It’s Fat Monday, ya’ll! Lundi Gras (French for Fat Monday) ramps up the Mardi Gras holiday with a full schedule of parades, balls, and of course, the Courir de Mardi Gras—the rural Cajun celebration before the beginning of Lent.
Chicken and smoked sausage gumbo worth begging for. (All photos credit: George Graham)
Break out your capuchon (a cone-shaped ceremonial hat), don a colorful mask, tank up with your favorite beverage—it’s time to start begging. Explanation needed? The Courir is my favorite of all the Mardi Gras customs seen throughout Acadiana.
Colorfully dressed Mardi Gras revelers beg for Cajun recipe ingredients for their celebration gumbo.
Unlike the lavish parades of New Orleans, this celebration takes place in the small communities that dot the region. It is a family event with just as many kids as adults dressing up and riding (sometimes by horseback) from house to house to beg for Cajun recipe ingredients to make a chicken and smoked sausage gumbo celebration.
Gimme something mister!
The custom dates back to medieval France with its origin in the Catholic religion, and the garish garb is said to mock aristocratic society. Here in Cajun country, troops of revelers, led by Le Capitaine, move from house to house “begging” for ingredients to make a Chicken and Smoked Sausage Gumbo. My wife Roxanne recalls that when she was little, she would hide behind her grandmother Mo Mo Eve when the “beggars” rode up to their house every Mardi Gras. And when her grandmother appeared on the front porch with a sack of onions or such, the masked merrymakers would break into music and dance. The highlight is at the end of the ride when a live chicken is thrown into the crowd, and the chase ensues.
Dancing for their dinner!
It all culminates at the communal gumbo when the fiddles bow up, and the squeezebox plays chank-a-chank music for the crowd as the black-iron pots simmer away. This is a colorful Cajun tradition that few get a chance to experience. But my Cajun recipe for Chicken and Smoked Sausage Gumbo is one that everyone can enjoy.
Time for chicken gumbo!
Of all the gumbos, chicken and smoked sausage gumbo defines rural Cajun food culture. Deep, dark roux-based flavor is punched with smoky pork andouille sausage, and it’s spiked with just enough heat to make you grab for another beer and beg for another bowl.
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 chicken thighs, bone-in and skin-on
- 2 chicken breasts, bone-in and skin-on
- 2 cups diced yellow onions
- 2 cups diced green bell pepper
- 2 cups diced celery
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- ½ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 2 cups chopped smoked andouille or pork sausage, sliced into bite-size pieces
- 12 cups chicken stock, plus water if needed
- 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoons Acadiana Table Cajun Seasoning Blend, see recipe here
- 1 cup dark roux, such as Rox’s Roux
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Dash of hot sauce
- 8 cups cooked Louisiana long-grain white rice, such as Supreme, for serving
- 1 cup diced green onion tops
- Filé powder, for serving
- In a large cast-iron pot over medium-high heat, add the oil. Once sizzling hot, add the chicken pieces skin-side down. Brown the chicken on one side and turn to brown the other side. Remove the chicken to a platter and keep warm.
- To the pot, add the onions, bell peppers, and celery. Sauté until the onions turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and parsley, and sauté until combined. Add the sausage and sauté just until it begins to brown. Add 1 cup of stock to the mixture and scrape the bottom of the skillet to loosen the brown bits of flavor. Add the chicken back to the pot.
- Add enough additional chicken stock to the gumbo pot to cover all the chicken and vegetable mixture. Season with cayenne pepper and Cajun seasoning; stir to combine. Add the roux and stir to combine. Bring the pot to a boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot and let cook for 1 hour.
- Uncover and remove the chicken pieces. Skim the surface of any excess oil. Taste the gumbo and if you prefer your gumbo thinner, add more stock; if thicker, add more roux. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover the pot and simmer for 30 minutes longer.
- Uncover the pot and once again skim the surface of any excess oil.
- At this point, you can leave the chicken on the bone or remove the bones and skin from each of the pieces. Just prior to serving, add the chicken back to the pot, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes more.
- Uncover the pot and skim the surface of any excess oil. Sample the finished gumbo and season with more Cajun seasoning and hot sauce to taste.
- Ladle the gumbo into large bowls over a mound of rice and garnish with diced green onion tops. Add a bit of filé powder if you like.
YOUR SEAT AT THE TABLE: If you like this Cajun cooking story and Cajun recipe then accept my personal invitation to subscribe by entering your email at the bottom or top right of this page. It’s quick and painless. You will receive an email alert and be the first to see when new Cajun cooking stories and Cajun recipes are added. Thanks, George.
You, sir, make gumbo very closely to what I do. I start by browning the chicken in just a little fat, then the andouille and finally the onions and garlic. I don’t do the bell pepper, celery and parsley because Mama didn’t either. I’ve looked for jarred roux here in central Florida…but so far there ain’t none so I make my own and save it in jar in the icebox. I have to use a California brand andouille (Aidells) which actually isn’t too bad but my andouille of choice is Veron’s. I usually use thighs because they seem to a have little “white” and “dark” meat. Your gumbo looks spectacular. Well done.
Hey Robert – Every gumbo takes a different path to (hopefully) arrive at the same flavor-filled destination. I once had to cook an impromptu gumbo for 100 at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah, and used kielbasa sausage since andouille was nowhere to be found. It turned out great with no complaints.
Cool stories. Robert and I are from Maryland/DC, and became Creole as soon as I could. We started cooking the dishes when I moved to Houston in 1995. I had a headstart on loving the food, due to luckily having a Cajun music and food club in Wheaton, MD, when I was in college. That was my first time seeing Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown and Buckwheat Zydeco, but not the last! I cooked my most challenging gumbos while in Thailand and Istanbul. Istanbul may have been harder, since they don’t have andouille sausage available. I found pairing Kofte kebab meat with chicken to be an equally great combo! Love the stories and thank your wife for refreshing my roux memory. Happy Holiday to you all!
Nealio- Thanks for a great comment. Happy holidays to you, too.
Some Publix carry Savoie’s andouille and jarred roux.
Only one Publix in Tallahassee carries a wide range of Louisiana products.
But, they are all grouped together on the international aisle.
Hi Sissy,
I’m actually in Tallahassee too. Which Publix carries them? I’m from Baton Rouge so I would LOVE to be able to get a hold of more Louisiana items because as of now, I’ll either bring them back after a trip home or have things shipped to me. Thank you.
I’m surprised the revelers caught that chicken, since it had four legs! This is how I make my gumbo and haven’t had any complaints from friends and family. I do, however, leave the bones and skin in all the way through serving. That’s how my Mom does, and Momma’s always right!
Hey Ned – I’d dig a four-legged chicken; it’s my favorite part. You are correct: leaving the whole pieces of chicken intact all the way through cooking is old-school, and in my book, the way to go. Deboning still has great flavor, and it is a more presentable way of serving for a large crowd. Either way, it’s time to get your gumbo on!
Thank you so much, love the story and recipes.
Grady – Thanks for the kind words.
Hi George, Congratulations on the Mardi Gras post. I’m thrilled to be on your list and receive your recipes and stories. You appreciation and knowledge of food is quite impressive, and it’s evident how hard you work. I’m a south Loos-siana woman who has lived in Houston for 37 years. Following you makes me feel a bit more connected. Thank you for the lovely thing you said about my brother Billy Billeaud’s boudin.
Thanks, Virginia. It is my pleasure to tell the stories of our amazing food culture, and I am most pleased it brings back fond memories to you. All the best to you.
Hey George, Just wanted to let you know I tackled the homemade roux from Rox’s recipe. I stayed with it, zoned everything out and stirred and petted and pampered it. It turned out perfect. And the gumbo was great. I added a pound of shrimp to it as well. Ca c’est bon!
Hey Jim Bob – Now you are a bona fide Cajun cook, and you’ve graduated to the big leagues of making cracklin’s and boudin from scratch. I will let Rox know about your roux success. All the best.
I am loving your blog. Today I am going to make chicken and sausage gumbo for the first time ever. AND I’m going to try to make this awesome looking roux. Roux, in quantity, is also something I have never attempted. My guys had a taste of gumbo recently and want this in our rotation. If you knew how gloomy it is up here most of the year in the PNW, you’d wonder why Starbucks wasn’t serving gumbo along side its lattes. All the other recipes I found on-line have limp color. Roux has got to be the key. Wish me luck!
Hey Andrea – Rox’s Roux is an authentic Cajun roux, and it is the secret to the depth of flavor of gumbo like you would eat in South Louisiana. Follow the instructions, but allow yourself to be guided by your eyes and your nose. You’ll instinctively know when you’ve reached the dark abyss of Rox’s Roux. All the best.
Question…What if the chicken pieces were smoked slightly (say an hour or so over cherry or apple smoke) first instead of browned in oil? Just a thought…
Please comment. Thanks for all the wonderful recipes.
Hey John – I like the way you think: Infuse those drumsticks with apple-wood smoke and then let them soak in a pot of dark roux simmering away on the stove top. I love it.
Hey George,
You have done it again! This gumbo was superb and being a Baton Rouge native, I’ve made plenty of gumbo in my life. There isn’t an authentic Louisiana restaurant in Tallahassee, where I’m currently living, for people to regularly enjoy and admire what makes our food so extraordinary, so I doubled the recipe and invited a slew of friends over to experience your creation. They were MOST appreciative! Time to roll the dice and allow chance to decide the next recipe of yours I’ll make, but I know I’ll be getting around to that Smoked Rabbit Gumbo at some point. Cheers to you, Sir, and I hope you have a great Superbowl Weekend! We aren’t in it but WHO DAT anyway!
Edgar – Thanks for the comments, and I hope you can help me spread the gospel of Cajun cooking to central Florida. A steaming hot bowl of Chicken and Sausage Gumbo is a sure way to convert them. All the best.
Sir, have you tried your recipe above with any other types of meat? Rabbit? Quail? For that matter, in general what do you recommend I do with rabbit or quail? I will attempt a Rabbit and Sausage gumbo over the weekend using your wisdom as a guide…
Hey Shari-
Here is the link to my Smoked Rabbit Gumbo recipe. All the best.
Hello George – I am looking at making this for my Monday night social church group (about 30) any recommendations are making this ahead of time? As I work and will only have about 2 hours for dinner prep between end of shift and dinner. Really looking forward to trying this out.
Hey Michael- Yes, this gumbo is even better if it is made the day before. Just follow the recipe and in step #6 “Just prior to serving, add the chicken back to the pot, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes more” is what you will do after the gumbo base has come up to temperature the night of your gathering. One caution: chicken breast meat tends to get stringy if cooked too long, so do not add it back to the pot anymore than 20 minutes before serving. Enjoy.
Hi George,
I cannot wait to try your recipe. I was raised in Lafayette, and I so miss my grandmother’s gumbo. My question is, is a 6-quart cast iron pot big enough? Thank you, sir!
Hey Meagan- The size of your pot is relative to the number of servings. The ingredients can be scaled to fit any size pot. The stock is what takes up the most space so measure your liquid and scale your ingredients accordingly. Hope that helps. All the best.
I love chicken and andouille sausage gumbo but making the roux is definitely a time hog. I’m love the idea of keeping a batch of dark roux in the refrigerator – huge time saver! I never knew it could keep for a few months. The only ingredient I would add to making the roux is cold beer. Stir with one hand, hold the beer in the other. Helps the time pass.
By the way, for those looking for andouille sausage, I like ordering mine from Wayne Jacobs. I’m sure there are other good sources. Regardless, nothing beats Louisiana- made andouille sausage.
Hey Todd – Amen to the beer! And you are correct: Wayne Jacobs (LaPlace, LA) makes a very tasty andouille sausage. All the best.
This was my first attempt at gumbo from scratch. It was absolutely fabulous. I really like the earthy taste the dark roux adds. I went with about a cup and half of the roux instead of the 1 cup suggested above. I like gumbo a little thicker. I also added a pound of wild Georgia shrimp.
I had it again for lunch today and think it was even better after sitting for a day.
I had to forgo the file powder as our local Publix did not carry it.
Next time I with will put a little more sausage in. You can never have too much andouille sausage.
Top notch.
Thank you for your guidance George.
Hey Andy-
So glad it turned out great. All the best.
Thank you!! I am going to use this recipe tonight, with the addition of okra instead of file. I made a dry roux last night, that I’ll add oil to today (because what’s the point if I don’t have bacon fat to cook the flour a little longer? LOL) The picture looks JUST LIKE what I make, but I lost the recipe! I know it’s getting warmer, but the idea of eating gumbo is just too enticing, and this version just mmmmmmMM.
This is the best gumbo I’ve ever had. I made a gluten free roux (sounds like a crime, I know, but doctors orders) out of canola oil and cassava flour. I otherwise mostly followed the recipe to a tee, including the Cajun seasoning mix from scratch. My partner said it was one of the best meals he’s ever had in his entire life. Thank you, sir! Can’t wait to try another one of your recipes.
Hey Emma- Thanks for the glowing review. I often have requests for how to make a gluten-free roux, so I salute you on your creative recipe. Did you use equal parts oil and flour like a normal roux? Did you taste a difference from a regular roux-based gumbo? I don’t see cassava flour in the supermarkets; did you special order it? Let us know.
Thanks George! I think I’m going to make this for some friends of ours that recently moved here from California and haven’t had a real gumbo yet. One dumb question: if I’m making my roux from scratch (thank you for the very informative video, by the way), do I make it separately and add it as directed? Or do I make it in the pot first and then add the rest from there? Thanks!
Hey Rory-
Either way, but I usually make more roux than I need and jar the rest; make sure you remove the excess roux before adding your ingredients. Also, if you want to brown your vegetables and sausage, you will need to make the roux in a separate pot. Thanks for the kind comments.
I’ve been in love with Louisiana for the past six years! I drive 24 hours (from Ontario, Canada) once a year for a mini-vacation. Two years ago, I tried gumbo for my first time and, needless to say, I loved it! This year I was missing Louisiana, so I bought the Cajun seasoning and Roux and made it myself following your recipe. THANK YOU! It was so delicious it made my heart happy! Even my teenage son had three servings! The only change I made was using mild chorizo in place of andouille. I can’t find it where I live. For any Canadians reading this, Loblaws’ Presidents Choice brand has perfect mild chorizo!
Thanks again for the recipe. I’ll be making this one again!
Mrs. B. – Glad to hear of your success with the gumbo recipe. When necessary, substitutions are acceptable (I once made this recipe using Kielbasa sausage in Park City, Utah). Thanks for a wonderful comment.
I once had chicken and sausage gumbo in Houma. That gumbo was and, still to me, is the best. The broth was dark, but thin. I regret never asking Miss Peggy for her recipe. She has been in heaven for awhile now. Do you have any suggestions on preparing her delicious gumbo?
Hey Regina- Thanks for your memories of the perfect gumbo. As a tutorial for making this dish, start with my recipe for Chicken Leg and Sausage Gumbo or the recipe for gumbo on this page. All the best.
Hi George,
I make my own roux. How much oil and flour, respectively, will I need to make the above recipe? Sounds delicious, as always. Thank you!
Robert – One cup of each. All the best.
I almost had a gumbo culinary disaster but was saved by your dark roux recipe. I dropped my *only* jar of canned roux (& the only in the region) and had to make the chicken & sausage gumbo by making my own roux. You were right on the $; after 30 minutes it started to turn light brown & after an hour, perfection (though my arms were aching).
What happened to the smoked rabbit gumbo recipe? Is it in your book? Made it for a holiday party a few years ago and it was a huge hit.
Jacob- Yes, the smoked rabbit gumbo recipe is on page 44 of my second cookbook, FRESH FROM LOUISIANA, which you can buy in the STORE on my website at AcadianaTable.com. All the best.
George and Roxanne –
Thanks so much for the great story and demo. I have been short-changing my roux, not cooking long enough and using butter instead of oil. I’m going to make this recipe for Christmas Eve dinner and I’m sure my family will love it!
One question: what temperature do you cook the roux at? I listened to the video twice but didn’t hear that important piece of information.
Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge of my favorite couisine.
Terry-
Making a roux is as much art as science. The knob on your stovetop is part of the control you have over how fast and how hot the roux cooks. While stirring, you should start off at medium-high heat, but as your roux begins to change colors, be sure to adjust the level of heat down to cook more slowly. Toward the end, you will be cooking at a simmer and then finally turn the heat off and let the roux begin to cool while still stirring. After a few times making roux, you will develop the instincts needed to keep the roux from burning. All the best.