Imagine a steaming bowl of rich Cajun gumbo, packed with tender chunks of shrimp, chicken, and okra, all simmering in a flavorful roux. This iconic dish from Louisiana has captured the hearts and taste buds of food lovers around the world.

Get ready to satisfy your hunger and discover the secrets behind this beloved Southern staple.

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My parents developed this easy Cajun Gumbo recipe that can be ready in under an hour. While they may not have been from Louisiana, they loved the cuisine, took classes while visiting New Orleans and combined numerous recipes from some of the great chefs of the area.

Cajun Creole versus Creole Gumbo

First, what's the difference between Cajun and Creole cooking? Cajun derives from the French Canadians (Acadians) that settled in the area around New Orleans. Creole derives from cuisines throughout the Caribbean such as West African, French, Spanish, and Native American.

Cajun Gumbo uses a roux, while Creole uses filé (pronounced fee-lay) powder as a thickener and also adds tomatoes. This recipe is Cajun.

Browned Flour Roux

My mom used Paul Prudhomme's browned flour recipe, which begins by literally browning the dry flour in a skillet to a nice toasty brown color before beginning. It takes about 10 minutes to do it properly (low and slow!) but it takes a lot of the guess work out of making the dark roux you need for Gumbo.

Tips for making Cajun Gumbo

Mom's only caution for this recipe is to constantly monitor the heat when browning the flour and vegetables. When in doubt, turn the heat down a little and cook a bit longer.

This recipe is on the mild side compared to many Cajun recipes. There's a reason for that. Dad didn't like spicy foods. So, we would make things mild and then add our own hot sauce and filé at the end to suit our own tastes.

Recipe

Ingredients

• ¾ cups flour
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 pound chicken breasts and/or thighs (cut in ½ inch pieces)
• ½ pound peeled uncooked shrimp
• 1 cup celery (chopped)
• 1 cup onion (chopped)
• 1 cup bell pepper (chopped)
• ¼ cup fresh parsley (chopped)
• 3-4 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1 tablespoon thyme leaves (chopped)
• black and cayenne pepper (to taste)
• 3 ½ cups chicken stock
• ½ teaspoon Worstershire sauce
• 1 pound fresh or frozen okra (cut into ½ inch rings)
• 4 cups cooked rice or penne pasta
• hot sauce and file powder (for serving)

Instructions

• Use medium heat and a dry, small skillet. Brown flour stirring constantly with a fork until medium brown, about the color of walnut shells. Watch carefully, to prevent burning. If it does burn, throw it out and begin again with fresh flour.
• Heat a deep cast iron skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Test the temperature of the pan by lightly gently tapping the top edge of the pan with the tip of your index finger. Heat the oil in the hot pan until it begins to sizzle and turn heat down to medium. Add the chicken cubes, shrimp, vegetables, garlic, herbs and pepper and stir until lightly browned.
• Add the browned flour and stir until all ingredients are evenly coated with the flour. Reduce the burner temperature as required to keep from burning ingredients.
• Add the chicken broth and Worchester sauce; turn the burner heat up to medium-high and bring liquid to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered, stirring occasionally, until meat is cooked. Add okra and cook until it is done to your liking. Frozen okra requires less cooking time.
• Correct the seasoning. Add salt if needed.
• Serve over cooked rice or pasta with bread on the side. Place bottles of hot sauce and file' on the table so diners can add to suit their tastes--mild, medium hot or native Cajun Wow!