Indulge in the rich, authentic flavors of New Orleans’s iconic gumbo without the guilt. This low-fat chicken and smoked sausage gumbo is a healthier twist on the classic Cajun dish. Skip the traditional roux and use oven-browned flour for the thickening, cutting down on the fat while preserving the bold, savory taste.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Healthier Alternative: Using oven-browned flour instead of a traditional roux made with oil or butter significantly reduces the fat and calorie content, making it a healthier option for those watching their fat intake.
- Time-saving and Less Complicated: Browning the flour in the oven eliminates the need to constantly stir and monitor a roux on the stovetop, saving time and effort.
Ingredients – Here’s What You’ll Need
- The Roux Substitute: Rather than making the traditional roux of flour browned in oil or butter, I browned the flour in the oven, skipping the oil or butter.
- The Meats: As the title suggests, I used chicken and smoked sausage. Specifically, I used tender chicken thighs and chicken breasts trimmed of all fat and Conecuh Original smoked sausage.
- The Veggies: I used the traditional trinity of onions, celery, and bell pepper and added some fresh garlic.
- The Seasonings: I used Cajun seasoning, dried thyme, Kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper for the seasonings.
- The Liquids: Bringing up the rear are Worcestershire sauce for added flavor and low-sodium chicken broth.
Browning the Flour
- To brown the flour, I started by spreading all-purpose flour on a large-rimmed baking sheet.
- Then, I cooked the flour in a 375°F oven for an hour, stirring it every 15 minutes to ensure it browned evenly.
That’s it for the flour!
Preparing the Gumbo Ingredients
While the flour was cooking, I prepared the gumbo ingredients.
- First, I tossed the chicken with the Cajun seasoning and set it aside.
- Next, I cooked the smoked sausage in a Dutch oven set over medium heat. It took about 20 minutes to cook the sausage thoroughly. I like to ensure that the sausage is well cooked to ensure the maximum amount of fat is rendered.
I transferred the sausage to a paper towel-lined plate and pressed any residual fat from the sausage with another piece of paper towel.
- Once the sausage was done, I poured off the accumulated fat from the Dutch oven. I wiped any residual fat with a paper towel before returning the Dutch oven to the medium-heat stovetop.
I added the chicken to the Dutch oven and cooked it, stirring occasionally, for about five minutes until there was no remaining pink. Then, I removed the chicken from the Dutch oven.
- Next, I added the onions, bell pepper, and celery to the Dutch oven. I cooked the veggies over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until they started to soften, about eight minutes.
- Finally, I stirred in the minced garlic. I cooked the mixture for about 30 seconds until the garlic was fragrant.
Finishing the Gumbo
By this time, the flour had browned nicely, and I was ready to finish the gumbo.
- I added the browned flour to the veggies in the Dutch oven over medium heat. I stirred the mixture to evenly distribute the browned flour and let it cook for several minutes. Then, I added the chicken broth and stirred the mixture.
- I brought the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly, until it thickened.
- Once the mixture thickened, I added the cooked sausage, cooked chicken, Worcestershire sauce, dried thyme, Kosher salt, and black pepper. I stirred everything together, lowered the heat, and simmered the gumbo uncovered for an hour.
After an hour, the vegetables were suitably soft, so I tasted the gumbo for seasoning correction. It was perfect, at least for my taste. I served the gumbo with rice and a side salad and freshly baked crusty French bread on the side. Yum!
Frequently Asked Questions
Oven-browned flour, also called dry roux, is a technique where flour is toasted in the oven until it reaches a deep brown color, similar to the color of a traditional roux made on the stovetop. This eliminates the need to cook the roux for an extended period over high heat while constantly stirring. Of equal importance, it eliminates the oil or butter needed to make a traditional roux.
Using oven-browned flour simplifies the gumbo-making process by skipping the labor-intensive cooking of traditional roux over high heat while stirring constantly. It also reduces the risk of burning the roux, which can impart a bitter flavor. Of equal importance, it eliminates the oil or butter needed to make a traditional roux, resulting in a healthier gumbo.
I’ve had luck using the same amount of oven-browned flour as would be used in making a traditional roux
One of the beauties of this recipe is its versatility. Feel free to either add or substitute seafood such as shrimp and crabmeat.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- The flour will smoke as it bakes, so don’t be alarmed. After an hour of baking, it will be about the color of roasted cashews.
- The oven-baked flour can also be whisked into chicken or beef broth for an easy gravy.
- My very favorite smoked sausage is Conneuch Original Smoked Sausage. However, you could also use the more traditional andouille sausage in this recipe or your favorite smoked sausage.
- When it comes to the chicken, I’ve found that using tender chicken thighs or a combination of chicken thighs and breasts works well. However, feel free to experiment with chicken pieces to suit your taste or what you have on hand.
- My Cajun seasoning of choice is homemade Emeril’s Essence, which I keep tightly sealed in a mason jar in my cupboard. However, feel free to use your favorite Cajun seasoning.
- I typically use low-sodium chicken broth in my recipes because of its reduced salt content. You can substitute regular chicken broth for low-sodium chicken broth, but you might need to reduce the salt a bit.
Other New Orleans Favorites
If you’re a fan of New Orleans cuisine, check out these amazing recipes.
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Low-Fat Chicken and Smoked Sausage Gumbo
Equipment
- Large rimmed baking sheet
- Dutch Oven
Ingredients
- ¾ cup (3.75 ounces, 106 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 pound (16 ounces, 454 grams) smoked sausage cut into ¼ inch slices (See Tip 1)
- 1 pound (16 ounces, 454 grams) skinned and boneless chicken, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch pieces. (See Tip 2)
- 1 Tablespoon Cajun seasoning (See Tip 3)
- 1 ½ cups chopped onion (1 medium onion)
- ¾ cup seeded and chopped bell pepper(1 large bell pepper)
- ¾ cup chopped celery (3 to 4 stalks)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 cups (32 ounces, 946 ml) low-sodium chicken broth (See Tip 4)
- 1 Tablespoon (0.5 ounces, 15 ml) Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- White rice cooked according to package directions.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Spread the flour on a large-rimmed baking pan with sides. Bake at 375°F for one hour, stirring well every 15 minutes or until the desired color is achieved. Watch carefully to prevent the flour from burning. Remove from the oven and set aside. (See Tip 5)
- Toss the chicken with the Cajun seasoning; set aside.
- Cook sausage in a Dutch oven over medium heat, stirring occasionally until browned and fully cooked, about 20 minutes. Drain sausage on a paper towel-lined plate; cool slightly. Press each cooked sausage piece between paper towels to remove as much fat as possible; set aside. Pour fat from the Dutch oven; wipe the pan with a paper towel to remove any remaining fat, leaving behind the browned bits.
- Add the chicken to the Dutch oven; cook over medium heat until no pink remains, about 5 minutes. Remove from the Dutch oven.
- Add onion, bell pepper, and celery to the Dutch oven; cook over medium heat until vegetables begin to soften, about 8 minutes. Add minced garlic and cook an additional 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add the oven-browned flour to the vegetable mixture; stir until the vegetables are coated. Cook for two minutes. Add chicken broth; cook over medium heat, whisking constantly to remove any lumps, until mixture is thickened. Add the sausage, chicken, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, salt, and pepper; stir to combine. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour, stirring occasionally—correct seasonings.
- Serve gumbo over hot rice. Yield: 6 to 8 servings.
- Yield: 6 to 8 servings.
Video
Tips/Notes
- I used Conecuh Original Sausage, but you could also use the more traditional andouille sausage or your favorite smoked sausage.
- When it comes to the meat, I’ve found that using chicken thighs or a combination of chicken thighs and chicken breasts works well. However, feel free to experiment with cuts to suit your taste or what you have on hand.
- My Cajun seasoning of choice is Emeril’s Essence, but feel free to use your favorite Cajun seasoning.
- You can substitute regular chicken broth for the low-sodium chicken broth. However, you might need to reduce the salt a bit.
- After an hour, the oven-baked flour will be about the color of roasted cashews.
Nutrition
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