This Easy Chicken and Sausage Gumbo is a paleo-friendly family-favorite in our house! Throw the ingredients in a slow cooker and go about your day. Switch it up by adding shrimp to the final product!
When K-Hubs and I bought our house almost seventeen years ago, I was so excited to have a kitchen larger than a galley, I couldn’t wait to get cookin’. So when we hosted one of my dads for dinner I was determined to try something new. Chicken and sausage gumbo, complete with a roux. Look who’s grown up now!?!?!
Since then, chicken and sausage gumbo has been a favorite of ours, especially when we want to enjoy a meal that’s a little more “special” than our tried-and-true usual rotation of recipes. But when we went paleo, this recipe, like many others, fell to the back burner because I wasn’t quite sure how to adapt it for our needs.
Until now.
And, friends, we have a paleo-friendly gumbo. It’s scrumptious, spicy, and satiating. Now, I have to admit the first time I made gumbo all those years ago, it was quite the undertaking. Since then, I have found ways to streamline the process, so you can enjoy the food without wearing yourself out!
The hardest part that first time around was knowing how to prepare the roux. And if you’ve never made a roux before, it can be intimidating. On the one hand, you want a nice bronze color. But on the other hand, you don’t want to burn it. It takes a little patience and a lot of stirring. But it’s worth it. And I’ve found that if the roux starts to darken more than you’d like, a quick stir usually brings it back into balance.
Also, with this Easy Chicken and Sausage Gumbo recipe, you can tailor your version to your exact liking. For example, select a sausage with just the right flavors YOU like. I’m partial to a country-style flavor from Aldi. Additionally, throw a little cooked shrimp into the final product for added flair.
Now, two ingredients you won’t find in this recipe are okra and red pepper. I know this is hard to believe, but I have never added okra to my gumbo, and we haven’t tried dried red pepper on the girls yet. Although you won’t see them in these pictures, I have included an approximate amount for each in the notes section if you’d like to add them to yours.
And if you’re wondering what to serve with your Easy Chicken and Sausage Gumbo, then try it with cooked cauliflower rice or mashed cauliflower potatoes. Either way, you can’t go wrong.
Are you ready to get your gumbo on? Let’s do this!
EASY CHICKEN AND SAUSAGE GUMBO INGREDIENTS:
To make you own chicken and sausage gumbo, you will need:
- Almond flour and olive oil. To make this a paleo-friendly gumbo, we work with almond flour and olive oil. Almond flour isn’t like traditional flour. But it blends well with the flavors in this gumbo.
- Chicken and sausage. You can work with fresh or frozen chicken. And as for sausage, I go for a traditional country-style flavor so I can more easily control the spices I add to the gumbo. You can also throw in a handful of cooked shrimp, right at the end of cooking, if desired. It tastes wonderful!
- Onion, celery, garlic, and sweet peppers. These ingredients are best when fresh. Just about any color of onion or sweet pepper will do.
- Basil, onion salt, parsley, sea salt, and coarse black pepper. I’m not sure everyone adds basil to their gumbo, but I LOVE it in mine. I also like a sprinkle or two of dried parsley and sea salt and pepper to taste.
HOW TO MAKE EASY CHICKEN AND SAUSAGE GUMBO:
Below are the steps to prepare your own batch of gumbo. Check the notes section in the recipe card for further best practices.
- In a deep saucepan, combine the almond flour, olive oil, and a pinch of sea salt. Bring to a rapid simmer, stir frequently, and cook for approximately 15 minutes or until the mixture thickens and the color turns bronze.
- Pour water into a slow cooker and add the roux, chicken, sausage, onion, sweet pepper, celery, garlic, sea salt, and coarse black pepper. Cook for approximately 6-8 hours. If fat rises to the top, especially if working with frozen chicken, skim it off, if desired.
- Serve “as is” or over cauliflower mashed potatoes or cauliflower rice.
- Refrigerate leftovers in glass jars for about 2-3 days.
This Easy Chicken and Sausage Gumbo is delicious all year long, too! So live dangerously and make a batch, no matter the weather!
Easy Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
This Easy Chicken and Sausage Gumbo is paleo-friendly and prepared in a slow cooker!
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 6 hours
- Total Time: 6 hours 20 minutes
- Yield: Approximately 6 cups 1x
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup almond flour
- 3 cups water
- 2–3 chicken breasts, fresh or frozen is fine, sliced
- 16 ounces sausage links, sliced
- 1 white onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup celery, sliced
- 1/2 cup sweet pepper, sliced and cut into halves or thirds
- 4 cloves garlic, pressed
- 1/2 + 1/8 teaspoon sea salt, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon basil
- 1/4 teaspoon onion salt
- Coarse black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 pound cooked shrimp, optional
Instructions
- In a deep saucepan, combine the almond flour, olive oil, and sea salt. Bring to a rapid simmer, stir frequently, and cook for approximately 15 minutes or until the mixture thickens and the color turns bronze.
- Pour water into a slow cooker and add the roux, chicken, sausage, onion, sweet pepper, celery, garlic, sea salt, and coarse black pepper. Cook for approximately 6-8 hours. If fat rises to the top, especially if working with frozen chicken, skim it off, if desired.
- Serve “as is” or over cauliflower mashed potatoes or cauliflower rice.
- Refrigerate leftovers in glass jars for about 2-3 days.
Notes
- Preparing the roux will take approximately 15 minutes. But actual times will vary based on the size of the saucepan, how often it is stirred, and how hot the stove cooks. Deeper saucepans may take longer, and while frequent stirring is ideal to prevent burning, it also lengthens the cooking process.
- You may notice the roux doesn’t mix right away with the other ingredients once it’s added to the slow cooker. Let everything cook, stir periodically, and eventually it will blend in.
- Add approximately 2 cups sliced okra and 1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper, if desired.
- Add cooked shrimp to the finished product, if desired.
Recipe adapted from New Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook (12th edition), 2002.
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