Chipotle-Honey Gumbo with Coconut Rice
A spicy, smoky, and barely sweet take on a classic Louisiana Gumbo, served atop coconut rice. See the notes for a few swaps if you like a milder spice level.
- Yield: Serves 4 to 6 1x
Ingredients
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- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 to 6 andouille sausage links, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 4 to 6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Creole seasoning, to taste (this is spicy, see note for sub)
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
- 3 bell peppers (any color), finely chopped
- 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 chopped chipotle pepper + 2 teaspoons adobo sauce from the can (see note for less spicy sub)
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 15-ounce can fire roasted tomatoes
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup white rice (you can use instant coconut rice if you feel like it)
- 15-ounce can coconut milk
- Salt and pepper to taste
Serving suggestions: sour cream, chopped parsley, scallions, crusty bread
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot or deep-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the sausage all over, about 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a tray.
- Season the chicken lightly with the Creole seasoning and brown for about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to the tray with the sausage, leaving the drippings behind.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the butter and flour to the pot. Cook until the roux/mixture is deeply tanned – the color of almond butter; takes about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Add the chopped onion, bell peppers, and celery and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season lightly with Creole seasoning. Add the garlic, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, and honey and cook one minute more.
- Add the tomatoes, stock, browned sausage, and chicken to the pot and let the stew simmer for 10-ish minutes, so the flavors can develop. After 10 minutes, transfer the chicken to a cutting board and chop it into strips/bite-sized shreds. Put it back in the pot, and continue to simmer over low.
- Meanwhile, make the rice. Prepare the rice according to the package instructions, replacing half of the water with coconut milk. Serve with the Gumbo, and top with sour cream (helps cut the spiciness), chopped parsley and/or scallions, if you like. Don’t forget crusty bread for dipping!
Notes
Re: The Creole seasoning. This is pretty spicy, especially when combined with the chipotles (to me, a perfect combo but I get it). So, if you want to reduce the spiciness here but are pumped to use the chipotles, you can skip the Creole seasoning and use Italian seasoning in its place.
Re: The chipotles. If spicy isn’t your thing, you can still conjure a wonderful smokiness in this gumbo, just swap in 3 teaspoons of smoked paprika and you’re good to go.