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And I really do mean secret.

Mrs. Mooney's Secret Gumbo | halfbakedharvest.com

Or at least it was before today anyway, but it’s time to share this recipe.

We’d be selfish if we didn’t. And I say we because I asked Mrs. Mooney about sharing this recipe way back when I started the blog. Not sure why I took so long to share it, but here it is. Just in time for Mardi Gras too!

Mrs. Mooney's Secret Gumbo | halfbakedharvest.com

I know I have talked about Mrs. Mooney before, but this is one of her tried and true recipes that is truly and utterly amazing. Every single time I make this gumbo my family says, over and over again, how good it is.

The reason this recipe is a secret? Well… sorry, that has to remain a secret, but at least you get the recipe.

Mrs. Mooney's Secret Gumbo | halfbakedharvest.com

I cannot actually remember the first time I tried Mrs. Mooney’s gumbo, but I sure do remember the first time I ever made it.

I was pretty young, maybe fourteen or fifteen and I was so nervous. I remember having no idea what a roux was and I was totally freaking out that if I burned it,  I would then have to start all over again. Not only that, I actually had to sit and stir the roux for forty-five minutes and not walk away. Like not even take my eyes off the pot for more than fifteen seconds at a time. Yeah, I was scared.

Mrs. Mooney's Secret Gumbo | halfbakedharvest.com

I still remember sending photos of the roux throughout out the process to Mrs. Mooney, just to make sure things where looking good and I was not screwing everything up. Just about every other minute I thought I had burned the roux and needed to start over.

And geez, when I finally got the roux to the color needed and I added the veggies? Yikes. Everything bubbled up and made noise. Loud sizzling noises. I thought for sure I screwed it up there too, but it turns out that is totally normal.

FYI, Mrs Mooney spent practically the entire hour or so it took me to make this on the phone with me talking me through every step. I may not have ever gone to cooking school, but at least I have Mrs. Mooney, and really, that’s better. If you knew her, you would agree.

Mrs. Mooney's Secret Gumbo | halfbakedharvest.com

Long story short, the gumbo got made, turned out better than I ever thought it could and in five years of making her gumbo I have yet to burn the roux. YES.

Although, I still get a little nervous every time I make the gumbo. Old habits die hard.

If you are wondering, a roux is flour and butter, bacon fat and flour or in this case, oil and flour. You mix together the flour and oil and cook it over the stove to help thicken and flavor things like sauces, soups and stews. If you have ever made mac and cheese than you have made a roux.

Mrs. Mooney's Secret Gumbo | halfbakedharvest.com

As Mrs. Mooney says, “The roux is the heart and soul of this recipe. If you burn it, start over and do not take your eyes off of it.”

I know it may sound scary, but it is honestly a super easy recipe and I scaled her original recipe down by half because the original recipe literally fed like sixteen people, so the roux took more like forty-five to sixty minutes to cook. This one will take thirty minutes tops because there is less to cook.

Mrs. Mooney's Secret Gumbo | halfbakedharvest.com

Here is my little tip. Grab a stool, turn the TV on if you can or grab your phone. Then glue your butt to that seat right in front of the stove. Seriously, I am not messing around when I say that you have to whisk the roux every fifteen to twenty-five seconds. It is mandatory.

You know the roux is done when it turns a deep dark caramel or peanut butter color. I let mine go pretty dark because I think the darker the better, but just make sure you are not burning it.

Oh, and it is also mandatory to have all your ingredient prepped and ready to go before you start making the roux. Trust me, it helps so much.

Mrs. Mooney's Secret Gumbo | halfbakedharvest.com

Okay, with all that said, please do not get scared off. I promise this recipe is very easy and simple to make. Once the roux is made all you need to do is let the gumbo simmer for a few hours. I let mine cook low and slow all day long. The longer it cooks, the better the flavor.

You must serve this over rice because rice is just the best, it is also very traditional. Beer bread is also delicious with it, but technically not traditional. BUT – you would be a little crazy not to serve it with some bread. Just sayin.

Mrs. Mooney's Secret Gumbo | halfbakedharvest.com

Mrs. Mooney's Secret Gumbo

Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours 20 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 45 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Calories Per Serving: 698 kcal

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup canola oil
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 large red pepper diced
  • 1 large green pepper diced
  • 1 large yellow pepper diced
  • 2 celery stalks diced
  • 1 tablespoon garlic minced or grated
  • 1 onion diced (optional, original recipe does not call for it)
  • 1 ounce large can diced tomatoes 14, I like to use fire roasted
  • 1 tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon dried thyme
  • 1 tablespoon dried basil
  • 1 tablespoon creole seasoning rounded
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1-2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (less if you do not want it too hot more if you do)
  • 1 tablespoon black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 8 cups chicken broth two 1 quart cartons
  • 1 1/2 pounds andouille sausage sliced + halved again into half circles (NO substitutions)
  • 3 boneless skinless chicken thighs may sub chicken breast if desired
  • file powder for serving
  • white rice for serving
  • beer bread for serving

Instructions

  • In a large bowl combine the chopped peppers (red, green and orange), chopped celery, garlic and onion, if using (I typically leave the onion out). Set aside.
  • In a small to medium size bowl combine the oregano, thyme, basil, creole seasoning, chili powder, cayenne pepper, pepper and salt. Set aside.
  • Before you begin the next step, make sure you have completed steps 1 and 2. It is very important to have all your ingredients prepped and ready go.
  • Grab a seat. No literally, grab a sit. You cannot walk away from the roux over the next 20-30 minutes. Heat a large heavy bottom soup pot over medium-low heat. Add the canola oil and flour to the pot and whisk to combine. Stir the roux EVERY 15-25 SECONDS. You will be able to smell the flour starting to brown. Continue to gently brown flour without burning it until the mixture turns the color of peanut butter or a dark caramel. This can take 30 minutes or so but it is the heart of the recipe. If you burn it, start over. This time just keep stirring and keep an eye on it! It took me 25 minutes to achieve a dark peanut butter color.
  • Once you have your roux made, add all your vegetables (everything in the bowl). The roux will bubble and thicken up immediately into a paste which coats the vegetables. Let the veggies cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring every couple minutes or so. Sprinkle spice mixture over the vegetables, stir and cook 3-5 minutes longer.
  • Add chicken broth, canned tomatoes, chicken thighs and sausage to the pot. Bring the gumbo to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered for at least 3 hours or up to all day (the longer the better for flavors to blend). The gumbo should be the consistency of stew. If too much of the liquid evaporates add water to thin and if there is too much liquid leave the top off the soup and cook 30 minutes longer. Once the meat has cooked through, skim fat from top and lightly shred the chicken. Serve over rice and sprinkle with file powder (sassafras powder) if you have it. [Beer Bread | https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/5-ingredient-beer-bread/] is great with this meal!
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Mrs. Mooney's Secret Gumbo | halfbakedharvest.com

Oh and gumbo kicks Monday in the butt.

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    I made this last NY Day and everyone went crazy for it. Since then I’ve had to go GF so I tried it this NY Day with a 1 for 1 GF Flour for the roux—turned out amazing! Last year I just used a baguette from the store for dunking but this year I made the 5 Ingredient Beer Bread using GF Flour and GF Beer—delicious! I was so so happy and no one could tell any difference at all—total win for me.

  2. 5 stars
    Excellent gumbo! I’ve tried two recipes from New Orleans chefs, and the flavor of this one is above and beyond. I think I need to work on my roux, was somewhat thick early in the process but after three hours, it thinned out. I even cooked with the lid off. I think what I considered peanut butter color was probably a little light. That means I will have to make more to work on my roux abilities! I have never tried one of your recipes that was not excellent. Thank you for everything.

  3. Has anyone tried subbing the flour for a gluten free flour? I think I’m going to try it with King Arthur gf flour but wanted to see if anyone has attempted it before I do.

    1. Hannah, I used KA Measure for Measure GF Flour for the roux and it worked well—no taste difference at all. Also used it for the 5 Ingredient Beer Bread (used GF beer too) and it was perfect. I was very pleased and have used this flour in all by HBH baked goods with great success.

  4. Loved this recipe! My husband was a fan as well. Thank you! Question on one thing…after the three hours, I noticed some of the meat had stuck to my pot at the bottom but perhaps it’s because I had a stainless steel pot? I also have an induction stove top. Anything I should change? Aside from that it was delicious! The bread too! Thanks so much!

    1. Hey Jessica,
      I appreciate you giving this dish a try and sharing your feedback! Love to hear that it was a winner:) Maybe try using a dutch oven next time, that might help! x

  5. 5 stars
    I love this recipe, in spite of the 45 minutes of stirring the roux. It is always a family favourite. I generally add an additional few heaping tablespoons of flour for the roux to turn a darker colour.

  6. 5 stars
    Hey Tieghan,

    Thoughts on how to add shrimp to the recipe? Do I just add it when I would add the chicken and sausage or towards the end so it doesn’t get rubbery? Thanks! Appreciate all your recipes, haven’t found 1 that isn’t delicious!

  7. 5 stars
    I made this exactly following the directions and it turned out “out-of-this-world” the flavors are insane. The roux I got to a darker than peanut butter brown. Everything was extremely good. I recommend chicken thighs, file powder, Italian parsley at end, I thickened it a bit more, French bread and butter. Also hot sauce I prefer crystal. This recipe is a keeper and for me as a novice cook with boogie taste it is perfect. Thanks a ton

  8. Hey Tieghan,
    Make this Gumbo for dinner today and it was wonderful.
    Also took a run at the beer bread but for some reason the bread did not rise or cook it the middle. I cooked the bread for 55 minutes. I was so looking forward to eating some good bread.
    Thank you for the recipes!!

    1. Hey Paula,
      Happy Sunday!! So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for making it! Sorry to hear about your bread, did you use a glass pan? xT

  9. 4 stars
    Really LOVED the flavors and how easy this recipe is!

    Two questions though – first, do you do anything to make sure the shredded chicken isn’t dry? I’ve found it tends to get dry with recipes like this one. Also, my gumbo was super thin even after extra simmering with the top off, not really like the stew consistency I tried for. Should I try something different?

    1. Hey Sophie,
      Fantastic!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe out, I’m thrilled to hear that it turned out well for you:) The key for the stew consistency is in step 4, you’ve got to follow that step exactly to get the roux just right! Try using chicken thighs, it’s much harder for them to dry out! xx