Game Day Gumbo

I made this and had it goin' on the stove the morning of the Super Bowl.  During half-time, it was ready to dish up and eat.  I always keep things pretty mild for the kids' sake, but we were all able to spice things up in our individual bowls, which I highly recommend.

Super easy, super tasty, cold weather, one-pot meal.  And, as with all soups and stews, it was even better the next day.

Here's the recipe (originally from our newspaper) with my notes:

Gumbo
Printable Recipe

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 13-oz pkg kielbasa, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped
4 stalk celery, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
Salt and pepper
1/4 C all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 - 1/2 tsp cayenne
1 14.5-oz can low-sodium chicken broth
1 14.5-oz can diced tomatoes
4 sprigs fresh thyme (It was January - I used dried)
8-oz frozen sliced okra

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add the kielbasa and cook until browned on both sides.  You may need to do this in batches.  Transfer to a large bowl.  Salt and pepper the chicken and add to the pot. Brown on both sides. Again, you may need to do this in batches.  Transfer to the bowl with the kielbasa.

Add the onion, celery, and green pepper to the pot.  (I also added several cloves of chopped garlic.) Season with salt and pepper and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 6 to 8 minutes.  Sprinkle the flour, allspice, and cayenne over the veggies.  Cook, stirring, another 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the broth, tomatoes, and thyme; bring to a simmer.  Stir in the okra, kielbasa, and chicken and cook until the okra is tender and mixture is slightly thickened, 5 to 6 minutes.  At this point, I turned it down to low and let it hang out until it was time to eat, several hours later.

Serve over rice.

Here's mine in my bowl:

Good stuff, kids.

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