bacon grease and flour and is slowly cooked and stirred every 5 minutes. Plan on setting aside at least an hour for this step because low and slow is the name of this game and you do not want a bitter, burnt roux.
If your bacon doesn’t render enough fat, melt enough butter to add to the bacon grease to make 1 cup. Trust me, you do not want to skimp on the fat in this gumbo recipe!
I buy frozen okra because it’s firmer than the canned kind and gives a tastier bite. It’s actually my favorite part of the stew so I usually double the called for amount. And I can do that, because I’m the gumbo boss.
More Classic Southern Recipes to Master
- Chicken, Sausage, and Shrimp Jambalaya
- My Favorite Shrimp and Grits Recipe
- How to Make Fried Green Tomatoes
- Chicken and Waffles Sliders
- Pulled Pork Sandwiches with Crunchy Slaw
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Bookmark this recipe and leave a comment below,or take a photo andtag me onInstagram with #foodiecrusheats.
4.85 from 13 votes
Chicken, Crab & Andouille Sausage Gumbo
A Southern favorite, gumbo is a relatively easy recipe to master so long as you take it low and slow, in making a roux that creates this stews signature flavor.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword gumbo
Prep Time 30 minutes minutes
Cook Time 1 hour hour 45 minutes minutes
Total Time 2 hours hours 15 minutes minutes
Servings 8 -10 servings
Calories 542kcal
Ingredients
- ½ pound bacon, to make 1 cup bacon grease , (if you don't have enough grease add melted butter to make up the 1 cup)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil , (or bacon grease)
- 1 yellow onion , chopped
- 1 red bell pepper , chopped
- 2 cups andouille sausage , sliced
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ can beer
- 4-6 cloves garlic ,minced
- ¾ gallon chicken stock , (96 ounces)
- 1 15- ounce can chopped tomatoes , (or 1 cup fresh tomatoes, chopped)
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 cups stewed and shredded chicken
- 3 tablespoons fresh parsley
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 cups frozen okra
- 2 cups crab meat
- Kosher salt, white pepper, lemon juice & Tabasco , to taste
- Chopped green onions & rice , for serving
Instructions
Heat a large cast iron skillet on medium high heat and cook the bacon, set the bacon aside to drain and measure the bacon renderings to 1 cup and reserve the rest for cooking the vegetables or another use. If you don't have enough bacon renderings melt enough butter to add to the bacon grease to make one cup.
Add 3 tablespoons olive oil or bacon grease to the cast iron skillet you cooked the bacon in and cook the onion and bell pepper until soft and set aside.
Cook the sausage in the same skillet until browned and set aside with the vegetables.
Add the 1 cup of the bacon fat to the skillet over medium heat and stir in the flour. Lower the heat to low and cook for at least 1 hour, stirring every 5 minutes. The roux should be thick, but not chalky. A little grease will probably separate from the roux while cooking. When it is dark tan and smells like toasted nuts, it is done. Caution: The roux burns easily so watch it very carefully and stir often.
In a large stock pot or dutch oven, add the sautéed vegetables and sausage and heat over medium high heat. Add the beer and stir to blend. Add the garlic and simmer for 2 minutes. Add stock, tomatoes, vinegar, chicken, and all other dry ingredients. Simmer on low to medium heat for at least 1 hour.
Add salt, white pepper, lemon juice and Tabasco to taste.
Skim off about 3 cups of liquid from pot (with as few solids as possible) and combine in a bowl with about 1 cup roux. Stir until it thickens and becomes paste-like. Add about half this mixture back to pot on low heat. Stir well. Let simmer for a few minutes and add more roux mixture to thicken or water or stock to thin. The gumbo should be thick, but not as thick as gravy.
Add half of the okra. Simmer on very low for at least 30 minutes. Be careful, as it can easily burn. Add the remaining cup of okra and the crab meat 5 minutes before serving.
Taste again for salt, white pepper, lemon juice and Tabasco. Serve in bowls with rice and garnish with green onion.
Nutrition
Calories: 542kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 87mg | Sodium: 1307mg | Potassium: 934mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 900IU | Vitamin C: 37mg | Calcium: 107mg | Iron: 4mg
More Comfort Foods Dinners You’ll Love
- Daddy’s Baked Hamburgers
- Mom’s Homemade Spaghetti and Meat Sauce
- One-Pot Creamy Chicken and Rice Casserole
- Homemade Chicken Parmesan
- Baby Back Ribs in the Instant Pot
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