Chicken Gumbo Soup Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do I make my gumbo more flavorful? ›

For the most flavor, use stock or broth in your gumbo instead of water. Whether you use chicken or vegetable stock, homemade or boxed, the stock will give your gumbo more depth and complexity.

Chicken Gumbo Soup

Our traditional gumbo blends rice, chicken meat and farm-grown veggies like celery, okra and peppers in a savory chicken broth that's loaded with authentic spices.

CHICKEN BROTH (WATER, CHICKEN STOCK), DICED TOMATOES (TOMATOES, TOMATO JUICE, CITRIC ACID, CALCIUM CHLORIDE), OKRA, RICE, SEASONED CHICKEN (SOY), CELERY, SALT, MODIFIED CORN STARCH, TOMATO PASTE, CHICKEN FAT, SUGAR, YEAST EXTRACT, SPICE EXTRACTS, ONION POWDER, CARAMEL, FLAVOUR (CONTAINS GARLIC).

A: By all means use chicken broth instead of water. You get a more complex and richer Gumbo. If no chicken broth use chicken upper bullion.

Great gumbo starts with roux, a flavorful thickening agent made from equal parts fat and flour. Once the roux is a deep golden color, add diced veggies and sausage to the mix. Then, incorporate beef bouillon, hot sauce, tomatoes, and seasonings to intensify the flavor.

Thou Shalt Always Use a Bowl. If you use a plate, it is not gumbo it is rice and gravy! Thou Shalt Only Use a Wooden Spoon. There is only one kind of spoon that can enter a gumbo pot and that is a wooden one.

Filé can provide thickening when okra is not in season, in types of gumbo that use okra or a roux as a thickener for gumbo instead of filé. Sprinkled sparingly over gumbo as a seasoning and a thickening agent, filé powder adds a distinctive, earthy flavor and texture.

Turns out, your preference for tomatoes in gumbo comes down to whether you learned your skills from a Cajun cook or a Creole cook. (Learn about the difference here.) Cajun gumbo does not include tomatoes in the base, but Creole gumbo (typically shellfish or seafood gumbo) does call for tomatoes.

A family favorite for generations, this chicken soup is crafted with rice, chicken meat with no antibiotics, and farm-grown veggies like celery, okra and peppers in a savory, spice-laden broth. The result is a satisfying chicken gumbo soup that brings a smile with every spoonful.

In order to develop a deep roasted flavor in your gumbo, you should cook your roux — being careful not to burn — until it is a deep dark brown color. "Roux needs to be cooked low and slow to bring out the nutty flavor and rich dark color without burning it," says Chef Dickensauge of Houndstooth Saloon in Chicago.

Do you simmer gumbo covered or uncovered? ›

Heat on medium-high until you get a slow boil going. Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for an hour, stirring periodically.

Lagasse points out “gumbo thickness is a matter of personal preference. Some folks enjoy a very thick gravy like sauce, and others prefer their gumbo to be more on the brothy side. Either is correct, make it how you like it!” I've adapted the recipe to include okra, which acts as a natural thickener.

In order to develop a deep roasted flavor in your gumbo, you should cook your roux — being careful not to burn — until it is a deep dark brown color. "Roux needs to be cooked low and slow to bring out the nutty flavor and rich dark color without burning it," says Chef Dickensauge of Houndstooth Saloon in Chicago.

Most cooks agree that gumbos must have the vegetable trinity of chopped bell pepper, onion and celery, and that they should be highly seasoned. Some gumbos do contain sausage, shrimp and chicken, but there are humbler ones that are made with only salt pork, onions and greens.

Powdered sassafras leaves were first used in cooking by the Choctaw Indians of the Southern U.S. When the Cajuns (Acadians) arrived in Southern Louisiana, they began using the spice as a thickener and flavoring in their soups, stews, and gumbos.

Butter adds great flavor, but since it has a lower smoke point than other fat sources (like vegetable or canola oil), it's more likely to burn when used in a darker roux. “In a dark roux,” says New Orleans–based chef Justin Devillier, “I'll mix butter with a high-heat oil” to keep the fat from scorching.