If you are looking for a tasty gumbo recipe to enjoy using chicken, try this Slow Cooker Chicken Chorizo Gumbo this week!
Gumbo is one of my favorite meals to make for my family. I love that you can get creative with gumbo recipes!
Chicken and Sausage Gumbo is my go to recipe for sausage most of the time, but every now and then I like to spice things up with a chicken chorizo gumbo.
This Chicken Chorizo Gumbo is made in a slow cooker and has an amazing flavor! Try this recipe soon.
What is chorizo?
Chorizo is popularly used in Spanish or Mexican cooking. It’s a pork sausage that’s highly seasoned and can be made from pork, but can also be made from beef, too. The seasonings used to create chorizo usually include ingredients like: chili peppers, paprika, cumin, garlic, cloves, coriander, cinnamon, and/or vinegar.
There are two types of chorizo available: Mexican Chorizo is uncooked and fresh while Spanish Chorizo is dried and cured.
This Shrimp, Turkey and Sausage Etouffee recipe is an authentic and versatile Cajun dish that is easy and fun to make at home.
I’ve mentioned in other recipes that part of my family’s heritage is from Cajun people of southern Louisiana. For several large family gatherings we would enjoy eating Gumbo, but our family did not make or eat several other traditional Cajun dishes.
While I never made an Etouffee in the past, I didn’t let my lack of experience stop me from cooking and enjoying a new meal. After looking up a few recipes from the internet, I decided to give my own twist to an old dish.
The good news is that most of the ingredients are the same in a Gumbo and an Etouffee, but the method and order for how they were cooked and added is different.
What is the difference between gumbo and Etouffee?
Gumbo is more of a soup with more liquid used in the recipe, while Etouffee is a thick sauce and creamier. There are so many variations between gumbo and Etoffee and this answer can always vary based on how each dish is made by an individual.
Shrimp, Turkey and Sausage Etouffee
Ingredients:
Turkey Brine Recipe
2 or 3 turkey legs
½ gallon water
½ cup salt
½ cup brown sugar
2 tbsp. onion powder
2 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 tbsp. chili powder
Etouffee
16 medium sized shrimp (frozen or fresh)
Jalapeno Sausage
½ cup of vegetable oil
1 cup all purpose flour
1 red bell pepper
1 medium onion
3-4 stalks of celery
1 lemon
1 bundle of green onion
1 can of tomatoes
2 tbsp. of tomato paste
1 tsp. of garlic powder
When I make a Gumbo, I usually start by cooking the vegetables, then adding the liquid, protein, and finally the roux. From my research and for my preference, I decided to go in a different order for the Etouffee.
First, I made the Roux with oil and flour in my favorite jumbo cooker saute pan. The name of the game is to stir, stir, stir! Once the Roux was complete, I added the vegetables.
Instead of a green bell pepper for the Cajun Trinity I substituted a red bell pepper.
After finely chopping the Trinity vegetables, I added them to the Roux and let the hot pan and hot roux cook the vegetables.
This will allow you to take a break from all of the stirring, so reduce the heat to medium and let the vegetable cook for a 10 minutes or so.
Next, I added turkey broth and then also added a can of tomatoes.
Another big difference between my Gumbo and Etouffee is that I added 2 tbsp. of tomato paste to really thicken the Etouffee.
After letting the Etouffee simmer for another 10 minutes or so, I added a teaspoon each of garlic powder, cayenne pepper, and creole seasoning.
Finally, I added the protein. Now as I have mentioned before, my wife does not eat seafood.
I made enough base for the Etouffee so that I could split it and make half Shrimp Etouffee and used the other half to make Turkey and Jalapeno Sausage Etouffee.
This was another twist because usually for my Gumbo I make it with chicken and andouille sausage.
For this Etouffee I experimented and tried two very similar but just slightly different proteins.
I smoked the turkey legs using my smoked turkey legs recipe. I let 2 or 3 turkey legs brine overnight in the fridge.
The next day, I fired up the smoker to 250 degrees and let the turkey legs smoke for about 3 hours or until their internal temperature was at least 170 degrees.
For the jalapeno sausage, I just picked out my favorite jalapeno sausage from the grocery store.
Once I smoked the turkey legs, I pulled off the meat and added to the Etouffee.
I also threw the jalapeno sausage on the grill for 10 minutes to warm it up and give it a smokey flavor before adding to the etouffee.
For the shrimp, I just put them onto a skewer, dusted them with a little creole seasoning and let them cook on the grill for 8 minutes and until they were plump from cooking.
Finally, I wanted to include brown rice, so I used the recipe from the back of the bag of rice, but instead of using just water I substituted half of the liquid with turkey broth and used water for the other half of the cooking liquid.
Per the recipe for cooking the rice, I let the water and broth come to a boil, then I added the uncooked rice, reduced the temperature, covered and then let simmer for 40 minutes. The rice does take a while, but nothing is better than homemade rice!
Once the food was complete, I scooped a healthy portion of shrimp etouffee and rice and I topped it off with chopped green onions and a squeeze of lemon. I made similar bowl for my wife, but I left off the lemon.
This Shrimp and Sausage Grits recipe is a very diverse dish that could be eaten for any meal any time of day.
I did not grow up eating grits. It was just not something our family ate. We did eat lots of seafood though, and shrimp was always my favorite. I loved shrimp cooked lots of different ways… fried shrimp, grilled shrimp, buffalo shrimp, boiled shrimp… well you get the idea!
When my wife and I moved to South Carolina, we asked around for a restaurant recommendation we ended up finding our favorite spot to go out to eat for the next 3 years! It was a great locally owned restaurant, and my favorite meal at the restaurant was shrimp and grits.
I tried the dish on a whim, and it did not disappoint. The grits were so creamy and cheesy. The shrimp was fresh grilled and the meal was also served with delicious andouille sausage.
After many years away from South Carolina shrimp and grits, I decided that I could make my very own shrimp and grits. I got a recipe from my mother, and I added a few other twists to the recipe to make it my own.
The other thing about this dish is that while I love shrimp, no one else in my family does. I wasn’t going to let that fact stop me from making something that I enjoyed, and I wanted the rest of my family to be able to enjoy the creamy grits. So I substituted the shrimp with chicken for my wife and kids.
The other thing about this dish is that it can be deconstructed so that you too could add an additional protein like bacon, ham, or fish. Bottom line, this is a very diverse dish that could be eaten for any meal any time of day.
Shrimp and Sausage Grits
Ingredients:
¾ cup old fashioned grits
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups milk
1/3 cup butter (cubed)
½ tsp. ground black pepper
½ tsp. salt
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 horseshoe link of Andouille sausage
24 small shrimp
Substitutions/Additions:
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
4 stalks of green onion
Directions:
In a large pot bring the broth, milk, butter, salt and pepper to a boil. Once boiling, add the grits, then turn the heat to low and cover for 14 minutes stirring occasionally.
Once the grits are thick, turn the heat off, then add the cheddar cheese and mix into the grits well.
As I mentioned earlier, you can pick any protein you like to go with this dish or with grits in general. Grits are normally served at breakfast, so these grits could even go with bacon, sausage, or eggs.
I fired up my grill for the shrimp and andouille sausage. I couldn’t find any skewers, so I used marshmallow roasting sticks! I sprinkled the shrimp with creole seasoning before putting on the grill and then grilled them on both sides for 3-4 minutes each side.
For the sausage, I just placed the sausage link on the grill for 10 minutes until it was warmed through and then I sliced it up.
Finally, I chopped up a few stalks of green onion for garnish and for some bite.
I mentioned that I added chicken for my wife, and all I did for that was sprinkle some creole seasoning on the chicken and let the chicken marinate for an hour before cooking.
I smoked the chicken thighs at 250 degrees for 45 minutes and made sure the internal temperature of the chicken was 165 degrees.
Shrimp and Sausage Grits
Ingredients
¾ cup old fashioned grits
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups milk
1/3 cup butter (cubed)
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp salt
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 horseshoe link of andouille sausage
24 small shrimp
Instructions
In a large pot bring the broth, milk, butter, salt and pepper to a boil. Once boiling, add the grits, then turn the heat to low and cover for 14 minutes stirring occasionally. Once the grits are thick, turn the heat off, then add the cheddar cheese and mix into the grits well.
Note: You can pick any protein you like to go with this dish or with grits in general. Grits are normally served at breakfast, so these grits could even go with bacon, sausage, or eggs.
Fire up the grill for the shrimp and andouille sausage. Use skewers or marshmallow tongs for the shrimp. Sprinkle the shrimp with creole seasoning before putting on the grill and then grill shrimp on both sides for 3-4 minutes each side.
For the sausage, place the sausage link on the grill for 10 minutes until it is warmed through and then slice up.
Chop up a few stalks of green onion for garnish and for some bite.
You may substitute the shrimp for chicken. Sprinkle some creole seasoning on the chicken and let the chicken marinate for an hour before cooking. Smoke the chicken thighs at 250 degrees for 45 minutes and make sure the internal temperature of the chicken is 165 degrees.
Chicken and Sausage Gumbo is a family favorite! I serve this recipe for our family on a weekly basis.
Some of my best family memories involve good home-cooking!
I remember not only eating great food, but I also have fond memories of my mother, father, aunts, uncles, and grandmothers teaching me how to cook food that brought our family together.
We had a large extended family, but we lived relatively close to each other so every holiday was booked at a specific family members.
My mother always hosted Easter, my Aunt Lisa had a gathering for Mother’s Day, the entire family would go to the Family Lake House for Memorial Day and Labor Day, Fourth of July was usually hosted by Aunt Susan, Thanksgiving would rotate between different families, and Christmas Eve was always at Aunt Karen’s.
Although we celebrated holidays at different houses, the one thing that remained constant and kept us coming together again and again was the delicious food!
If there was one dish that I enjoyed the most, it was Gumbo! While my family and I are all die-hard Texans, our patriarch hailed from Louisiana. After joining the Army, he settled in Houston where he served as a Police Officer. His family taught my grandmother, who was from Mississippi, how to cook Gumbo and other Cajun favorites.
The great thing about Gumbo is that it can be enjoyed in cold weather, but it is also great in the warmer weather months too.
Another great thing about Gumbo, is that it feeds a lot of people for not a lot of money. It is usually served with rice, potato salad, and sweet tea. The recipe has been passed down to me, and I’ve made it my own!
While Gumbo makes me feel closer to home, I recently had the fortune to move to Louisiana, and I’m excited to use authentic Cajun ingredients in my recipe. No matter where you live, I’m excited to share my take on an old family recipe with you.
The great news is that no matter where you live, the ingredients can be found in any grocery store in America. Additionally, the great thing about Gumbo most Cajun families have differing recipes, so feel free to take poetic license with your Gumbo recipe.
For example, if you can’t find smoked Andouille sausage in the grocery store, you can use other smoked sausage, ham, or even SPAM. In my recipe, I just use boneless chicken thighs and breasts, but I grew up watching my mother use a whole chicken. Some folks say adding tomatoes to Gumbo is sacreligous, while others insist that okra is a Gumbo staple.
The bottom line is that you can add whatever you like to Gumbo… so with that said let my recipe be a place for you to start, and then add or subtract whatever you like.
Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 large onion
1 four-bottom green bell pepper
3-4 stalks of celery hearts
1 bunch of green onions
1 can of Rotel tomatoes
2-3 links of andouille sausage
vegetable oil
all purpose flour
2-3 Bay Leaves
Salt, Pepper, Cayenne Pepper, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder for Chicken marinade and for vegetable seasoning
32-64 ounces of chicken broth
a large cooking pot
grill (optional)
Directions:
First, I cook the chicken on the grill. However, if you don’t have a grill that’s fine. You could pan fry or even bake the chicken in the oven. I prefer to grill the chicken over charcoal because I like a little bit of smokey flavor in my Gumbo.
No matter how you cook your chicken, make sure that it is at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit internal temperature.
Before grilling, I dust the chicken with salt and pepper. Once the chicken is cooked, let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes before dicing up.
Next, I finely dice the onion, bell pepper, and celery.
The three of these vegetables together are known as the “Cajun Trinity!”
The trio is found in most all Cajun cooking. When combined they have a sweet, earthy, and savory smell.
Once finely diced, I add the Trinity to the pot with a few tablespoons of cooking oil, and a few dashes (dash = about a half a teaspoon) of salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper.
Stir the diced vegetables with the oil and spices over medium heat until the vegetables are soft (about 10-15 minutes).
Once the Trinity veggies are soft, I’ll add the can of Rotel Tomatoes and give them a stir.
Once the veggies are looking good, I will add the chicken broth.
Now, in the list of ingredients I listed between 32-64 ounces of chicken broth.
Sometimes I like thick Gumbo so I’ll use less broth, and other times I’ll use more broth to make it more soupy.
It will depend on your preference, and I’ll admit there have been sometimes when I’ve added 48-54 ounces of chicken broth.
After the broth is added, I will add the diced chicken. Then I will add the smoked Andouille sausage.
You do not have to cook the sausage, but if you’d like to cut it up and fry it in a pan or warm it up on the grill whole before cutting up then that’s fine.
Once the chicken and sausage are added, cover the Gumbo and let it simmer on low.
Finally, the most important ingredient is the Roux.
How to Make Roux for Gumbo
Now, I will mention that you can buy Roux online or at a grocery store. If you would prefer to make it homemade, keep reading!
This is the most difficult part of making the Gumbo, but the Roux is what will give the Gumbo it’s rich color and flavor.
In a separate frying pan, add 1/2 cup of either vegetable or corn oil. DO NOT USE olive oil!
Then, add 1 cup of all purpose flour, mix the flour and oil until they are the consistency of peanut butter. Much like peanut butter, if there is a little excess or seeping oil, then that’s ok.
Now, turn up the heat to medium-hi and stir, stir, stir! Don’t stop stirring until the Roux is a rich dark chocolate color.
This process of stirring can take anywhere from 15-30+ minutes depending on how high your heat is.
Don’t give up!
This homemade roux is totally worth it in the end.
Tip: I do use my microwave exhaust fan towards the end of this process as it can get a little smoky at the end once it’s coming together the way it should!
Once the Roux is complete, add a spoonful at a time to the Gumbo and stir each spoonful in well.
Cover the Gumbo again and let it simmer on low for an hour or so. Serve with rice or potato salad. Add fresh chopped green onion if you’d like!
Print this recipe:
Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
Ingredients
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 large onion
1 four-bottom green bell pepper
3-4 stalks of celery hearts
1 bunch of green onions
1 can of Rotel tomatoes
2-3 links of andouille sausage
vegetable oil
all purpose flour
2-3 Bay Leaves
Salt, Pepper, Cayenne Pepper, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder for Chicken marinade and for vegetable seasoning
32-64 ounces of chicken broth
Instructions
Dust the chicken with salt and pepper.
Cook the chicken on the grill (or pan fry/bake).
Once the chicken is cooked, let the chicken rest for 5-10 minutes before dicing up.
Finely dice the onion, bell pepper, and celery.
Add the diced vegetables to the pot with a few tablespoons of cooking oil, and a few dashes (dash = about a half a teaspoon) of salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper.
Stir the diced vegetables with the oil and spices over medium heat until the vegetables are soft (about 10-15 minutes).
Add the can of Rotel Tomatoes and give them a stir.
Add the chicken broth.
Add the diced chicken and sausage.
Cover and let it simmer on low.
To create the Roux:
In a separate frying pan, add 1/2 cup of either vegetable or corn oil.
Add 1 cup of all purpose flour. Mix the flour and oil until they are the consistency of peanut butter. Turn up the heat to medium-hi and stir, stir, stir! Don’t stop stirring until the Roux is a rich dark chocolate color.
Once the Roux is complete, add a spoonful at a time to the gumbo and stir each spoonful in well.
Cover the gumbo and simmer on low for an hour or so.
Serve with rice, potato salad, and fresh chopped green onion.
What’s on your menu for tonight? We’ve got you covered. This Sausage and Vegetable Skillet is a hearty meal that will satisfy any appetite. Don’t wait another minute! Start cooking now and get ready to dig in!
Do you have a hearty appetite? If so, this is the perfect dish for you.
This Sausage and Vegetable Skillet meal is full of flavor and meaty goodness. You can whip up this skillet in about 30 minutes or less! Paired with some rice or pasta, it’ll be sure to fill that stomach that needs filling.
Let’s get started!
Sausage and Vegetable Skillet
Ingredients:
1 lb. ground sausage
salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil, as needed
2 medium potatoes, scrubbed and diced
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed and sliced
2 sweet bell peppers, sliced and seeded
1 cup tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese
Note: Add your favorite Italian or taco seasoning to make this recipe even more flavorful.
Directions:
Season your sausage as desired with salt, pepper and any favorite seasonings.
Place 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat.
Once the oil is hot, add the sausage and cook until well-browned, about 8 minutes. Stir occasionally.
Remove the cooked sausage to a clean bowl and add remaining olive oil to the skillet.
Add the chopped potatoes and cook until tender, about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the onions, garlic and bell peppers and cook until bell peppers are softened, about 6 minutes.
Add the sausage back to the skillet and stir to combine.
Stir in the tomato sauce and top with shredded cheese.
