A hearty non-seafood gumbo with chicken and sausage that will stick to your ribs and make you feel like you are in the deep south
Mix your onion, celery, and bell pepper together: The Holy Trinity
Brown the Andouille sausage in a large Dutch oven over medium high heat. Remove sausage when brown, but reserve the sausage grease to add flavor to the roux.
Open a beer to enjoy while making your roux. Make your roux by adding canola oil to your Dutch oven on medium heat. When the oil is hot (sizzles with a drop of water) slowly add in your flour about 1/8 C. at a time. Wisk the oil and flour to dissolve and then let it rest a few minutes. Let it rest while you take a sip of your beer. Then add another bit of flour. Keep doing this until all the flour is added. It should take at least 25 minutes, but can take up to an hour if you want your roux very dark. The longer you take the darker and richer your roux. I tend to time my roux making by the amount of time it takes me to drink a beer which is approximately 25 minutes and usually gives me a chocolate milk colored roux. The key here is to let the roux rest long enough to brown but not long enough to burn, which is why I choose to drink a beer. The time it takes to take one little sip is just enough time to let the flour brown. If you stir continuously, you will never get a brown roux. And don't worry if you accidentally burn a little bit of the roux. We call that "smoky gumbo" in our house and still have no problem eating it.
While roux is cooking, bake your chicken thighs for about 25 minutes on 350 degrees. Sprinkle with 1 tbsp. of Tony's for some added kick. When finished cooking, let cool and shred the chicken. Alternatively you can make this in an Instant Pot or a slow cooker.
Once the roux is dark enough, turn down the heat to medium low, add the remaining seasoning and the Holy Trinity, cook, stirring often, for about twenty minutes or until the vegetables soften.
Add the okra, cook for about 2 minutes.
Add the sausage. Stir.
Add the cold stock and garlic.
Bring to a boil. Bring this down to a simmer and let it go for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
About 10-15 minutes before you're ready to serve, add the chicken, Worcestershire and hot sauce if using.
Garnish with green onions and serve with boiled white rice, crusty french bread, and another good cold beer (I like Dixie or Abita Amber).