I put off making this recipe for a while because I thought a low carb gumbo just wouldn’t work. I turned out to be very wrong about that! This was absolutely delicious, and reminded me of the “real” gumbo I had on a trip to New Orleans. The flavors combined beautifully and I was pleasantly surprised by how well the xanthan gum roux worked as a thickener. I loved this recipe and it was a lot of fun to cook.
Recipe
Gumbo with Cauliflower Rice
A low carb twist on a Gulf Coast Favorite.
Ingredients
- 4 strips of thick cut bacon, diced
- 4 jalapenos, roughly chopped
- 4 leafy stalks of celery, roughly chopped
- ¾ Cup onion, roughly chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, peeled
- ½ Cup Rotel diced tomato
- 2 + 1 Tbsp Cajun seasoning
- 1 lb raw chicken breast
- 1 lb raw shrimp, peeled, de-veined and tails removed
- ¼ cup of clarified butter or cooking oil of your choice
- 2 tsp xanthan gum
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 Cup green onion, sliced
- 1/2 Cup parsley, chopped
- 2 T Worcestershire sauce or Coconut Aminos
- 1.5 Cups Okra, sliced
- 1 package of frozen Cauliflower rice, steamed
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large dutch oven, cook the bacon until crispy, then remove from pan and set aside.
- In the leftover bacon fat, cook the celery, onion, jalapeno, and garlic until soft.
- Remove the veggies from the pan and puree in a blender or food processor with the diced tomato. Set aside.
- Dust the chicken breasts on both sides with 1 Tbsp of the Cajun seasoning.
- Sear in the dutch oven on each side, then transfer to the oven for about 20 minutes to fully cook.
- While the chicken cooks, cook the shrimp in the dutch oven until pink. Remove from pan and set aside.
- When the chicken is finished cooking, chop into bite size pieces and set aside.
- Add the clarified butter to the dutch oven and allow to melt. Add 1 tsp of the xanthan gum, whisking continuously, and then the second tsp of xanthan gum. Continue whisking, and allow the roux to reach a dark brown color.
- Add the pureed vegetables to the roux, continuously stirring.
- Add the remaining 2 Tbsp of Cajun seasoning and the Worcestershire sauce or coconut aminos.
- Slowly stir in the broth.
- Add the green onion and parsley.
- Allow the broth to reach a boil, stirring occasionally.
- Reduce to simmer and add the chicken and bacon. Allow the gumbo to simmer for about 45 minutes.
- In the last 5 minutes, stir in the okra and shrimp.
- Steam the cauliflower rice according to package instructions and set aside.
- Serve the gumbo hot with a scoop of the cauliflower rice.