Just in the nick of time for Fat Tuesday! This Chicken and Sausage Soup is super weeknight friendly and is all made in one pot. I tested this one multiple times… adding a little more spice, removing extra ingredients that didn’t enhance, and changing the cooking method. The recipe that I ended up with is over the top delicious! The spice level is just right, the chicken and sausage is a great combo and I know everyone at your table is going to LOVE it!
One thing we are really good at here at Mom’s Dinner is building flavor with easier steps and shortcuts. On this one, instead of creating a dark chestnut colored roux by stirring the flour and fat together for hours, we build flavor with spices, sausage and chicken base. Controversial – yes, Delicious – yes, Should you make it – yes.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This is a shortened version of a traditional Gumbo that cooks the roux for an hour up to 2 hours. We build flavor with the sausage, plenty of spices and chicken base. I promise the final flavor is absolutely perfect.
The rice cooks right in the pot with the soup = less dishes. The rice is flavored all the way through. The extra rice starch also helps give the broth a little weight and thickness.
This is a hearty soup that will fill up the hungriest of your bunch!
It is super easy to customize this Chicken Gumbo for your crew. You can adjust the spice level, swap proteins, or add extras like shrimp or okra without changing the whole recipe.
Ingredients for Cajun Chicken Soup
Smoked Beef Sausage or Andouille– Look for the long U shaped sausage link in the grocery store. I like to use either a smoked beef sausage or andouille for this recipe. But use what you like.
Cooked Shredded Chicken – This is a great time to use leftover cooked chicken or a rotisserie chicken. If you don’t have those you can bake chicken or poach chicken for the recipe.
There is a full guide on how to make shredded chicken on Mom’s Dinner.
Holy Trinity – Is a mix of onion, bell pepper, and celery and is the foundation of a lot of Cajun and Creole cooking.
Garlic – Don’t skimp on the garlic here! Use 5 nice plump garlic cloves.
Chicken Base – Just about all of the soups on Mom’s Dinner has chicken base or beef base. It is the secret ingredient that makes the broth waaaayyyyy more flavorful! We prefer Better Than Bouillon.
Long Grain Rice – A lot of recipes that call for rice will have you rinsing the rice before adding to the recipe. DO NOT rinse your rice for this one. The extra starch will help give the broth a little extra weight.
Chicken Stock – This is the main cooking liquid for the Chicken and Sausage Soup so make sure to use a flavorful stock.
All Purpose Flour – In very traditional Gumbos you will cook the flour with a fat (called a roux) until it is very dark. In this Chicken and Sausage Soup we are just using the flour to give the soup a little viscosity.
Seasoning Mix- A perfect blend of smoked paprika, oregano or thyme, kosher salt, onion powder, and cayenne pepper does the heavy lifting in this recipe and adds TONS of flavor!
How To Make Chicken and Sausage Soup
Step 1
Slice the sausage into ¼ to ½ inch pieces.
Step 2
In a large pot saute the celery, peppers and onions. Then add the sliced sausage.
Step 3
Add all the seasonings and the garlic. Stir around the pot for a minute or two.
Step 4
Add the chicken base and rice and stir in the pot for about 5 minutes.
Step 5
Finally add the flour and cook for another minute.
Pour in a little of the chicken broth and scrape the bits from the bottom of the pot.
Step 6
Then pour in the remaining broth and water. Bring to a boil, pop the lid on and lower the heat. Simmer for about 18 minutes so the rice can cook.
Remove the lid and stir in the cooked chicken, warm for another 5 minutes.
Step 7
Take off the heat and stir in a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce.
Let the Chicken and Sausage Gumbo cool for about 10 minutes, then serve!
Serving
Bowls full of warm Cajun Chicken Soup goes perfectly with a side of buttermilk cornbread or sweet cornbread muffins. A few deviled eggs and some Cajun Shrimp with Cajun Aioli dip would be great for the table too!
Storing
Let the soup cool slightly, then transfer it to an airtight container. Don't leave it sitting out for hours once the steam subsides, get it into the fridge. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days. The rice will continue absorbing liquid as it sits, so it will naturally thicken.
You can freeze the soup, but the texture of the rice will soften quite a bit once thawed. Freeze in airtight containers for up to 3 months. For best texture, thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
Variations
Seafood Boost Swap half the chicken for raw shrimp. Stir the shrimp in during the last 5-7 minutes of cooking so they stay tender and don't overcook. You can also add a handful of lump crab at the end for a richer, special occasion feel.
Okra Gumbo Add 1-2 cups sliced fresh or frozen okra. Sauté it first in a separate pan until it is browned. This will reduce the slime. Then stir it into the gumbo.
Spicy! Increase the cayenne and use true Andouille sausage. Add a dash of hot sauce or a pinch of crushed red pepper at the end.
Thickener Add 1 teaspoon of Gumbo File when you remove the pot from the heat at the very end of the recipe.
More Cajun Style Recipes
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Easy Cajun Chicken Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon Oil
- 12-14 oz Smoked Beef Sausage - or Andouille Sausage; cut into ¼ inch slices
- 1 yellow onion - diced
- 1 red bell pepper - diced (yellow or orange works too)
- 3 celery ribs - diced
- 5 cloves garlic - minced
- 1 ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon oregano - or thyme
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon chicken base (heaping)
- 1 cup long grain white rice - do not rinse
- ⅓ cup all purpose flour
- 2 quarts chicken stock - or broth
- 1 cup water
- 3 cups shredded chicken
- couple dashes favorite hot sauce
Instructions
- In a large heavy pot over medium heat, add the oil saute the onion, celery and peppers and soften for about 5-8 minutes.2 tablespoon Oil, 1 yellow onion, 3 celery ribs, 1 red bell pepper
- Now stir in the garlic and sliced sausage and seasonings for 1 minute.12-14 oz Smoked Beef Sausage, 5 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Add in the chicken base and rice. Stir around the pot for about 5 minutes.1 tablespoon chicken base (heaping), 1 cup long grain white rice
- Sprinkle in the flour and stir around for another 1 minute.⅓ cup all purpose flour
- Increase the heat to high.
- Pour in a little bit of the chicken stock/broth, scraping up the bottom of the pot (deglazing), then pour in the rest of the broth/stock and the water. Bring the pot to a boil.2 quarts chicken stock, 1 cup water
- Once it comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cover the pot, cook for about 18 minutes, until the rice is cooked through.
- Add the cooked chicken and simmer for another 5 minutes.3 cups shredded chicken
- Add a couple dashes of your favorite hot sauce.Let it cool for a bit, then taste and serve!couple dashes favorite hot sauce
Storing Fridge
- Let the Cajun soup cool slightly, then transfer it to an airtight container. Don't leave it sitting out for hours, once the steam subsides get it into the fridge. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days. The rice will continue absorbing liquid as it sits, so it will naturally thicken.
Storing Freezer
- You can freeze this soup, but the texture of the rice and sausage will soften quite a bit once thawed. Freeze in airtight containers for up to 3 months. For best texture, thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
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