Chicken Gumbo Soup.

I always get the difference between gumbo and jambalaya confused. After doing extensive research (aka Wikipedia), I've determined that this soup is basically the two combined! Typically gumbo has a thinner consistency like the recipe below, and jambalaya is thicker. But the main difference between the two is the way that the rice is prepared. With gumbo, the rice is prepared on it's own and served as a bed for the main dish. For jambalaya, the rice is cooked in the stock from the veggies, meat and broth, just like this recipe. Which is why I say they are the best of both worlds combined!

 And that folks, is your cooking lesson for the day! 

Chicken Gumbo Soup

Recipe and photo from Iowa Girl Eats.

3 slices bacon, chopped

1 small onion, chopped

1 small green bell pepper, chopped

2 ribs celery, chopped

salt & pepper

1-1/2lbs chicken breasts, cut into-bite sized pieces and seasoned with salt & pepper

1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup flour

32oz chicken broth (plus more for reheating)

28oz crushed tomatoes

2 cups water

2 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (or more or less)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup long grain rice

Heat a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add bacon and cook until crispy then remove to a paper towel-lined plate and set aside, reserving bacon fat in pot (add extra virgin olive oil if necessary to get 2 Tablespoons fat total in pot.) Add onion, bell pepper, and celery then season with salt and pepper and saute for 5 minutes, or until veggies are softened. Add chicken and Cajun seasoning then cook for 5 more minutes. Add garlic then cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Sprinkle flour over veggies and chicken then stir to combine. Cook, stirring constantly, until flour turns golden brown, about 3 minutes. Add about a cup of chicken broth then scrape browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add remaining chicken broth, crushed tomatoes, water, bay leaves, red chili pepper flakes, and salt then bring soup to a boil. Add rice then cover pot, turn heat down to medium-low, and simmer, stirring often, for 15-20 minutes or until rice is just barely tender (it will continue to cook and soften in soup.) Add cooked bacon back into the soup then let it sit and thicken off the heat for 10 minutes. Remove bay leaves and serve.