Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

Put chicken pieces in a bowl. Blend salt, peppers, mustard, cayenne pepper, paprika, granulated garlic and file powder. Rub four teaspoons of the mixture over the chicken. Set rest of spice mixture aside.

Put the flour in a bowl and add two teaspoons of the reserved spice mixture. Blend well.

Heat a 10-inch black iron skillet and add the oil. Dredge the chicken pieces in the flour mixture to coat well, shaking off excess. Reserve the leftover flour.

When the oil is hot and almost smoking, add the chicken pieces skin side down. Cook about two minutes on one side until golden brown. Turn and cook about three minutes on the second side until nicely browned. Drain thoroughly on paper towels.

Pour off all but one cup of fat from the skillet. Heat this oil over high heat until it is almost smoking and add the reserved seasoned flour. Stir rapidly and constantly with a wire whisk until the mixture starts to look like dark chocolate. Do not burn. This is a roux.

Add the chopped onion, celery and green pepper to the roux and stir to blend well. Remove from the heat without allowing it to burn.

Meanwhile, bring the broth to a boil in a large saucepan.

Add about half a cup of the roux mixture to the broth, stirring rapidly with the whisk. Continue adding the roux mixture, half a cup at a time, always stirring rapidly and constantly.

Add the smoked sausage and stir. Cook over high heat, stirring often from the bottom, about 15 minutes.

Add the chicken pieces, bay leaf and finely minced fresh garlic. Continue cooking about 40 minutes.

Remove the chicken pieces. Cut the meat from the bones and discard the bones. Cut the chicken into cubes and add it. Serve with rice spooned into the gumbo.

Note:

The smoked pork sausage traditionally used to prepare this dish is known as andouille.