Ankitha Gadag’s – Chicken, Sausage & Shrimp Gumbo

A healthy, hearty, Whole30 compliant gumbo sure to nourish the soul!

 

Hey guys!  Welcome back to Ankitha Gadag Recipes.

This recipe has been (legit) months in the making. The inspo to recreate a gumbo recipe came to me after a visit to New Orleans (or as they say – “Naw-Lins”). Since then I was motivated to create a healthy version of it that just so happens to be whole30 compliant! Yay!

The biggest difference here is that my recipe doesn’t use any  roux. Roux is basically a mix of butter and flour slowlyyyy stirred for great lengths of time to make a base or thickener for soups. Instead, I use an arrowroot starch mixed with chicken stock. Arrowroot starch is a great thickening agent and also has incredible health benefits! The result is incredible – no one can tell the difference and you have the added health benefits. Voila!

Without further ado, let’s get started !

---

Ingredients

• 3 cups cut, frozen okra
• 1/4 cup olive or avocado oil
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 cup finely diced onion (~1/2 onion)
• 3/4 cup finely diced celery (~3 stalks)
• 1 cup finely diced green/red/yellow bell pepper (~ 2 bell peppers)
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
• 3 tsp. Slap Ya Mama Cajun spice (or any other Cajun spices)
• 1/4 tsp. dried thyme
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 tbsp. tomato paste
• 5-6 cups chicken broth
• 2 tbsp. arrowroot
• 2 cups pre-cooked and shredded chicken
• 12 oz. fully cooked beef kielbasa (chicken sausage or any other sausage variety is fine)
• 1 cup shrimp cut into bite size pieces

 

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Spread okra on a baking sheet, drizzle with 1 tbsp. oil and toss to coat evenly. Season with salt and pepper. Roast in oven until golden brown, about 25 minutes. (this prevents it from getting slimy and ruining your gumbo!)
3. Meanwhile, heat 1/4 cup oil over medium-high heat in a dutch oven or large pot.
4. Add in the diced onion, celery, and bell pepper, seasoned with salt and pepper and saute until nice and tender, about 6 minutes.
5. Reduce heat to medium, add in the garlic, cayenne, thyme, paprika, Cajun spice and tomato paste and saute for another 2 minutes.
6. In a separate bowl, combine 1 cup of broth with 2 tbsp. arrowroot starch. Whisk until arrowroot has dissolved. Pour into the pot and stir constantly so it is well combined with the rest of the ingredients. Once the consistency reaches a thick, gravy-like texture, slowly pour and whisk in the remaining chicken broth.
7. In separate pans – dice up the kielbasa and sizzle until golden brown. Cook diced shrimp in a separate pan for a few mins
8. Add in the shredded chicken, sausage and shrimp
9. When the okra is complete, using a slotted spoon, add it into the gumbo.
10. Once everything is in the pot, slowly stir in 1-2 cups of broth (depending on how thick you want your gumbo) until it reaches the consistency you like.
11. Taste and add more S&P if you’d like!

 

Hope you guys enjoyed this recipe. I served mine over white rice – but feel free to use cauli-rice to keep it whole30!