CHICKEN GUMBO

Chicken gumbo

We eat alot of soup and stew in the winter because they are nice and filling, hearty and warm you up on a cold day.   But I was tired of the same old, same old.  Then I remembered how much I like gumbo (the seafood kind, but since my fam hates seafood.....) So chicken gumbo it is.

Here's the recipe:

1/2 onion diced

2 stalks of celery diced

1 diced green pepper

2 cloves chopped garlic

2 1/2 lbs of cut up chicken

1 lb. sausage (your favorite, I like kilbasa)

1 bay leaf

1 tsp. worcestershire sauce

hot sauce ( accord. to your taste)

 1/8 tsp. dried thyme

1 tsp dried basil

1 tbsp. gumbo file (optional)

2 tbsp oil

3 tbsp flour

1 quart chicken broth

1-12oz. bag of sliced frozen okra

salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in pan and brown all chicken pieces on all sides and remove from pan.   Add a little more oil if needed and saute onions until translucent, add garlic and cook 1 minute.   Add celery and  pepper and cook for about 4 minutes or until soft.   If the pan is dry add about 2 more tbsp of oil and sprinkle in the flour stir and cook for 2 minutes.   Slowly stir in chicken broth, add bay leaf, worcestshire sauce, hot sauce, thyme, basil and the browned chicken and sausage.   Broil to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until chicken is cooked all the way through ( approx. 40 minutes)  10 minutes before its done add the okra, salt and pepper to taste and add the file.   Serve over rice.

Enjoy!

Jacqui Allen