Gumbo doesn't have to be hard! Instead of slowly cooking and stirring a roux for what seems like forever, try this chicken and sausage gumbo that's baked instead. It's not a shortcut per se, but cooking it in the oven will save you from having to stand over the stove for hours. Serve hot with a spoonful of white rice.
Ingredients
- all-purpose flour: 1 cup
- vegetable oil: 0.25 cup
- butter: 0.25 cup (melted)
- bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs: 6 piece
- smoked pork sausage: 1 pound (cut into 2-inch pieces)
- kosher salt: (to taste)
- onion: 1 piece (diced)
- celery: 1 cup (diced)
- green bell pepper: 1 cup (diced)
- chicken broth: 6 cups
- kosher salt: 2 tsp
- ground black pepper: 1 tsp
- thyme: 0.5 tsp (dried)
- cayenne pepper: 0.25 tsp (to taste)
- bay leaf: 1 piece
- tomatoes: 1 cup (diced)
- frozen sliced okra: 1 cup (thawed)
- green onions: 4 piece (chopped)
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
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Stir flour, oil, and melted butter together to form a paste. Transfer roux to the center of a large roasting pan and spread out into a rough rectangle about 1/2-inch thick, leaving enough room around the outside to place chicken and sausage.
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Lay chicken thighs, skin-side down, and sausage pieces around roux in the pan. Season chicken generously with salt.
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Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and scatter onion, celery, and bell pepper evenly over chicken, sausage, and roux. Briefly stir roux in the center, then spread it back out. Continue baking for 20 minutes.
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Remove from the oven. Transfer chicken and sausage to a plate and reserve until needed. Stir vegetables and roux together in the pan, spread back out into an even layer, and bake until roux is as browned as you like, about 20 minutes.
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Meanwhile, make the cooking liquid: Mix chicken broth, salt, pepper, thyme, cayenne, and bay leaf in a large bowl or pitcher. Refrigerate until needed.
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When the vegetables and roux are finished baking, pour cooking liquid into the pan and whisk until well combined. Stir in tomatoes and okra, then add sausage and chicken, skin-side up. Continue baking, stirring gently and occasionally, until liquid is thick and chicken is very tender, 30 to 40 minutes more.
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Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Garnish with green onions.
