Nana's Chicken & Andouille Gumbo + Why We Use Okra Instead of File
If beans are comfort, gumbo is celebration.
This chicken & andouille gumbo is dark, rich, and slow-simmered — the kind you make on a Sunday and it feeds everybody who walks through the door.
Make this recipe with this →[List Linked HERE]
Nana's Chicken & Andouille Gumbo Recipe
You’ll need:
1 whole chicken, cut up, or 3 lbs chicken thighs
1 lb andouille sausage, sliced into rounds
1 cup flour
1 cup oil
1 large onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
3 stalks celery, diced — the trinity
4 cloves garlic, minced
8 cups chicken stock
2 cups sliced okra
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp Cajun seasoning
Salt, pepper, pepper sauce
Green onions + parsley for garnish
Cooked rice for serving
How to make it:
Season + brown chicken: Season chicken and brown in a big pot. Remove and set aside.
Brown andouille: Add sliced andouille to the pot. Brown it well. Remove and set aside.
Make the roux: This is the heart. Whisk flour and oil together on medium-low. Stir constantly 30-45 min till it’s dark chocolate brown. Don’t walk away!
The trinity: Add onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic. Cook till soft.
Build the pot: Slowly whisk in warm stock. Add bay leaves and Cajun seasoning. Bring to a boil.
Simmer: Add chicken and andouille back in. Reduce heat and simmer 1 hour.
Add okra: In the last 20 minutes, add sliced okra. It thickens the gumbo and gives it that classic Louisiana body.
Serve: Ladle over rice. Top with green onions, parsley, and pepper sauce.
Makes a big pot. Leftovers are even better the next day.
Make this recipe with this →[List Linked HERE]
What is Andouille? + Why It’s Cajun Heritage
Andouille is a smoked sausage that’s pure Cajun.
It’s made from pork — usually pork butt and shoulder — seasoned heavy with garlic, black pepper, onions, and Cajun spices, then stuffed into casings and smoked over pecan wood.
Why it matters:
Cajun people don't waste anything. After butchering a hog, andouille was how we used the trimmings and made them last. The heavy smoke helped preserve it, and the spice made it flavorful enough to carry a whole pot of gumbo.
You’ll taste it in every bite. It’s smoky, spicy, and it flavors the whole broth.
Without andouille, it just ain’t Cajun gumbo.
Okra vs File: The Substitution
Traditional gumbo is thickened 3 ways: roux, okra, or file.
File powder is ground sassafras leaves. It gives gumbo an earthy flavor and thickens it, but you stir it in after you turn the heat off. It gets stringy if it boils.
Okra does the same job but different. It’s a vegetable, and when it simmers it releases a natural thickener. It also adds flavor and texture.
I use okra instead of file because:
It’s in season here in Louisiana half the year and we always grew it
You can cook it in the pot — no worrying about adding it last minute
It’s what my mama used when file was hard to get
Both are 100% authentic. It just depends on what your family did. In South Louisiana, you’ll find pots with okra, pots with file, and pots with both.
Why this matters
Gumbo isn’t just a recipe. It’s resourceful cooking. It’s taking what you have — chicken, sausage, okra from the garden — and making something that feeds 10 people and tastes like home.
That’s Cajun heritage right there.
Make this recipe with this →[List Linked HERE]
Nana's Note:
I use okra because it cooks right in the pot and it’s what I grew up on. But file is just as Cajun. Use what you’ve got and what tastes like home to you ❤️
- Love, Nana
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