assignmentPREPARATION
In a medium sized pot, add chicken breast and thighs and cover with 2 quarts of water. Bring water to a boil, then simmer until fully cooked, about 20 – 25 minutes. Strain the water and reserve. Remove the cooked chicken from the pot and allow to cool. Once cooled, shred the chicken into smaller pieces, cover and set aside.
In a medium size saucepan, add the okra and ½ C water. Bring the water to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Simmer for 7-9 minutes until tender, stirring occasionally. Transfer the okra to a colander to drain the water and reserve the cooked okra.
In a large pot, combine ½ C unsalted butter and ½ C flour. Cook over medium heat, frequently stirring with a whisk to make a dark brown roux, about 15 minutes. Make sure to stir the last 5 minutes of cooking continuously so the roux doesn’t burn. Add onion, bell peppers, celery and garlic. Sauté until vegetables are tender about 8 – 10 minutes.
Add cooked okra, tomatoes, and sliced Andouille sausage. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add bay leaf, thyme, basil, cayenne, pepper and salt. Add 4 C of the reserved, strained water from the cooked chicken, mix well. You may ad more water depending on how thick you want the gumbo. Simmer over medium-low heat, for approximately 30 minutes with the pot loosely covered, stirring occasionally.
Add cooked shredded chicken and simmer an additional 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and slowly stir in the file. Do no re-boil after adding in the file as this tends to make the gumbo stringy. Taste gumbo and season with more salt and pepper as desired. Serve over steamed rice.