Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

This is a bold and tasty gumbo made with chicken thighs and smoked sausage served over rice. Brings me back to New Orleans on a cold evening.

You will need:

• 200 gr smoked sausage like Andouille (pronounced On Dewy) or a smoked sausage with garlic and lots of black pepper.
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 4-6 chicken thighs - cleaned of fat and chopped into cubes
• 3 cloves garlic- chopped fine
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp garlic powder (not garlic salt)
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 - 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (1/2 tsp if you like it hotter)
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 stalks celery
• 1 small onion
• 1 small green pepper
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 litre or approx half a box of chicken broth
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley - chopped
• 1 heaped tsp file powder (you might have to find this in a speciality store-I bought mine in New Orleans)

Step 1: chop all your ingredients. Slice Andouille sausage or if you cannot find it use a smoked sausage with lots of garlic and black pepper for a similar flavour. Chop onions, celery, parsley, chicken thighs, green pepper, garlic.

Step 2: add all your spices to a small bowl. Add paprika (I used smoked sweet but, you can use hot if you prefer), salt, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, and fried oregano.

Step 3: saute your sliced sausage in 1 tbsp olive oil. Cook until slightly browned. Remove to a plate or tray.

Step 4:  add your spices to the chicken thighs tossing to  coat. Add chopped onions and chicken thighs to the same pan you cooked the sausage in. Cook  about 10 minutes scraping up all the browned bits to clean the pan. You can also add a few tbsp of water if the pan is too dry or feels like it is browning too much. This moisture will steam and help remove most of the fond (browned burnt bits)on the bottom.

Step 5: add chopped peppers, celery and garlic. Cook 3-4 minutes. Remove to plate or tray.

Step 6: prepare roux which will thicken your sauce. Add flour and olive oil to the same pan and cook slowly on low heat for 10-15 minutes until the flour is cooked and the mixture is darker in colour. You can cook until the colour is quite dark for more flavour. I cooked mine for 10 minutes.

Step 7: add back your sausage, chicken and vegetables.

Step 8: add your broth and stir well. Cook on low for 1 1/2 hours stirring every once in a while to make sure it is not too thick. If necessary add more broth.

Step 9: just before serving add file powder (fee-lay powder) and chopped parsley and serve over rice or mix in the rice for a dirty rice feel.

Step 1: chop all your ingredients. Slice Andouille sausage or if you cannot find it use a smoked sausage with lots of garlic and black pepper for a similar flavour. Chop onions, celery, parsley, chicken thighs, green pepper, garlic.

Step 2: add all your spices to a small bowl. Add paprika (I used smoked sweet but, you can use hot if you prefer), salt, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, and dried oregano.

Step 3: saute your sliced sausage in 1 tbsp olive oil. Cook until slightly browned. Remove to a plate.

Step 4:  add your spices to the chicken thighs tossing to  coat. Add chopped onions and chicken thighs to the same pan you cooked the sausage in. Cook  about 10 minutes scraping up all the browned bits to clean the pan. You can also add a few tbsp of water if the pan is too dry or feels like it is browning too much. This moisture will steam and help remove most of the fond (browned burnt bits)on the bottom.

Step 5: add chopped peppers, celery and garlic. Cook 3-4 minutes. Remove to plate or tray.

Step 6: prepare roux which will thicken your sauce. Add flour and olive oil and cook slowly on low heat for 10-15 minutes until the flour is cooked and the mixture is darker in colour. You can cook until the colour is quite dark for more flavour. I cooked mine for 10 minutes.

Step 7: add back your sausage, chicken and vegetables.

Step 8: add your broth and stir well. Cook on low for 1 1/2 hours stirring every once in a while to make sure it is not too thick. If necessary add more broth.

Step 9: just before serving add file powder (fee-lay powder) and chopped parsley and serve over rice or mix in the rice for a dirty rice feel.