Reynold's Slow Cooker Chicken Gumbo with Shrimp

I received these fantastic goodies from both Johnsonville and Reynolds as part of the AllRecipes AllStars programs in October! Thank you Johnsonville and Reynolds!!

This month for AllRecipes AllStars I was invited to join the Reynolds campaign - I was so excited when I learned we would get to work with the Reynolds Slow Cooker Liners and trying out their recipes utilizing the liners. First of all, I love my crock pot (a quick peek through my recipe index will probably tip you off to that fact), secondly I love easy clean up! What could be easier than a crock pot liner and a one-pot meal?! I think pretty much nothing. Now, on top of a superbly easy meal, this recipe is incredibly DELICIOUS. I have never made gumbo before, and I know this is not "traditional" being all thrown together in the crock pot without doing a traditional roux, but regardless of traditional or not it is SO yummy!! Just a little heat, the perfect amount of seasoning, and a ton of delicious veggies and proteins mixed in. We had some gumbo file powder in the cupboard, so I stirred in about 1/4 cup into the full pot before serving. I hadn't used it before so I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but it is primarily a thickener and according to the jar it comes in, it adds a subtle flavor. I tried it before and after adding the powder and didn't notice a flavor difference, so I think mostly it is a thickener. The gumbo was still fairly thin, but I thought it worked perfectly over the rice. I was so ready to dish up some leftovers and enjoy them for lunch the next day! It reheats perfectly. As an "easy" suggestion as well - I put my chicken in frozen. When the dish was fully cooked I removed the chicken to a cutting board, rough chopped it, and put it back in.

This is definitely a keeper recipe for me, I love the flavors, the proteins and veggies, and the simple and flavorful tomato broth. Big thumbs up from everyone in the house - and I wished I'd had a nice crusty loaf of french bread to serve this with; I think that would have been the perfect accompaniment! The only thing I did differently besides adding the file powder is adding in some diced smoked beef sausage which added some great flavor and "beefed up" the meat content (no pun intended, promise). I used Hillshire Farms Beef Smoked Sausage, a 16-oz package.

Find Reynolds on their Facebook page, twitter, or their website. Here's the description of the slow cooker liners as well (when I linked over there was a coupon for 75 cents off the slow cooker liners on their website - so make sure to check out their coupons too!):

Using Reynolds® Slow Cooker Liners help take the pain out of slow cooking by making cleanup a snap.  Just serve your meal, toss the slow cooker liner, and you’re done!  No soaking or scrubbing necessary. 

Reynolds Slow Cooker Liners prevent a baked-on mess and eliminate soaking and scrubbing your slow cooker after a meal. They are made with a special heat resistant material that holds in even the heartiest ingredients. Simply place the liner into a slow-cooker, fill it, then cook as you normally would. When you're done cooking, just toss away the liner and enjoy your meal without a thought to any messy clean up.

Slow Cooker Chicken Gumbo with Shrimp by Reynolds on AllRecipes

Ingredients
2 (14.5 ounce) cans stewed tomatoes, undrained
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut up
1 (14.5 ounce) can reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 green sweet pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
3 cloves garlic, minced (I used my Gourmet Garden chunky garlic)
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 pound fresh or frozen medium shrimp (thawed if frozen), peeled and deveined
16-oz package smoked sausage / kielbasa
4 cups hot cooked white or brown rice

Directions

1. Line a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker with a Reynolds(R) Slow Cooker Liner.
2. Add tomatoes, chicken, beef sausage, broth, green pepper, onion, celery, Cajun seasoning, garlic, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to prepared slow cooker. Stir gently with wooden spoon or rubber scraper to combine.
3. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours.
4. Remove lid and stir in shrimp gently with a wooden spoon or rubber scraper. Cover and cook about 3 minutes more, or until shrimp is opaque. Serve over cooked rice.

DISCLAIMER: I am an Allrecipes Allstar brand ambassador (a voluntary position) and I am not compensated for my work with Allrecipes.com. Products received from advertisers are only used for experienced-based reviews on Making Miracles. The reviews, content and opinions expressed in this blog are purely the sole opinions of Rebekah. To learn more about the Allrecipes Allstars program visit Allrecipes Allstars.