Chicken Gumbo Soup Recipe (2024)

This Chicken Gumbo Soup Recipe (with okra) is an easy, healthy, lighter and WW friendly version of Chicken Gumbo. It's a flavorful and hearty soup that's made with tender chicken breast and turkey pepperoni, with okra serving as the natural thickener.

This healthy gumbo recipe is especially popular in the fall and winter and pairs well with this Everything Bagel Cloud Bread Recipe. I love Campbell's chicken gumbo soup and this is my homemade version.

Gumbo actually originated in West Africa, although most people associate it with New Orleans and Louisiana, where it was popularized. There are 2 types of gumbo: Creole and Cajun.

Creole gumbos often include tomatoes, shellfish, dark roux, and often okra and filé powder, whereas Cajun gumbo usually contains chicken and no tomatoes. Both Creole and Cajun gumbos can include meats such as ham or sausage. My version of gumbo soup is a hybrid since it has tomatoes, chicken, okra, sausage (pepperoni), and no roux. It's not only healthy, but it's also quick and easy, whereas gumbos traditionally cook all day long.

🥘Ingredients

Many gumbo recipes use a roux (a mixture of flour and fat) or gumbo filé, which is a spicy herb mix made from the dried and ground leaves of the North American sassafras tree, to thicken it. I use okra because it's a natural thickener and lends a depth of flavor unlike anything else. I don't use a roux because it's unnecessary calories.

Celery, onions, and bell peppers are what is known as the "holy trinity" in gumbo.

For this gumbo recipe, you'll need:

• 2lbchicken breast4 breasts
• ⅓lb turkey pepperoni about 5 sticks
• 1wholegreen bell pepperchopped
• 1bunchgreen onions
• 1.5cupsokraAbout ½ lb fresh okra
• 28ozcanned diced tomatoes
• 6cups chicken broth *I use chicken bouillon mixed with water
• 2bay leaves
• 1tspcayenne pepper
• 1tsp cajun seasoning
• ¼tspcelery seed
• ½tsp onion powder
• 2tsp minced garlic
• ½ cupinstant rice (I use white rice)

*see recipe card for additional details

🔪Instructions

Prep: Spray a Dutch oven or skillet with non-stick cooking spray. Alternatively, you could use a little olive oil.

Chop chicken meat and place in Dutch oven or pot

Cook over medium-high heat until cooked through- about 5 minutes

Add all remaining ingredients to pot with chicken (except rice)

Stir ingredients together.

Bring to a boil, then immediately turn down to simmer, cover with lid and cook for 15- 20 minutes or until vegetables are soft/tender, but not completely cooked through.

Add rice and bring to a boil once again.

Immediately turn down to simmer (medium - low), cover with lid and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until rice is cooked.

*Remove bay leaves before serving.

📖Variations & Substitutions

🥗 Side Dishes

This gumbo soup goes well with salad or bread. Try it with the following:

• Everything Bagel Cloud bread - 0 WW points (shown below)
• Spinach Salad
• Mandarin Orange Salad Recipe
• Biscuits

🍽Equipment

🌡️Storage

👪 Serving Size

This chicken & sausage gumbo recipe makes 8 servings. However, you can half, double, or triple the recipe by clicking on theblueserving number and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust.

🔢WW Points

This easy recipe is very Weight Watchers friendly @ 2 WW points per serving! The turkey pepperoni and the rice are the only ingredients that have a point value. All the other ingredients are 0 points, if you use fat-free chicken broth.

💭Top tip

Freezing leftover okra

You may have okra left over, so you'll want to preserve it. I recommend slicing it before you freeze it. I have tried freezing it whole but found that it gets too gooey to cut once it defrosts.

First, wash it and cut off the ends, then cut it into circles.

Next, spread it out in one layer on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.

Freeze for 4 hours.

Then transfer to a labeled/dated freezer bag and return to the freezer for up to 3 months

🦺Food safety

• Cook chicken breast to an internal minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
• Wash hands after touching raw meat
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
• Never leave cooking food unattended

  See more guidelines at USDA.gov

If you are looking for an easy and healthy Chicken Gumbo soup recipe, you'll love this one! It's sure to become a family favorite.

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