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. 

1. Servings: 6
2. Difficulty: Moderate-Difficult
3. Print
4. 4 strips of thick cut bacon, diced
5. 4 jalapenos, roughly chopped
6. 4 leafy stalks of celery, roughly chopped
7. ¾ Cup onion, roughly chopped
8. 3 cloves of garlic, peeled
9. ½ Cup Rotel diced tomato
10. 2 + 1 Tbsp Cajun seasoning
11. 1 lb raw chicken breast
12. 1 lb raw shrimp, peeled, de-veined and tails removed
13. ¼ cup of clarified butter or cooking oil of your choice
14. 2 tsp xanthan gum
15. 6 cups chicken broth
16. 1/2 Cup green onion, sliced
17. 1/2 Cup parsley, chopped
18. 2 T Worcestershire sauce or Coconut Aminos
19. 1.5 Cups Okra, sliced
20. 1 package of frozen Cauliflower rice, steamed
21. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large dutch oven, cook the bacon until crispy, then remove from pan and set aside.
22. In the leftover bacon fat, cook the celery, onion, jalapeno, and garlic until soft.
23. Remove the veggies from the pan and puree in a blender or food processor with the diced tomato. Set aside.
24. Dust the chicken breasts on both sides with 1 Tbsp of the Cajun seasoning.
25. Sear in the dutch oven on each side, then transfer to the oven for about 20 minutes to fully cook.
26. While the chicken cooks, cook the shrimp in the dutch oven until pink. Remove from pan and set aside.
27. When the chicken is finished cooking, chop into bite size pieces and set aside.
28. 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.
29. Add the pureed vegetables to the roux, continuously stirring.
30. Add the remaining 2 Tbsp of Cajun seasoning and the Worcestershire sauce or coconut aminos.
31. Slowly stir in the broth.
32. Add the green onion and parsley.
33. Allow the broth to reach a boil, stirring occasionally.
34. Reduce to simmer and add the chicken and bacon. Allow the gumbo to simmer for about 45 minutes.
35. In the last 5 minutes, stir in the okra and shrimp.
36. Steam the cauliflower rice according to package instructions and set aside.
37. Serve the gumbo hot with a scoop of the cauliflower rice.