Chicken Gumbo

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons cooking oil
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 onion chopped
• 2 ribs celery chopped
• 1 green bell pepper chopped
• 1 (10-ounce) package frozen sliced okra
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 (15 ounce) can crushed tomatoes in thick purée
• 32 ounces low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 pound smoked sausage halved lengthwise, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1 pound chicken breasts boneless, skinless, and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 3/4 cup long-grain rice

Directions

• In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat.
• Add the flour and whisk until the flour begins to brown, about 4 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to low and stir in the onion, the celery, and the bell pepper, cooking until the vegetables begin to soften, about 7 minutes.
• Add the okra, the bay leaf, the thyme, the oregano, the salt, the black pepper, the cayenne, and the tomatoes.
• Cook, covered, for 5 minutes.
• Stir in the chicken broth and the sausage and bring the pot to a boil.
• Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Add the chicken and cook until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees F, about 5 minutes.
• Remove the bay leaf.
• While the gumbo cooks, bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil.
• Stir the rice into the salted water and boil until nearly cooked, about 11 minutes.
• Drain the rice.
• Serve the gumbo atop a mound of the rice.