Chicken & Smoked Sausage Gumbo
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup flour
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped green pepper
1 lb smoked sausage, cut
1 tsp salt
½ tsp cayenne pepper
3 bay leaves
8 cups water
1 lb chicken fillets, cut up
1 tsp creole seasoning
2 tbsp parsley
½ cup green onions
1 tsp file powder (optional)
Combine the oil and the flour over medium heat. Stir slowly 20-25 minutes. Add onions, celery and bell pepper and stir 5 minutes. Add sausage, salt, cayenne and bay leaves. Stir 4 minutes. Add water and stir till combined. Bring to boil then reduce to medium-low. Cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally one hour. Season chicken with rub and add to pot. Simmer for two hours. Remove from heat and add parsley, green onions and file powder. Remove bay leaves.
Advice: The key to any great gumbo is the roux. Do not leave it, even for a minute. And I find the roux always comes out better if I stir it with a whisk instead of a spoon. It should be the color of melted chocolate when you put the vegetables in. See color example below.
