Crock Pot Chicken Gumbo

Gumbo is a type of heavy soup make with seafood or chicken with sausage or ham. This kind of stew cooks in slowly heat and take simmering in a few hours to get the flavor of this dish. The trinity of vegetables is celery, carrots, and onions. Gumbo is traditionally served with rice, and most gumbo recipes use okra to make the liquid thicker.  Most of us cooks know that the secret to making good gumbo is to have a basic French roux, which is flour cooked with fat or some condiment, such as filé (powdered young leaves of sassafras used to thicken soups or stews) that can be added at the end of the cooking time. Some stores sell ready-made roux in a powder form or sauce. This would then be easier to make gumbo.  However, I develop the roux using a crock pot and then make a low-fat chicken gumbo in the crock pot, as well.  The roux can be kept in a jar with lid in the refrigerator for other types of cooking, such as with many Cajun recipes or any kind of recipe that requires roux for thickening.  The roux that I make using a crock pot turns out with a nutty flavor and an amber color.  I do not have to do anything except stir it a couple of times.  I use some blackstrap molasses to add color and taste to this roux. For today, I will now share these two crock pot recipes. They are easy to follow, and the results taste delicious (*I use chicken in this recipe to keep the gumbo lower in fat content; however, if the more traditional use of ham or sausages is desired, substitute the ham or sausages for 1 lb. of chicken where designated below).

Roux ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup vegetables oil
2 tbs blackstrap molasses
Directions:
Place oil and flour in a crock pot and stir well.  Cover and turn to low for 8 hours or overnight. Stir a couple of times. When it is done, stir in blackstrap molasses. Pour the roux into a glass jar with lid. 

Refrigerate until needed.

Chicken gumbo ingredients:
2 lbs. chicken thighs and breasts, cut into bite-size pieces*
1/2 onions, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup red bell peppers, chopped
2 cups okra (fresh or frozen)
One 15.5 oz. can of tomatoes juice
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp fresh thymes or 1/4 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp fresh parsley, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 tsp cayenne
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup roux
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Bring a pot of water to boil. Add chicken and bring it back to boil. Drain. I like to get rid some of the impurities of the chicken, but this process can be omitted.
Place all the ingredients as listed above in a crock pot.  Stir to combine and cover with lid.  Turn to low to 4 to 5 hrs. Adjust the seasoning to your liking.

Serve with rice or French bread.