First You Make A Roux: Gluten-Free Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

Last night I decided to try my hand at gluten-free gumbo. Had I known then what I know now, I would have started MUCH earlier in the day, or maybe even the day before.

With any good gumbo, first you have to make the roux. I wasn't exactly sure how this was going to go, seeing that there would be NO flour in this recipe. My advice to anyone reading this that is interested in making this recipe -- MAKE YOUR ROUX THE DAY BEFORE. It takes FOREVER!

So I will assume, from here on out, that you will heed my advice.

To make the roux;

Add 1/2 cup of oil (I used veggie oil) and 1/2 cup Sweet Rice Flour

Cook this mixture, I'd say on Medium Heat, Stirring Often, until it is nice and nutty brown. If you have the time and patience you can cook it until it gets chocolatey, but I gave up. The upside is, your house is going to smell delicious! :)

After you have cooked your roux, let it cool, and then put it in the refrigerator. The next day, bring it back up to temperature and add;

1 1/2 c. onion, chopped

1 c. celery, chopped

1 c. green bell pepper, chopped

Sweat the veggies down for a while, stirring often. When veggies are done to your likeness, add;

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 can fire roasted tomatoes (make sure they're GF)

1 10oz. package sliced okra

Stir together and add;

6 c. water

1 12oz. package Aidell's Andouille Sausage (it's GF)

1 1/2 lbs. chicken breast, cut into chunks

Stir and season with;

2 t. salt (I used grey sea salt and had to use double this amount)

1/2 t. thyme

3 bay leaves

3/4 t. ground chili de arbol (I didn't have cayenne)

1 t. paprika

2 t. dried oregano

and 1 t. ground black pepper

Cook until veggies are tender and chicken has cooked through. The longer it cooks the better it is!

It turned out to be delicious! Make some rice to go with it (traditional) or just eat it plain! If you have leftovers (and you will), gumbo freezes really well. You can also add shrimp, crab or anything else you would like, just add the seafood at the end of the cooking time so it doesn't overcook and become tough.

Enjoy!