Low carb "Gumbalaya"

Low carb “Gumbalaya”

Gumbalaya is not really a thing. Until now. There’s gumbo and there’s jambalaya, but Kristie has taken the best bits from both and it’s delicious! Gumbalaya is very hearty with a thick broth, chicken, kielbasa and shrimp. It has just a few veggies and is tasty on its own, or served over cauli rice.

Low carb “Gumbalaya”

Gumbalaya is not really a thing. Until now. There’s gumbo and there’s jambalaya, but Kristie has taken the best bits from both and it’s delicious! Gumbalaya is very hearty with a thick broth, chicken, kielbasa and shrimp. It has just a few veggies and is tasty on its own, or served over cauli rice.
USMetric
10 servingservings

Ingredients

  • ½ cup 120 ml coconut oil or bacon fat
  • 2½ lbs 1.1 kg boneless chicken thighs
  • 2 2 minced garlic cloveminced garlic cloves
  • 1 (4 oz.) 1 (110 g) yellow onionyellow onions
  • 1 (5 oz.) 1 (140 g) small green bell peppersmall green bell peppers
  • 3 (4¼ oz.) 3 (120 g) celery stalk choppedcelery stalks chopped
  • 3 oz. 85 g fresh okra
  • 1¾ lbs (313 cups) 800 g (800 ml) crushed tomatoes
  • ½ cup 120 ml water
  • 2 cups 475 ml beef broth
  • 1 tsp 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp 1 tsp cajun seasoning
  • 1 tsp 1 tsp gumbo filé
  • 18 tsp 18 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 12 oz. 350 g kielbasa thinly sliced
  • 1 lb 450 g shrimp peeled and deveined
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Instructions

  1. Melt coconut oil or bacon fat in a large cast iron skillet. Add cubed chicken and minced garlic. Mix and sauté until chicken is browned.
  2. Add sliced onion and green bell pepper and stir with chicken until vegetables are soft.
  3. Add salt, cajun seasoning, gumbo filé and cayenne. Stir into chicken mix and continue to cook for a minute.
  4. Add the thinly sliced kielbasa, celery, okra and crushed tomatoes along with water and bone broth. Stir until well mixed.
  5. Return the pan to a low boil and continue stirring as the sauce thickens.
  6. Let the gumbalaya simmer on low heat for at least 15 minutes. The longer it simmers, the more intense the flavor will be.
  7. When the vegetables are tender and the sauce has thickened, add the shrimp and simmer for two to three minutes until shrimp is pink and cooked through.

Tip

If you purchase broth, please be sure to check the ingredients and the nutritional information. Also, store bought broth often tends to be low in fat. For these reasons, it is generally a good idea to make your own bone broth.

Video

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Low-carb Gumbalaya
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31 comments

  1. Tamara
    I just made this and it is diviiiiine. Followed the recipe to a T, except I let it simmer for the first 15 mins, added the shrimp, then let it simmer for an additional 15. I’m not sure I’ll get 10 servings out of it, probably 5 haha, sooooo good ??
  2. Kari
    Just made this and it was good. My husband said I can make it anytime as it is one of his top favorite recipes off of Diet Doctor. Unfortunately, had to buy frozen okra and they don't sell Gumbo File locally and to order it online, I'd have to spend $25 for them to ship the $1 item. So we were missing the thickening agent. Next time, I'll go heavier on the seasonings as we are "spicy" people. Also, I ended up doubling the beef broth to give it more juices.
  3. Barbara
    Made this over the weekend. Absolutely love it. It came out so well, going to make it again. It taste better then my mother’s Gumbo that weekend- don’t tell her ? This low-carb meal was perfect. Thank you Diet Doctor.
  4. Siveenajensen
    Really good couldn’t find the gumbo file used corn starch also used italan sausages could not find okra found the spices were perfect we will be doing it again every one wanted more .
  5. Michele
    This recipe has been calling to me ever since I first saw it - and I finally gave in on the hottest, sweatiest Sydney summer day. It was rich and tasty - I also upped the spice. Okra not common near me so I just left it out and couldn't find either kielbasa or andouille sausage so used chorizo instead. This is truly delicious, very forgiving with substitutions and was told it is a new family favourite. Might wait till winter to make it again!
  6. Alex
    Just made this for dinner - absolutely amazing! I too upped the spices ever so slightly, but the flavours in this meal are intense and delicious. Will definitely be adding this to my favourites list!
  7. Scott
    Amazing third time I make it and it's amazing, this time I used andouille sausage.... it taste amazing!!
  8. Richelle
    Does it freeze well?
    Reply: #24
  9. Sharon
    Hi, I want to try this recipe but I'm wondering what are the nutrition facts, please😊
    Reply: #10
  10. Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor

    Hi, I want to try this recipe but I'm wondering what are the nutrition facts, please😊

    Click the + Nutrition tab underneath the ingredient list for the nutrition facts.

    --Kristin

  11. Andrew
    Made this last night. gumbo file is a challenge to buy in the UK so it was missing

    In spite of that it was delicious and so easy to make

    I can thoroughly recommend it

  12. debbie
    I made this for dinner Friday night. We are having again tonight (and yes we had it Saturday night for dinner as well). I love this reciepe. I did add more broth-I like it soupy and did up the spice level a bit. One of my favorite recipes so far! Thank you!!!
  13. Gladys Zamora
    Beef or bone broth?
    Reply: #14
  14. Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
    You can use beef broth from the store, or you can use homemade bone broth from beef bones!
  15. Viv
    Does anyone know the macros for this? I made this today and it was awesome...We added crab legs to this as we are used to them being in our gumbo...Came out amazing! The only thing I would advise is to let the pot simmer longer...that was the flavors meld a bit more and I also added some shopped fresno peppers for an extra kick!
    Reply: #16
  16. Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor
    Click the Nutrition + tab under the list of ingredients.
  17. kay
    I live in New Orleans, where gumbo is thickened with a roux. Usually a flour and oil combo cooked until chocolate brown. It's a lot of work tending to this mixture. So here is what I did, I bought this gadget called the
    STIRTIME and boy does it work and I used coconut flour and bacon drippings. The stirtime is battery operated and stirs the roux and rotates all the while it is cooking, look Ma no hands! Love it, and now I am going to make a butter roux for light gravy, cheese sauce, bechamel. I highly recommend this recipe for a roux. Of course you can do the same with a spoon but it does require constant stirring.BTW I am not affiliated in any way with this kitchen tool
  18. Caroline
    So far this is my favorite recipe! I substituted a few things like butter instead of oil/bacon fat and beef sausage instead of kielbasa. I also left out the gumbo file (couldn't find it at the store) and okra (b/c I hate okra). Like others, I added a little more broth and spice and it was delicious! Would definitely recommend.
  19. Dawn
    This was great, thank you for the recipe! I didn't use okra since I don't care for it and couldn't find gumbo file. Added diced jalapeno since I had it on hand. Also microwaved a bag of cauli-rice and then fried it in the pan with the other veggies. Ended up being similar to rice mixed in. Will make again and again :)
  20. Steph
    I just made this and it was delicious,
    we only got 7 servings though not 10 . After eating I added all my ingredients to my carb manager and it ended up being 17 net carbs per serving. Ahhhh! The sausage and the crushed tomatoes alone are almost 12 grams a serving. :(
    Reply: #23
  21. Danielle
    Can you use chicken broth instead of beef?
    Reply: #22
  22. Kristin Parker Team Diet Doctor

    Can you use chicken broth instead of beef?

    Yes, that will work well.

  23. Asli Anderson
    Check the brands next time, I’ve seen huge differences in carbs depending on the brand
  24. lauramb1994
    I froze this to take on a trip with me. Just ate a batch after it had thawed and reheated. It is excellent and even better than the first time I served it! So yes it does freeze well.
  25. Janice
    Sitting here watching the end of a typhoon go by and wondering if I can use caulirice to make gumbo with my nice, fresh okra which are readily available now. On a whim decided to check Diet Doctor and found Gumbalaya. From Kristie’s description, I felt this is just what I need for dinner tonight as luckily I have all ingredients except kielbasa on hand. Thank you, Kristie for putting this together for us.
  26. Sue Mccosker
    We had this for dinner last night. Flavours amazing. This will become a family favourite. My husband could not believe this is a LCHF meal. Am slowly converting him and recipes like this one make it so much easier. I could not get gumbo file here in Oz so used xanthan gum which worked well.
    Thank you Kristie
  27. Lorna
    Absolutely loved this recipe. Luckily I have visited New Orleans and brought back gumbo file, creole and cajin spices. Picked up okra from Tesco. Thank you for sharing this recipe. 10/10
    Reply: #28
  28. Crystal Pullen Team Diet Doctor

    Absolutely loved this recipe. Luckily I have visited New Orleans and brought back gumbo file, creole and cajin spices. Picked up okra from Tesco. Thank you for sharing this recipe. 10/10

    I am glad you loved this one! Thank you for sharing your feedback.

  29. TG
    Holy Moly!!!!! This is amazing!!!! I doubled the Cajun seasoning and the cayenne pepper for a spicier kick and added an extra cup of broth for more liquid. My husband says he can eat this dish everyday for a week!!!
  30. 1 comment removed
  31. Ed
    This is soup not gumbo. Gumbo starts with a roux
    Reply: #32
  32. dyoung1
    it doesn't say gumbo. it says it is a mixture of gumbo and jambalaya in the write up. Regardless it is delscious

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