This recipe is based on one from Justin Wilson, a Cajun cook who used to appear on TV. It’s simple and very rich. This is a dish I don’t serve to guests. Most people don’t really know gizzards and it seems like a dirty trick to invite someone to dinner and then serve them food they may not want to venture. The idea of having guests is to serve, not force your own ideas of great food. Imagine my surprise tonight to wander upstairs to the kitchen for a second helping and find my daughter and her new friend slurping down the gizzard gumbo. I didn’t even know anyone was here. I may have to rethink my position on the whole gizzards and guests idea. 12/30/2021 . . . I updated the presentation of this recipe on the blog. I first published it in June 2012! Same great recipe by the late Justin Wilson. Many thanks to those of you who have visited my blog over the years.

  • Ingredients
  • 10 Tbsp. butter
  • 10 Tbsp. flour
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped bell pepper
  • 1/2 cup chopped celery
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley
  • 3 cups cold water, divided
  • 2 cups dry white wine
  • 1 lb. chicken gizzards, chopped
  • 1 lb. Louisiana hot sausage links (Andouille), sliced
  • 1 tsp. hot sauce (like Tabasco)
  • 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • File powder to taste, optional
  • Serve over rice
Start by making a roux of melted butter, and flour, stirred into the butter. Roux is the basis for many sauces. Butter provides a way to disburse flour as a thickener into a liquid so that it’s not lumpy.
Simmer the roux over low heat, stirring very frequently, until it is a rich brown color. This may take some time. Be patient. Let it turn a rich brown color without burning it.
Add onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic, and parsley. In Cajun cooking they call the onion, pepper, and celery combination the holy trinity. It’s the Cajun version of mirepoix.
Let it saute for awhile.
Remove from heat. Stir in 1 cup cold water and 2 cups white wine. Place back over heat and add 2 cups water. Stir very well.
Stir in the chicken gizzards.
Try to get your hands on real Anduille sausage (a Louisiana spicy link sausage).
Stir in the Anduille.
Stir in hot sauce and Worchestershire sauce. Add salt. Let simmer, uncovered, for about an hour. Check the salt before serving.
File powder is ground sassafras. This is not a necessary component to the dish, but it surely makes it authentic.
Sprinkle file powder in the bottom of your bowl.
Add some rice to your bowl. I love jasmine rice and use it for everything. Regular white rice is fine.
Spoon the gumbo over the rice and stir to mix everything together in your bowl. Enjoy.

To make white rice: stir 1 cup rice into 2 cups boiling liquid and let simmer, covered, on low heat for exactly 25 minutes–don’t peek, don’t stir, just let it simmer with the cover on for exactly 25 minutes. That’s it. Yield: 3 cups cooked white rice.