Slow Cooker/Crockpot Gumbo
(recipe from "The Schmidty Wife" but idk if we can post links)
Main Ingredients
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 celery stalks, diced
- 28 ounce can diced tomatoes (the big can)
- 1 ½ pounds chicken thighs, boneless skinless
- 1 package andouille sausage, sliced
- 1 pound raw shrimp (add at the end)
- 1 tablespoon cajun seasoning
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 cups cooked rice for serving
For the Roux (thickening the soup, optional)
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons flour
Directions
- Optional: Make a roux using the optional butter and flour. On the stovetop add the butter to a skillet over medium heat. Once melted and starting to bubble add the flour to the butter. Whisk to combine and continue to whisk until the mixture becomes a dark brown color about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat, set aside until you are ready to add the the crockpot.
- Add the diced red bell pepper, onion, celery, diced tomatoes, chicken thighs, sliced andouille, cajun seasoning, salt, thyme, broth, minced garlic, and if you are using it the optional roux from step one, throw it in. Do NOT add the shrimp yet.
- Stir to combine and cook on LOW 6-7 hours or HIGH 3-4 hours.
- During the last 15 minutes of cooking stir in the shrimp. I recommend leaving the shells on for maximum flavor but it isn't absolutely necessary. Once the shrimp is pink and no longer translucent the gumbo is ready to eat. Serve over a bed of rice.
Chef's notes! I've modified this recipe for myself!
-You can add a whole little package of frozen okra (why doesn't this recipe have that in the first place?! Gumbo without okra is bizarre lol), a potato, and add a half teaspoon of cayenne powder if you like it spicy.
-If you like fish, add lobster claw, fish ball, crab legs, imitation crab, and/or raw fresh or thawed out frozen shrimp at the end, the last few minutes before serving; make sure the shrimp are deshelled and the claws and legs are cut with meat scissors to make it less messy to eat. You can even take crunchy mini dried shrimps, or dried shrimp powder and add it into your soup or bowl to make it fishy. If you don't like fish, skip the shrimp and add more chicken thighs!
-The first time you make this, check on the chicken after the first 1.5 hours because it might already be done - if the chicken thigh falls off the bone, it's done - which is why I like to cook with bone-in chicken thigh. If you cook chicken thighs too long, they just turn into soup lol, making the soup thicker and chickeny but then there aren't any chicken chunks to chew on.
-Warning - don't use Zatarain's brand Andouille sausage!! It's overly processed and doesn't taste great; I'm sensitive to certain chemical flavor additives and oils, and I used this brand to make Gumbo last time I made it on 6/10/2022 and it made me sick. Headache, stomach ache, and then I passed out for the rest of the day.
-Using frozen, pre-chopped vegetables honestly doesn't change the taste so feel free to use frozen veggie mixes. However, using different vegetables than what I've listed here could drastically change the taste and texture of the gumbo so do your research on good gumbo veggies :) I used a frozen bellpepper + onion mix, plus a bag and a half of frozen chopped okra, and it turned out great!
-If you're trying to be healthy, add more vegetables and skip the Roux, salt, and rice. If you want something that's like rice to pour the gumbo over, use "riced cauliflower."
-The brand of Cajun Seasoning I used was "Louisiana Fish Fry Products' Cajun Seasoning" and it tastes great. It was cheap and I found it at Winco. If I try another brand and like it, I'll put it here.
Winter Month: 2 
Night 
Blizzard Moon: 
