This Chicken Gumbo Soup Recipe (with okra) is an easy, healthy, lighter and WW friendly version of Chicken Gumbo. It's a flavorful and hearty soup that's made with tender chicken breast and turkey pepperoni, with okra serving as the natural thickener.
This healthy gumbo recipe is especially popular in the fall and winter and pairs well with this Everything Bagel Cloud Bread Recipe. If you grew up loving the classic red and white can of Campbell's Chicken Gumbo soup, you'll love this homemade version! I've recreated that signature Cajun flavor without the high sodium and preservatives, keeping it 100% Weight Watchers friendly.
Recipe Overview: Healthy Chicken Gumbo Soup
- Ready in: 30 minutes
- Serves: 6 servings
- Calories: 215 kcal
- Main Ingredients: Chicken breast, okra (fresh or frozen), celery, onion, green pepper, diced tomatoes, rice.
- Dietary Info: Healthy, Low-Sodium, High-Protein, Gluten-Free.
- Weight Watchers Points: 2-3 WW Points (depending on rice).
- Difficulty: Easy.
- Why You'll Love It: It's the ultimate healthy "Copycat" recipe! You get all the smoky, tangy, and savory notes of the classic canned version of Campbell's Chicken Gumbo soup, but in a fresh, high-volume meal that keeps you full for hours.
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- Recipe Overview: Healthy Chicken Gumbo Soup
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- 🥘Ingredient Notes
- 📖Variations & Substitutions
- 🔪How to Make Chicken Gumbo Soup
- Expert Recipe Tips
- Freezing Leftover Okra
- 🥗 What to serve with Chicken Gumbo Soup
- 🌡️Storage
- 👪 Serving Size
- 🔢WW Points
- ❔Recipe FAQs
- Didn't find the answer you're looking for?
- 🥣More Healthy Soup Recipes
- 📋Healthy Chicken Gumbo Soup Recipe
🥘Ingredient Notes
Gumbo actually originated in West Africa, although most people associate it with New Orleans and Louisiana, where it was popularized. There are 2 types of gumbo: Creole and Cajun.
Creole gumbos often include tomatoes, shellfish, dark roux, and often okra and filé powder, whereas Cajun gumbo usually contains chicken and no tomatoes. Both Creole and Cajun gumbos can include meats such as ham or sausage.
Traditional roux is used to thicken gumbo and contains a large amount of oil and flour. To make a healthy version, I use the natural starches in okra and a light tomato base to thicken the soup, saving dozens of grams of fat while maintaining the authentic Cajun flavor profile.
For this gumbo recipe, you'll need:
- Chicken breast & turkey pepperoni. Using these meats keeps it light and ww friendly.
- Celery, Green pepper, and Onion. Celery, onions, and bell peppers are what is known as the "holy trinity" in gumbo. I use celery seed (NOT celery salt) and onion powder to get the flavor without having to chop more stuff up. And I use green onions because they are milder.
- Okra. Many gumbo recipes use a roux (a mixture of flour and fat) or gumbo filé, which is a spicy herb mix made from the dried and ground leaves of the North American sassafras tree, to thicken it. I use okra because it's a natural thickener and lends a depth of flavor unlike anything else. I don't use a roux because it's unnecessary calories.
- Canned Diced tomatoes and Chicken broth. These make up the base of the soup. They are easy and economical. *I use chicken bouillon mixed with water.
- Bay leaves. Give your broth a subtle depth of flavor.
- Cayenne pepper and Cajun seasoning. These give this Gumbo the iconic spiciness.
- Minced garlic. Garlic adds complexity with its buttery and nutty spicy flavor.
- Instant rice (I use white rice). Rice is common in gumbos, and instant rice is quick and easy!
*Please see recipe card for full list of ingredients and quantities
📖Variations & Substitutions
- Vegetarian - leave out the meat and use vegetable broth
- Spicy - add sriracha sauce or the hot sauce of your choice!
- Deluxe - add shrimp
- Celery seed - you can use actual celery instead, but I don't recommend you use celery salt, as it will make it too salty
- Turkey pepperoni - you could use regular pepperoni, turkey sausage, regular sausage, or andouille sausage instead
- Chicken - you could use a store-bought rotisserie chicken, shredded chicken, or chicken thighs
- Rice - you could use brown rice instead. You could also use regular short-grain rice or long-grain rice (not instant), but you'll need to put it in at the beginning (when you put in all the vegetables)
- Chicken broth - you can use store-bought or homemade chicken broth
- Onions - you could use white onion instead of green onion
- Add-ins - you could add red bell pepper
🔪How to Make Chicken Gumbo Soup
Prep: Spray a Dutch oven or skillet with non-stick cooking spray. Alternatively, you could use a little olive oil.
Chop chicken meat and place in Dutch oven or pot with Cajun seasoning and cayenne.
Cook over medium-high heat until cooked through- about 5 minutes
Add all remaining ingredients to pot with chicken (except rice)
Stir ingredients together.
Bring to a boil, then immediately turn down to simmer, cover with lid and cook for 15- 20 minutes or until vegetables are soft/tender, but not completely cooked through.
Add rice and bring to a boil once again.
Immediately turn down to simmer (medium - low), cover with lid, and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until rice is cooked.
*Remove bay leaves before serving.
Expert Recipe Tips
- The "Okra" Secret: Okra is what gives gumbo its signature thickness. By using chopped okra, you don't need a heavy flour roux to get that slightly silky, "Award-Winning" texture.
- The Smoky Sausage Shortcut: Authentic gumbo uses Andouille sausage, which is delicious but very high in points. My 'Award-Winning' healthy secret is using turkey pepperoni! When simmered in the broth, it releases a beautiful smoky, peppery flavor and provides that meaty texture we love, all while keeping this a light, high-protein meal."
- The Browning Rule: Sauté your chicken with Cajun spices first. This "sears" the flavor into the meat, which mimics the deep flavor of slow-simmered gumbo in half the time.
- Control the Heat: This is a mild copycat, just like the original. If you want a "kick," add a few dashes of hot sauce or a teaspoon of tamed jalapeño brine!
Freezing Leftover Okra
You may have okra left over, so you'll want to preserve it. I recommend slicing it before you freeze it. I have tried freezing it whole but found that it gets too gooey to cut once it defrosts.
First, wash it and cut off the ends, then cut it into circles.
Next, spread it out in one layer on a parchment-lined cookie sheet.
Freeze for 4 hours.
Then transfer to a labeled/dated freezer bag and return to the freezer for up to 3 months
🥗 What to serve with Chicken Gumbo Soup
This gumbo soup goes well with salad such as my Strawberry Spinach Salad with Pecans, or my Tangy Mandarin Orange Salad! It also pairs well with Old Fashioned Cornbread (no buttermilk), Baguette Garlic Bread, or Italian Breadsticks (shown).
🌡️Storage
Store this gumbo soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. However, the longer it sits, the thicker it will get. You may want to add additional chicken broth before serving if it's been sitting for a couple of days.
You can freeze this soup for up to 3 months in airtight containers.
Leftover chicken gumbo soup can be used in my Turkey Sloppy Joes!
👪 Serving Size
This chicken & sausage gumbo recipe makes 8 servings. However, you can halve, double, or triple the recipe by clicking on the serving number and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust.
🔢WW Points
This easy gumbo soup recipe is very Weight Watchers friendly @ 2 WW points per serving! The turkey pepperoni and the rice are the only ingredients that have a point value. All the other ingredients are 0 ww points, if you use fat-free chicken broth.
How can I make this a low-point Weight Watchers meal?
To keep the points as low as possible, use frozen cauliflower rice instead of white or brown rice. While the chicken breast, okra, and vegetables are ZeroPoint foods, this recipe includes turkey pepperoni to mimic the smoky flavor of Andouille sausage. This adds a tiny amount of points (usually only 1 point per serving!), giving you a massive, flavor-packed bowl of soup that is incredibly budget-friendly for your points bank!
❔Recipe FAQs
Traditional Gumbo is a thick, stew-like dish served over rice, known for its heavy oil-and-flour roux. Chicken Gumbo Soup is a lighter, brothier version where the rice is often cooked directly in the soup or added in. It captures all the same Cajun flavors but is much lower in calories and easier to eat as a standalone meal.
The secret to thickening this healthy gumbo without a heavy flour-and-oil roux is okra. Okra contains a natural thickening agent that creates a silky texture as it simmers. Combined with a light tomato base, you get a satisfying consistency without the extra fat and points of a traditional roux.
As written, this is a mild soup designed to mimic the classic Campbell's flavor that families love. If you prefer a "New Orleans Kick," you can easily increase the spice by adding a half-teaspoon of cayenne pepper, a few dashes of hot sauce, or using a "Hot" Cajun seasoning blend.
Absolutely! In fact, using frozen sliced okra is a fantastic time-saver. Frozen okra is flash-frozen at its peak, so it maintains its nutritional value and thickening power. There is no need to thaw it; just dump it directly into the pot with your other vegetables.
Yes! Because we skip the traditional flour roux and use okra as our thickener, this recipe is naturally gluten-free. Just be sure to check the label on your chicken broth and Cajun seasoning to ensure they are certified GF.
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If you are looking for an easy and healthy Chicken Gumbo soup recipe, you'll love this one! It's sure to become a family favorite.
And for more healthy ww chicken recipes, be sure to try my Healthy Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken!
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📋Healthy Chicken Gumbo Soup Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast 4 -5 breasts
- 1 teaspoon cayenne
- ¼ lb turkey pepperoni, chopped into circles about 4-5 sticks
- 1 whole green pepper, chopped
- 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
- 1 bunch green onions
- 1½ cups okra *about ½ lb fresh okra
- 28 oz canned diced tomatoes
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 2 bay leaves
- ¼ teaspoon celery seed
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoon minced garlic
- ½ cup instant rice
Instructions
- Spray a dutch oven or skillet with non-stick cooking spray.
- Chop chicken and place in Dutch oven or pot with Cajun seasoning and cayenne.
- Cook over medium-high heat until cooked through- about 5 minutes
- Add all remaining ingredients to pot with chicken (except rice)
- Stir ingredients together.
- Bring to a boil over hight heat, then immediately turn down to simmer, cover with lid and cook for 15- 20 minutes or until vegetables are soft/tender, but not completely cooked through.
- Add rice and bring to a boil once again.
- Immediately turn down to simmer (medium - low), cover with lid and cook for an additional 10 minutes or until rice is cooked through. Remove each bay leaf before serving.
Notes
- Vegetarian - leave out the meat and use vegetable broth
- Spicy - add sriracha sauce or the hot sauce of your choice!
- Deluxe - add shrimp
- Celery seed - you can use actual celery instead but I don't recommend you use celery salt, as it will make it too salty
- Turkey pepperoni - you could use regular pepperoni, turkey sausage, regular sausage, or andouille sausage instead
- Chicken - you could use a store-bought rotisserie chicken, shredded chicken, or chicken thighs
- Rice - you could use brown rice instead. You could also use regular short-grain rice or long-grain rice (not instant) but you'll need to put it in at the beginning (when you put in all the vegetables)
- Chicken broth - you can use store-bought or homemade chicken broth
- Onions - you could use white onion instead of green onion
- Add-ins - you could add red bell pepper
- The "Okra" Secret: Okra is what gives gumbo its signature thickness. By using chopped okra, you don't need a heavy flour roux to get that slightly silky, "Award-Winning" texture.
- The Smoky Sausage Shortcut: Authentic gumbo uses Andouille sausage, which is delicious but very high in points. My 'Award-Winning' healthy secret is using turkey pepperoni! When simmered in the broth, it releases a beautiful smoky, peppery flavor and provides that meaty texture we love, all while keeping this a light, high-protein meal."
- The Browning Rule: Sauté your chicken with Cajun spices first. This "sears" the flavor into the meat, which mimics the deep flavor of slow-simmered gumbo in half the time.
- Control the Heat: This is a mild copycat, just like the original. If you want a "kick," add a few dashes of hot sauce or a teaspoon of tamed jalapeño brine!
Terri Gilson says
This Chicken Gumbo Soup is my take on a classic, combining elements from both Creole and Cajun styles. I've streamlined the recipe to make it quicker and healthier without sacrificing flavor. The okra thickens the soup naturally without the extra calories from a traditional roux.