Weight Watchers Friendly Recipe: Chicken & Sausage Gumbo
(160 calories | 3 2 2 myWW *SmartPoints value per serving)
I attended a fun cooking class class Wednesday night: Mardi Gras Magic, where the menu included a yummy Louisiana favorite - chicken and andouille gumbo. I thought it would be fun to offer up a lighter, healthier alternative.
WW Friendly Chicken & Sausage Gumbo
I found exactly what I was looking for - a healthy easy chicken and sausage gumbo - in Holly Clegg's Trim & Terrific Gulf Coast Favorites!
Recipe Notes, Substitutions & Variations
It turns out the secret to a healthy gumbo is a healthy roux. Using browned flour saves both time and a ton of fat and calories, while keeping all the rich nutty flavor associated with traditional gumbo.
This light and healthy chicken and sausage gumbo is diabetic friendly and perfect for Weight Watchers.
The recipe calls for okra. If you're not a fan, leave it out.
And it doesn't include File powder (pronounced [FEE-lay]) powder, which I learned in my cooking class, is one of the key ingredients in making gumbo and has a distinctive "root beer" flavor. File powder is made from the dried ground leaves of the sassafras tree and is used to both thicken and flavor gumbo.
You should be able to find file powder in the seasoning section of most well-stocked grocery stores. It can also be purchased online at Amazon: Zatarain's Gumbo File.
Good thickening substitutes for File powder included okra (which is usually included in Gumbo) or Cornstarch.
How Many Calories and Weight Watchers Points in Chicken & Sausage Gumbo?
According to my calculations, each serving has 160 calories and:
3 *SmartPoints (Green plan)
2 *SmartPoints (Blue plan)
2 *SmartPoints (Purple plan)
4 *PointsPlus (Old plan)
You could easily divide the ingredients in half to make a smaller batch of gumbo or freeze the leftovers for future healthy lunches and suppers. Enjoy!
If you like this chicken and sausage gumbo recipe, be sure to check out some of my other easy, healthy Weight Watchers friendly recipes including Slow Cooker Chicken Sausage Gumbo, Slow Cooker Creole White Beans with Chicken, Slow Cooker Hamburger Stew, Skinny Slow Cooker Southwest Chicken Soup, Easy Southwestern Goulash and Slow Cooker Sausage & Vegetables
If you've made this WW Friendly Gumbo, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
Weight Watcher's Friendly Chicken & Sausage Gumbo
Ingredients
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 pound reduced-fat sausage, sliced in ¼-inch pieces (I used chicken andouille sausage)
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in 1-inch pieces
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 8 cups fat-free chicken broth
- 1 package (16 ounces) frozen cut okra or fresh cut okra (optional)
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 bunch green onions, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven 400F degrees.
- Place flour on baking sheet and bake, stirring every 6 to 8 minutes, until dark nutty brown color. This should take about 20 minutes. Set aside.
- In large non-stick pot coated with non-stick cooking spray, cook the sausage over medium heat until crispy brown. Remove any excess grease and set aside.
- Recoat the skillet with non-stick cooking spray. Add the chicken and cook, stirring often, just until it begins to brown. Then add onion, garlic, green pepper, and celery, cooking until tender.
- Stir in browned flour until it coats the chicken and vegetables.
- Continue to stir while adding the chicken broth. Then add the okra, thyme, cayenne, and salt and pepper to taste.
- Bring to boil, and then lower the heat and simmer 30 minutes or until chicken is tender.
- Add sausage and green onions and continue to cook for about 5 more minutes.
- Serve with rice.
Recipe Notes
Source: Holly Clegg's Trim & Terrific Gulf Coast Favorites
*PersonalPoints® calculated by WW. *PointsPlus® and SmartPoints® calculated by Simple Nourished Living; Not endorsed by Weight Watchers International, Inc. All recipe ingredients except optional items included in determining nutritional estimates. SmartPoints® values calculated WITHOUT each plan's ZeroPoint Foods (Green plan, Blue plan, Purple plan) using the WW Recipe Builder.
Martha is the founder and main content writer for Simple-Nourished-Living.
A longtime lifetime WW at goal, she is committed to balancing her love of food and desire to stay slim while savoring life and helping others do the same.
She is the author of the Smart Start 28-Day Weight Loss Challenge.
A huge fan of the slow cooker and confessed cookbook addict, when she's not experimenting in the kitchen, you're likely to find Martha on her yoga mat.
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Peg
Doesn't ww get ticked that you use the phrase ww?
Martha McKinnon
It's Weight Watchers friendly!
Terry
There are powder roux mixes that are available and are very good. I use Kary's. It is available on Amazon. It is already seasoned. You add water and whatever meat or seafood you wish. I grew up in Louisiana and know many cooks who use this instead of making their own. Kary's is 1 WW point per serving. It makes a delicious Gumbo without all the work.
Martha McKinnon
Thanks Terry! This is good to know!!
Elizabeth
thank u so much is very helpful
Teresa Sewell
Hi Martha: I am about to begin WW and I really like soups in the fall and winters months does 3SP per serving include the rice or do I add an extra points for the rice?
Martha McKinnon
Hi Teresa, You'll want to add extra points for however much rice you eat. Another alternative would be to substitute cauliflower "rice" for 0 SP. Hope this helps. Warmly, Martha
SuzanneP.
OMG! I made a big batch of this the other night! My kids and husband could not get enough of it!! I made enough leftovers for two days I did cheat a little bit now is the population I had cooked chicken breast beforehand and cut it all up. And I used salad size shrimp, also already cooked. After slicing the kielbasa, I quickly pan seared them for two minutes to give texture. Wish I could post pictures or video of it!
Devin
How much is a serving size?