Chicken and Meatball Gumbo has a little different twist on the usual Andouille sausage or shrimp in this hearty Cajun stew.
Chicken and Meatball Gumbo
By Sue Lau | Palatable Pastime
Chicken and Meatball Gumbo is my recipe of the day. For a change and something a bit different, I have combined boneless chicken breast with ready to cook meatballs in my gumbo. It’s delicious.
How to Make Roux
Of course, I used a ready to go roux in this as well. If you find you cook with it often, it can save you a bit of time having a jar in the fridge. I know you can buy jars in the market also, but it really isn’t difficult to make and much better at home.
To do that, mix one part flour and one part cooking oil in a skillet. Then cook and stir constantly over low heat until it darkens to about the color of peanut butter. For a dark roux, continue cooking until it looks more like melted milk chocolate. Cool and store in a jar in the fridge You should be able to keep that a month or two if it has not molded or turned rancid.
I will usually just make the light roux and for those occasions I use a dark one I will just brown my light roux further. Light roux takes about 8-10 minutes, dark roux about 12-15. And of course that depends on the pan heat. So go by eye and not my minutes. Don’t try to save time and up the heat or you risk burning it. The good part about making a jar full is that it is one trip. You can always freeze it too.
Chicken and Meatball Gumbo
You can use whatever meatballs you like. Frozen are fine. Or if you have some freezer stash meatballs you made yourself, that’s great too. I use my own if I have them. But I am not afraid to buy a bag from the market either.
I put okra in my gumbo. I love it. You can omit but realize it helps thicken. After all, “gumbo” means “okra”. If you omit the okra, add more roux. I don’t really count on the gumbo file to thicken as I only add a sprinkle. I do like the flavor. But it is not vital for your stew to be bonafide gumbo.
Serve with steamed rice- a nice scoop in the bowl. You can stir that together in your bowl or not. I don’t. It’s up to you. You might like a splash of green Tabasco on this. I think the green sauce works better than regular red Louisiana sauce on this recipe. But you may feel strongly about a particular type of sauce you prefer.
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Chicken and Meatball Gumbo
Chicken and Meatball Gumbo
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 large onion (chopped)
- 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
- 1 green bell pepper (chopped)
- 2 ribs celery (diced)
- 10 ounces fresh okra (sliced)
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 12 ounces boneless chicken breast (cut into chunks)
- 1/2 teaspoon each salt and black pepper
- 1/2 cup prepared roux
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon Cajun spice
- 12 ounces frozen meatballs (thawed)
- 3 scallions (chopped)
- 1 teaspoon gumbo file
- steamed rice as needed
Instructions
- Saute the onion, garlic, bell pepper, celery, okra and thyme in oil until the onions soften.
- Season chicken with salt and pepper then add to pan, stirring until chicken browns.
- Add roux and stir to coat, then stir in the chicken broth, cayenne pepper, Cajun spice and meatballs.
- Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer for 25 minutes.
- Sprinkle with chopped scallions and gumbo file.
- Serve with rice.
Notes
Nutrition
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