We’re going to get one thing out of the way real quick — this is not in any way meant to be gumbo, much less authentic gumbo. This is meant to be chili that’s inspired by those lovely Cajun flavors. That also means it’s quicker to make, which means you can eat it any time you want. It has BIG flavor, and big bonus — it comes together in a single pot. (In just 30 minutes of cooking.)
As many Creole and Cajun dishes do, you’re going to start with the holy trinity — that’s onion, bell pepper, and celery — and cook it along with some garlic until it’s fragrant and reasonably soft. Then you add some sliced andouille to the mix, which you just want to get a little color on. Flour goes in next — you’re not building a dark roux here or anything, you just want to thicken the broth up for a nice velvety finish.
After that, it’s just a matter of simmering your ingredients until the flavors meld. That’s chicken, chicken broth, red beans or navy beans, corn, green chilies, and a touch of cumin and Cajun seasoning.
It should take only 15 minutes to thicken up and then you’ll stir in some heavy cream or half and half. Adding dairy isn’t fully necessary here, but it does add a nice creamy quality to the chili. That being said, if you skip it, it’s still a very delicious chili.
I love to serve this with a scoop of white rice stirred in. It stretches the meal, sure, but it also mutes the spice a bit… and, even though this is in no way gumbo as we’ve already discussed, it just fits right in here.
Cajun Chicken Chili
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons oil or butter
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 2 celery ribs, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 lb andouille sausage, sliced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 3 cups cooked chicken, chopped or shredded
- 2 (15 oz each) cans red beans or navy beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (11 oz) can white corn, drained
- 2 (4 oz) each cans chopped green chilies
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 tablespoons cajun seasoning
- 1 cup half and half or heavy cream
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- White rice, for serving
- Fresh parsley, chopped, for serving
Preparation
- Heat olive oil or butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add onion, bell pepper, celery, and garlic and cook until starting to soften, 5-7 minutes. Add andouille sausage and cook 2-3 minutes more.
- Sprinkle flour over the top and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute.
- Stir in chicken broth, chicken, beans, corn, green chilies, cumin, and cajun seasoning and bring to a boil.
- Reduce to a simmer and let cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 15 minutes.
- Stir in half and half or heavy cream and season to taste with salt and pepper. Let cook for just 2-3 minutes to reduce cream a bit, then serve and enjoy!
- Serve over white rice, if desired.
Recipe adapted from Plain Chicken.