Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

• 1 lb smoked andouille sausage, sliced 1/4 inch thick (another sausage such as Kielbasa will work – but the flavor won’t be the same)
• 1/2 lb baked ham, cut into 1/2″ cubes
• 3-4 lbs bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (or 1 thigh for each person you’re serving)
• 2 c chopped onion
• 1 c chopped green pepper
• 1 c chopped celery
• 1/2 c thinly sliced green onions
• 2 T minced parsley
• 1 T finely minced garlic

roux:

• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup flour

seasonings/liquid:

• 2 quarts chicken broth
• 1-3 tsp salt  (because the saltiness of ham and sausage varies so much, I would go light on the salt (1 tsp) until the gumbo has cooked for the hour – and then add additional salt to taste)
• 1 T tomato paste
• 1 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp cayenne
• 1 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 3 whole bay leaves
• 2 to 3 T file powder

Heat the oil over high heat. Add chicken and brown evenly. Remove from the pan. Make the roux by adding the flour to the oil in the pot, stirring constantly over low heat until the color is milk chocolate brown.  Expect that to take 15-20 minutes.

When the roux reaches the right color, quickly add the sausage, ham, onion, green pepper, celery, green onions, parsley and garlic. Continue cooking over low heat for 10 minutes more, stirring constantly.

Add 1 cup of the chicken broth, stir, and bring the mixture back to a simmer; add the browned chicken and all of the seasonings except the file powder and mix gently but thoroughly. Keeping the heat at low, gradually add the rest of the broth and bring the gumbo to a boil, stirring gently. When it boils, reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for about 1 hour or until the chicken is quite tender. Remove the pot from the stove and remove the chicken from the pot. Cool and then de-bone and shred the chicken.  Add the cooked chicken back into the pot.

At this point you can let the gumbo rest until the fat comes to the top and then skim it off – or you can refrigerate the gumbo to serve the next day.  By then the fat will have congealed and can be easily removed.  Plus, the flavors blend after a day or so, resulting in an even more delicious gumbo.

When you’re ready to serve the gumbo, bring back it to a simmer, add the file powder and stir. Turn off the heat and let the gumbo stand in the pot for about 5 minutes, then serve over boiled long grain rice.