This dinner is inspired by a gumbo that my dad had for lunch when we were in Dallas last month. All I knew about gumbo was that people from LA made it. A lot.
Call me “gumbo ignorant.” I was. But no longer. Did a little research on Wiki…and learned quite a bit. Hop on over there and see how “gumbo savvy” you are!
I digress.
A simple soup. Err, gumbo! With a whole LOTTA flavor. And LOTS of leftovers.
Paired with some free iceberg lettuce and homemade garlic ranch dressing!
(Only thing missing…andouille sausage…but that woulda sent me WAY over $5! So we made do…still was delicious!)
We all loved it…boys included!
Chicken Gumbo
Yield – 4 servings
Preparation Time – 5 minutes
Cooking Time – 30-45 minutes
Ingredients
- 8 cups chicken stock (free if homemade)
- 1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes ($.29)
- 2 cups cooked shredded chicken ($1.50)
- 2 12 oz. bags of gumbo frozen vegetables ($2)
- 2 Tbsp Emeril’s Essence seasonings ($.25)
- Tabasco ($.20)
- 1 cup rice, brown or white ($.20)
- 1/2 head of iceberg lettuce, cut into wedges (free)
- 1/2 cup homemade garlic ranch dressing ($.40)
Directions
- In a large saucepan, add the chicken stock. Toss in the canned tomatoes, the shredded chicken and the bags of gumbo frozen vegetables. Stir together.
- Season with Emeril’s Essence, or other creole seasoning. Add a few dashes of Tabasco…or more if you want to give a little more heat!
- Let simmer over medium heat for 30-45 minutes.
- Cook 1 cup rice according to package instructions.
- Make homemade garlic ranch dressing. Pour over iceberg wedge.
- To serve, add about 1/2 – 3/4 cups of cooked rice to a bowl. Top with gumbo.
- Serve Chicken Gumbo with Iceberg Garlic Ranch Wedges.
Cost $4.84
Becky says
Aw, I’ll give you my gumbo recipe if you want it – just shoot me an email. This is more of a soup since it doesn’t have a roux (flour/oil mix). But it looks good – I’ll have to try it.
Oh, and I bet if you add rice to thus as it cooks it’ll be pretty close to jambalaya.
Ellen @ CheapCooking says
This dressing looks good but so does Pioneer Woman’s version. Decisions, decisions! Thinking I might try yours but with buttermilk since I just bought some.
Tami says
This looks delish!!
veterankindergartenteacher says
This is such a terrific site! Thanks so much for the post and recipes!!!
Betsy says
We love gumbo, too! But, we really, really (really!) like the andouille. So, I use half the amount of chicken you do, plus, instead of using 2 bags of gumbo veggies, I chop my own peppers, onions, and celery, and I just use a bag of frozen okra. Sometimes, instead of okra, I use file powder (my dh prefers file over okra; I like okra better). Either way, by doing these things (and only using 1/2 pound of okra), you can still keep the price under $5, and you get your andouille! 🙂
lisa piq says
I mix my own creole seasoning
1 tblspn paprika,kosher salt,garlic powder,pepper
1 1/2 onion powder,cayenne pepper,oregano and tyme
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
Erin, The $5 Dinner Mom says
@lisa piq,
Thanks for sharing Lisa!
Erin