Experiencing the deep, rich taste of this gluten free chicken and sausage gumbo with okra is a special event that you don’t want to miss. Technically Paleo and grain free without the rice, my Trinity Roux™ gives this traditional south Louisiana gluten free gumbo its authentic taste and texture. This can’t-live-without recipe is a beloved personal favorite that touches the hearts and souls of others from the very first bite. Yep and yay…
You Just Never Know When You’re Going to Get A Scary Phone Call
The past couple of weeks have been hectic for my family. My awesome dad suffered his 7th heart attack. Yep. Seventh. Almost head shaking unbelievable right???
My sweet daddy is 85 years old, and his history of heart attacks is long and exhausting. Well, he had the last one a couple of weeks ago, and it really rocked each member of our family to our cores. It’s really hard to see someone you love more than life suffer like that. And it takes a toll on every area of your life when the man you look up to the most in life is lying in a hospital bed.
He made it through though, and after 5 days he got to come home from the hospital. While he was waiting to be discharged, I called him and asked him what he wanted to eat. I gave him a choice of stew or this gluten free chicken and sausage gumbo with okra, knowing in my heart that he would choose the gumbo. True to form, he did.
You see, there are those who live in Louisiana. And then there are those that have Louisiana living in us, too. Yep. My entire family belongs to the latter group, and we consider the south Louisiana food and culture the very essence of our earthly existence.
I knew that this gluten free chicken and sausage gumbo with okra would help to heal my dad’s body and soul from what he had been through. And so I prepared it with everything that I had inside of me.
I literally prayed over it, asking the Lord to direct every step, and to make sure that it was one of the best gluten free gumbos I have ever cooked. This is my Daddy we are talking about. The one who uses his mouth to bless people, not curse them. The one who doesn’t gossip, but keeps his mouth shut when others are bashing people who are not around to defend themselves. The one who is honest when no one is looking. And the one who is kind to you even when you sometimes don’t deserve it. Yep.
My dad is the most Christ-like person I have ever known. And everyone who knows him says that they have the utmost respect for him, because he truly deserves it. He acts like Jesus in terms of temperament, attitude, word, and deed. Calm, loving, stable-minded, generous, forgiving…I really could go on and on and on… And he deserved to come home to a meal that celebrated who he was as a person, as a dad, and as a glowing testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ.
A Proper Homecoming Deserves a Proper Gluten Free Chicken & Sausage Gumbo With Okra
This wasn’t just a meal. It was a homecoming from a horrible experience, one that will take him time to recover from, and one that we are blessed and privileged to have him return to us alive and recuperating.
Although I am already an overly obsessed home cook, this gluten free chicken and sausage gumbo with okra took even more out of me than my usual dishes. But, it’s an honor to serve my Dad in this way. And you should have seen the look on his face when he ate it!!
He was sooo happy, y’all. He kept raving about it in-between bites. And the 10 minutes or so that I sat there and watched him eat it made my years of struggling to develop and perfect my Trinity Roux™ worth it. I would do it all again for those minutes of watching my Dad be so happy, so content, so nourished, and so at home. He was home!!! And at peace. And eating a gluten free gumbo that tastes just like the traditional wheat flour and oil gumbos that he holds in such high regard.
And I cooked it for him!! Yep, and all kinds of yay….
How to Cook Gluten Free Chicken and Sausage Gumbo With Okra For Your Cherished Loved Ones
Luckily, I already had two large chicken breasts marinating in the fridge. I cut up the Cajun trinity for my Trinity Roux™, and sliced sausage for the gumbo. Since I was a little short on time, I used the oven to brown the sausage lightly for the gluten free gumbo:
When the grain free, Paleo, and gluten free roux was ready, I added the marinated chicken breasts cubes, the sausage, the frozen okra, and the rest of the seasonings, including the Louisiana hot sauce that’s my dad’s personal favorite. My mom buys the big bottles of it, and my dad puts it on everything!! Well, all I had left to do was watch the gluten free chicken and sausage gumbo with okra cook, and stir it every now and then:
And when it was done, I poured three servings of it into a large container for my dad. I even cooked rice, and took him the hot gluten free chicken and sausage gumbo with okra and rice while it was all still piping hot. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the minutes that I sat there watching him eat. I consider that time a gift from God. Yep. Hope you enjoy it as much as we do, and that you get to share a few blessed minutes with someone who needs their body and soul nourished, too. Enjoy often with love and gratitude for all of the unexpected blessings that we’re given in life, and see y’all on the yum side…
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- 1½ cups chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon Louisiana hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- 2 pounds chicken breast, cut into 1½-inch chunks
- doubled Trinity Roux™
- 9 cups chicken broth
- 1 pound sausage
- 1 pound frozen okra
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
- salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste
- 1 to 1½ teaspoons Louisiana hot sauce
- Pour the 1½ cups chicken broth, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, onion powder, ½ teaspoon Louisiana hot sauce, paprika, and dried parsley in a large bowl. Stir to combine, then submerge the chicken in the marinade. Refrigerate for 3 hours, but preferably overnight.
- Slice the sausage, then place on a baking sheet, and bake for 5 to 7 minutes, or until browned lightly.
- Drain marinated chicken in a colander. Shake off excess marinade.
- Prepare doubled Trinity Roux™ in a large cast iron Dutch oven.
- When the roux is ready, add the 9 cups of chicken broth, the browned sausage, the marinated chicken, and the remaining ingredients to the Dutch oven.
- Cook over medium heat for about 1 to 1¼ hours, stirring about every 10 minutes.
- Serve over white rice, Cajun cauliflower salad, or potato salad.