Slow-Cooker Chicken Gumbo

By polloazul

Ingredients

• 4 large tomatoes
• 8 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 medium Spanish onions, chopped
• 1 small head garlic, finely chopped, about 1/4 cup
• 1 large jalapeno pepper, minced, seeds to taste (optional)
• 8 ounces Andouille sausage or kielbasa, cut in half lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 1 tablespoon dried rolled sage
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• Pinch nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 rosemary sprig
• 2 cups diced celery
• 2 cups diced bell peppers
• 2 cups sliced okra
• 1/2 cup long grain brown rice
• 1 tablespoon Gumbo File powder
• Freshly chopped parsley for garnish

Details

Servings 8
Adapted from healthyseasonalrecipes.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Make an ice bath by filling a large bowl with ice and water. Set aside. Core tomatoes and score an “x” on the bottom. Dip the tomatoes into the boiling water and boil until the skin starts to peel away, but the flesh isn’t mushy, 40 seconds to 2 minutes. Drain tomatoes and transfer to the ice bath to cool. Drain and slip skin off of the cooled tomatoes. Cut in half along the equator. Gently seed tomatoes over a bowl lined with a fine mesh sieve to catch any juices. Roughly chop the tomatoes. (You should have about 6 cups.)

2. Combine broth and ¾ teaspoon salt in a large slow cooker and turn to low heat for 8 hours.

3. Meanwhile, sprinkle ¼ teaspoon salt over the chicken. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until browned 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to the slow cooker. Add onion, garlic, jalapeno, if using, and Andouille or kielbasa to the skillet and cook, stirring often until the onions are browned and softened, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir in sage, thyme and nutmeg and cook, stirring until fragrant, 30 to 90 seconds. Transfer the onion mixture to the slow cooker. Add the tomatoes, reserved tomato juice from the bowl and tomato paste to the skillet and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Remove from the heat and transfer to the slow cooker.

4. Add rosemary sprig, celery, bell peppers, okra and rice to the slow cooker and cover. Cook until the timer goes off and turn off heat if necessary. Discard rosemary sprig and stir in gumbo file. Do not continue to cook with file. Garnish with parsley.