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I’ve been making this gumbo-laya recipe for about 20 years now. It’s the flavors of gumbo and jambalaya combined into a healthy stew. Like most of my recipes, this one is simple to make and takes less then 1 hour to assemble.
This is the Dutch oven that I use to cook my gumbo-laya in. This Dutch oven is very affordable and has cooked many meals in this house. I simply love it, it’s a must-have!
I prepare this with only chicken and andouille sausage because I make enough for leftovers (meal prep) and shrimp doesn’t reheat well. Doing so also cuts down on the cost of this meal which these days is becoming increasingly important. Now, don’t let this stop you from adding shrimp or fish if you would like because it’s quite delicious with all 3 proteins in it. This is just my personal preference especially when I’m trying to meal prep.
If you choose to add shrimp or fish into this dish, make sure you do it in the last 5 minutes of the cook time. Seafood doesn’t take much time to cook in a stew like this.
Andouille sausage is my favorite choice in gumbo-laya, but you could cut down on fat by using a turkey or chicken sausage. Kielbasa works great in this dish as well.
What is gumbo?
Gumbo is a Louisianna staple. It is a stew consisting of meats, seafood, sausages, filé or okra. A roux is required to make a truly authentic gumbo which means you have to stir it for 30 minutes just to start the process. It is a labor of love and I’d just prefer to buy it at a restaurant. It is generally served with white rice on the side.
What is jambalaya?
Jambalaya is a combination of meats and seafood with rice cooked into the dish. Both gumbo and jambalaya require the holy trinity which is onion, green bell pepper and celery along with creole seasonings.
What is gumbo-laya?
You guessed it smarty pants, it’s the best of both dishes. It has all the delicious flavors we’ve come to expect from Louisianna creole cooking but with less effort. My Gumbo-laya recipe is healthy as it is low in carbs and calories. By substituting cauliflower rice for the white rice, it becomes a low carb dish. It’s even great without the rice. This will keep in the refrigerator for 4 days, but it’s never lasted that long around here!
Check out my other keto/low carb recipes!
How to make gumbo-laya
Making gumbo-laya is quite simple. I like to cut up my proteins and vegetables first and have them ready to go.
You start by sauteing the sausage and then removing it from the pot. Follow that with the chicken and remove to a separate bowl once its lightly browned. Next add the onion, green pepper, celery and half of the salt and sauté for about 5 minutes. Garlic and the seasonings go in next for 1 minute and then pour the broth into the pot. Make sure you scrape up all of the color/bits (fond) from the bottom of the pot. This is maximum flavor here and yes, it’s important! After that add the rest of the ingredients to the pot including the chicken and sausage and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
Go ahead and cook up the rice (if using) while your gumbo-laya is simmering. Add extra hot sauce to the finished product if you like things spicy, like I do.
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GUMBO-LAYA
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Cooking oil Olive oil, Grapeseed oil, Canola oil, Avocado oil
- 1 lb. Chicken thighs cut into 1 inch pieces
- ½ lb. Andouille sausage cut into half moons
- 1 cup Onion diced
- 1 cup Green bell pepper diced
- 2-3 stalks Celery diced
- 3 cloves Garlic sliced
- 14.5 oz Diced tomatoes
- 1.5 cup Broth chicken or vegetable
- 1 cup Okra frozen or fresh
- 1 tsp Thyme dry
- ½ tsp Oregano dry
- 1 Bay leaf whole
- ¼ tsp Cayenne pepper ground
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tbsp Hot sauce
Instructions
- Dice your onion, pepper, celery and garlic. Set aside
- In a Dutch oven, add 1 tbsp oil and andouille sausage. Sauté until brown, about 5 minutes. Remove from pot and set aside in a bowl.
- Add chicken and sauté until cooked through, about 8 minutes. Remove from pot and set aside.
- Add onion, green pepper, celery and ½ tsp salt. Sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and seasonings, mix well.
- Pour broth into Dutch oven and scrape up brown bits (fond) on bottom of pot. Add diced tomatoes and okra and bring to a simmer.
- Return chicken, sausage and hot sauce to Dutch oven, stir well. Simmer with lid on for 20-30 minutes.
- Serve with rice or cauliflower rice.
Notes
