This slow cooker version is a delicious twist on traditional ‘gumbo’.
The slow cooker is one of the best time-saving appliances in the kitchen. Have you tried one yet?
It’s great for beginner cooks because all you have to do is fill it and turn it on. Hours later, you come home to a house filled with wonderful smells and dinner ready to serve! If you’re just starting out, here’s some tips I have gathered that may help:
• Liquids don’t boil away in the slow cooker, so if you are making a recipe that wasn’t specifically developed for the crockpot, reduce the liquid by 1/3 to 1/2 unless you are cooking rice or making soup.
• Don’t lift the lid to stir, especially if you are cooking on the low setting. Each time you lift the lid, enough heat will escape that the cooking time should be extended by 20 minutes to half an hour. To check progress without lifting the lid, spin the cover until the condensation falls off. Then it’s easy to see inside.
• Only fill the slow cooker one half to two thirds full. The foods will not cook properly if the appliance is topped up to the brim. If the food and liquid level is too low, the foods will cook too quickly.
• Dark meat is the best choice for the slow cooker because white meat overcooks quickly. Always remove chicken skin because it becomes flabby and without a skin barrier the sauce flavours have a chance to infuse the chicken meat. Four hours is the maximum time to cook chicken on high in a slow cooker.
I love this Slow Cooker Chicken Gumbo because it uses my favourite – boneless chicken thighs. They are great tasting, easy to use and are more moist than breast meat. This gumbo is more of stew, thick, hearty, stick-to-your ribs good. Give it a try, it’s awesome to come home to a super yummy ready-to-serve supper!
Slow Cooker Chicken Gumbo
EMAIL Recipe Share on FacebookIngredients
- 2 Tbsp canola oil
- 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cubed
- 1 cup onions, diced
- 1 cup celery stalks, diced
- 1 cup sweet red pepper, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp salt and pepper
- 1 cup chicken broth or dry white wine
- 1 can, 28 oz./756 mL diced tomatoes with liquid
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup kale, diced
- 3/4 cup long grain rice
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; brown chicken. Transfer to slow cooker.
- To skillet, cook onions, celery, red pepper, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper until just lightly brown, about 6 minutes. Add to slow cooker.
- Add broth or wine to slow cooker. Add bay leaves, tomatoes, tomato paste and 1/2 cup water. Cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours.
- Discard bay leaves. Add kale and rice. Cover and cook on high for an additional 35-45 minutes.
This recipe looks tasty but I was wondering about the time for cooking the rice. It says to add it for 15 minutes – does this mean it is pre-cooked rice? as I can’t imagine rice cooking in 15 minutes. I would love to try this recipe but will wait for clarification.
Thanks Trinity – typo! I have updated it to 35-45 minutes.
I can’t wait to try this recipe. Looks amazing and the photography and staging make it even more appetizing. Great job.