Quick and Easy Chicken Gumbo Recipe for Large Families
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Chicken Gumbo is a favorite here in our house. I found a recipe for it in my Fanny Farmer cookbook. I was intrigued but to be honest, I was scared of okra. I’d never even heard of okra before.
After a few years (hey, it takes me a while to warm up to new ideas) I finally decided to locate some okra and give the gumbo a go.
Over the years I altered the recipe until I came up with the pefect easy chicken gumbo recipe that feeds a crowd. I make a huge pot of this and we eat for two nights then I freeze the rest for later.
Chicken, sausage, bell peppers, tomatoes, celery, onion, garlic…
…and of course, the star of the show is okra. Okra is an interesting vegetable. Just a heads up, when you cook this up it begins to ooze slime. But not to worry! That slime thickens the gumbo.
This recipe uses leftover rotisserie chicken, smoked sausage, and tons of fresh veggies

Quick and Easy Chicken Gumbo Recipe
This easy chicken gumbo recipe makes enough for a crowd! I can feed my family of 10 with enough leftover for the freezer.
Ingredients
- meat from one rotisserie chicken, shredded
- 4 smoked sausages, chopped
- 2 pounds frozen, chopped okra
- 4 cups celery, chopped
- 4 green peppers, chopped
- 2 onions, chopped
- 4 tbsp chopped garlic
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 64 ounces spicy V-8
- 1 #10 diced canned tomatoes
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 2 cups water
- 1 tbsp chicken soup base (bullion)
- salt and pepper to taste
- hot sauce to taste
Instructions
Pour oil into pan. When hot, add garlic. Saute 2-3 minutes, then add onions. Saute another minute or two then add in celery and peppers. Saute 2-3 minutes then add okra. The okra will become a bit slimey. This is totally FINE. Okra is full of fiber and will thicken the gumbo. Cook for 5 minutes.
Add veggies to large stock pot. Pour in chicken stock, V-8, canned tomatoes, and a chicken soup base. Add in veggies and simmer for 45 minutes Add in chicken and sausage.
Add salt, pepper, and hot sauce to taste. Serve over rice and add a dollop of sour cream.
I like to serve chicken gumbo over rice with a side of cornbread.
What is your opinion on okra? Thumbs up or thumbs down?
That’s a yes to okra from me! The flavor is basically perfect. I have many near and dear to me though, who for textural reasons have a long list of things (like moldy bread) they would eat before they’d touch the okra.
This was so easy and so delicious! I halved the recipe for my family of 4, and it was great! You inspired me to try okra, and it was much better than anticipated. Will definitely make this again, thank you!
Thank you so much for taking the time to share! This is a long-time family favorite…and yes, okra is scary at first, but so worth trying! This recipe freezes very well. Every time I make it I freeze half of it.