Cajun Chicken Gumbo

serves 8–10

Gumbo makes me smile—it’s simple to prepare and reminds me of New Orleans, a city with a rich culinary heritage. I make it to soothe our souls during the winter. Gumbo is one of those recipes that you can tinker with and it always turns out delicious. Try using other meats or seafood, and garnish it with green onions and, of course, filé powder (crushed sassafras), which is de rigueur in the South. This gumbo begins with a roux, which you can make the night before putting your gumbo into the slow cooker. Although the roux is not hard to make, it does require some attention, so leave yourself some time to make it.

Ingredients

• ½ cup vegetable oil
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1½ cups chopped onions
• 1½ cups chopped celery
• 1½ cups chopped green bell peppers
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon Old Bay or Creole seasoning
• 1 pound andouille or other smoked sausage, cut into ½-inch dice
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 3 cups bite-size pieces cooked chicken
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 cups cooked long-grain rice
• 6 green onions, chopped, using the white and tender green part, for garnishing
• Gumbo filé powder for serving
• Assorted hot sauces for serving

Instructions

heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the flour and whisk to combine. Reduce the heat to medium and whisk the roux until it is a dark golden-brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

add the onions, celery, bell peppers, garlic, and seasoning and sauté until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. (At this point, the mixture can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours. Rewarm the roux before adding it to the slow cooker.)

transfer the contents of the skillet to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker and stir in the sausage, broth, chicken, and bay leaf. Cook on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 8 to 10 hours. Remove the bay leaf from the gumbo.

serve the gumbo over the rice and garnish with the green onions. Serve with the filé powder and assorted hot sauces on the side.